Marc-André Bouchard

Mentalization in adult attachment narratives: Reflective functioning, mental states, and affect elaboration compared.

Relationships between three measures of mentalization (reflective function, mental states, and verbal elaboration of affect), attachment status, and the severity of axis I and axis II pathology were examined. Seventy-three adults, both ex-psychiatric patients and nonclinical volunteers were administered the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Comparisons between the three measures indicate that they share some aspect of a core mentalization process and that each illuminates a specific component. Reflective function was the only predictor of attachment status. The number of axis I diagnoses is partly explained by attachment insecurity, but the capacity to generate high-level defensive mental states as well as increments in verbal affect elaboration further contribute to the model. Finally, increments in affect elaboration, as well as augmentations in high-level defensive activity and reflective function are all associated with decreases in the number of axis II diagnoses, over and above the contribution of attachment status and axis I pathology.

Piagetian object-permanence in Cebus capucinus, Lagothrica flavicauda and Pan troglodytes

Object-permanence was studied with one chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and two New World monkeys (Lagothrica flavicauda and Cebus capucinus). The chimpanzee and the capucinus attained stage VI, while Lagothrica reached stage Va. The data show that tests of object-permanence are suitable for comparison among species. This study also attempts to propose an experimental scheme that could allow for a more valid comparison among species. Use of an operant conditioning procedure is suggested and discussed.

Countertransference as the therapist's mental activity: experience and gender differences among psychoanalytically oriented psychologists

The Countertransference Rating Scale (CRS; Normandin & Bouchard, 1993) was used to compare the spontaneous written reactions ― to two clinical vignettes ― of beginning (less than 1 year) and experienced (10 years or more) psychoanalytically oriented psychologists. The CRS distinguishes three major mental states: objective/rational countertransference is a detached, nonparticipating, observing position; reactive countertransference is an unconscious defensive reaction, in which the therapist is an unaware participant-subject; reflective countertransference is an aware, preconscious-conscious subjectively transparent participating state. Results indicate that beginning therapists were more reflective and that experienced therapists were more reactive. As for gender differences, female therapists were found to be more reflective, and male subjects were more objective/rational

The Effects of Theoretical Orientation and Experience on Rational, Reactive, and Reflective Countertransference

An integrative approach to countertransference (CT) phenomena is proposed by means of a Countertransference Rating System (CRS). Three types of countertransference (CT) activity are studied: Objective-Rational, Reactive (classical CT), and Reflective (a purposeful awareness with an interpretive function). The rating system was applied to spontaneous written reactions of 45 experienced (10 years and more) and 45 inexperienced (1 year) psychologists of three schools (psychodynamically oriented, humanists, and cognitive-behaviorists). Two clinical vignettes, one of an adolescent borderline, the other of an obsessional man, served as stimuli. Results show an adequate level of interjudge reliability as measured by kappa (?= .72) and intraclass coefficients (ICC: p = .78). A highly coherent pattern of intercorrelations gives support to the logical structure of the CRS. Group comparisons showed that humanists and psychodynamicists are comparatively more reflective, while behaviorists adopt a relatively more freq...

Mental States Task (MST): development, validation, and correlates of a self-report measure of mentalization.

OBJECTIVES Mental states refer to the quality of ones capacity to mentally elaborate and open up to his or her subjective experience. The Mental States Task (MST) was developed to evaluate individual differences relative to this capacity. METHOD Using the MST, participants described a story from an emotionally challenging image and responded to a set of items about their cognitive and emotional processes while completing the task. The validation of the French version of the MST comprises two samples: 264 undergraduate/graduate students with a mean age of 27.27 years (Sample 1), and 206 students with a mean age of 26.61 years (Sample 2). The validation of the English version of the MST also includes two samples: 110 undergraduate students with a mean age of 20.15 years (Sample 3) and 188 students with a mean age of 20.90 years (Sample 4). RESULTS Results suggest that 6 mental states can be distinguished and that the MST presents an adequate factorial structure, in both its French and English versions. The MST scores were associated with mental state scores derived from a content analysis method and with other related constructs (e.g., authenticity, empathy). CONCLUSIONS Overall, findings provide convincing evidence of validity and reliability for the MST as an assessment tool of mental states. This innovative measure is likely to facilitate the clinical and empirical investigation of mentalization.

Mental states as part of countertransference responses in psychotherapists facing reports of traumatic events of mourning and sexual violence.

