The effect of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy based on the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) in decreasing self-destructiveness and increasing ego development

Subject Areas : روان‌شناسی تحولی

Ashraf Sadat Mousavi ¹ (Hazrat-e Masoume University (HMU))
Parviz Azad Fallah ² (PhD Tarbiat Modares University)
Mohsen Dehghani ³ (Shahid Beheshti University)

Received: 2023-04-14 Accepted : 2024-05-06

Keywords: self-destructiveness, ego development, CCRT psychotherapy, trend analysis,

Abstract :

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) psychotherapy in increasing ego development and decreasing self-destructiveness. Method: The research design of the present study was quasi-experimental with two experimental and control groups. The statistical population consisted of those students of Tehran and Shahid Beheshti universities whose scores on the Beck Depression Scale indicated moderate or severe depression. The sample was selected by the purposive sampling method and 12 subjects were assigned for each experimental and control group according to entry and exit criteria. Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale (CSDS), Washington University Sentences Completion Test (WUSCT), Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the depression subscales of Symptom CheckList‒90 (SCL‒90) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) were used for data gathering. The experimental group was treated with CCRT psychotherapy, individually. Data were analyzed through the variance analysis of repeated measures on one factor. Findings: The trend analysis showed that in the experimental group, CCRT psychotherapy led to a decrease in self-destructiveness (with two indices of the score of CSDS and depression symptoms) by helping to improve ego development. Conclusion: The application of psychotherapy techniques, which aim at increasing ego adjustment, is an appropriate method for decreasing self-destructive tendencies.