Abstract The study aims to compare the mental states and countertransference responses of 92 psychodynamically oriented psychotherapists, male and female, experienced and inexperienced, facing written reports of real patients who experienced traumatic events. Two vignettes were presented: one of a sexual violence, the other the sudden death of a significant person. The Mental States Rating System (MSRS; Bouchard, Picard, Audet, Brisson, & Carrier, 1998), the MSRS Self-Report (Goldfeld & Bouchard, 2004), and the Inventory of Countertransference Behavior (ICB; Friedman & Gelso, 2000) were used. Results showed that the mourning vignette led to more reflective responses (MSRS) and the rape case was associated with more negative countertransference reactions (ICB). Female participants were more reflective (MSRS); male therapists used less mentalized states (MSRS Self-Report) and expressed more negative reactions (ICB) for both scenarios. Experienced therapists showed more positive reactions on the ICB. The construct validity of the instruments is discussed in relation to the findings.

Inhibition and object relations in borderline personality traits after traumatic brain injury

This study aims to assess the nature and severity of borderline traits after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Thirty subjects with moderate or severe TBI were compared to 30 normal controls on the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB-R), a dimensional measure of borderline traits, the Go-no go inhibition task, the Complexity of Representations of People and Affect-Tone Relationships Paradigms, two scales from the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS) evaluating the quality of object relations, an estimation of pre-morbid borderline severity, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and various neuropsychological measures. Results indicate that TBIs present more borderline symptoms and traits than controls. However, the severity of borderline symptomatology remains comparatively low for the vast majority. As expected, the TBI group showed a poorer performance on the Go-no go task, a characteristic neuropsychological inhibition deficit. Yet, both samples present similar profiles on the SCORS. Finally, the DIB-R was correlated with the Affect-Tone scale, the BDI and with the pre-morbid severity estimation. Results suggest that post-TBI borderline traits remain rare and relate more to the affective quality of object relations, negative affects and pre-morbid borderline pathology than inhibition deficits.

Countertransference as instrument and obstacle : a comprehensive and descriptive framework

A comprehensive and descriptive approach to counter-transference phenomena is proposed. Three types of mental activity are distinguished: the objective-rational attitude is an adaptive, relatively nondefensive mode of observation; the reactive mental state corresponds to the classical notion of unconscious counter-transference as an obstacle and a defense; by contrast the reflective attitudes involve preconscious and conscious psychical activity. Reflective activity involves four phases: (1) during emergence, an inner reaction appears; (2) immersion, through a regressive exploration, leads to introjective identification; (3) integrative elaboration involves a shift in cathexis, more distance, and an organization of the regressed contents, while (4) an interpretation is forming in mind. Three case examples from the literature serve to illustrate.

Adaptação transcultural do Mental States Rating System para o português brasileiro

INTRODUCTION: This article presents a cross-cultural adaptation of the Mental States Rating System, a content analysis scale applied to spoken, written or taped material, which covers a wide range of countertransference categories. METHOD: The following steps were performed: conceptual equivalence, item equivalence, semantic equivalence, operational equivalence, functional equivalence, and approval of the final version by the author of the original instrument. RESULTS: The study has reached the objectives of equivalence, and the final Brazilian Portuguese version has been approved by the original author. CONCLUSION: The study provides a Brazilian Portuguese version of an instrument that not only covers all the range of categories encompassed by countertransference described in the literature, but also expands it through the Mental States Theory. This represents a valuable tool for research on psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, where countertransference has proved to be an important resource, especially for the treatment of diseases based on early stages of development, for severe mental diseases and severe trauma.

Voluntary control of autonomic responses: a case for a dialogue between individual and group experimental methodologies.

This paper discusses the general methodological controversy between individual and group research approaches by comparing the main characteristics of these two methods as applied to the specific context of basic research on voluntary heart rate control. A review of the literature published over the past 19 years in this area of study shows an imbalance in the frequency of utilization of these two methods that strongly favors short-term group designs. Implications of this research tendency are discussed. The relevance and the advantages of applying the individual approach to voluntary autonomic control research are outlined. This area is particularly amenable to the individual approach because the phenomena under study seem to be characterized by, among other things, a smaller intrasubject than intersubject variability. It is suggested that the present imbalanced tendency in the choice of a research method be corrected and that researchers adopt a more flexible attitude in the choice of the best method for studying each specific problem.