Therapeutic Alliance in Personality Disorders Therapy from the Perspective of Transactional Analysis

• Lidia Cierpiałkowska, Prof. zw. dr hab.

  Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

• Anna Frączek, mgr

  Centrum Analizy Transakcyjnej

The present research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy demonstrates that it is dependent to a great extent on both specific and common treatment factors, i.e. on the quality of the therapeutic relationship and alliance. Therapeutic alliance within the transtheoretical approach is defined in terms of the therapist-patient bond as well as the agreed therapy goals and tasks (Bordin, 1994). Since persons with personality disorders from clusters A, B and C according to DSM-5 (APA, 2013) for various reasons have great difficulties in maintaining stable interpersonal relationships, which is reflected in building and maintaining of the adequate level of the therapeutic alliance.

We have assumed that the conception of overt and ulterior transactions in Transactional Analy- sis allows a novel description and explanation of problems related to the fluctuations of the thera- peutic alliance with patients suffering from different personality disorders. The considerations pre- sented in the article aim at: 1) the description of difficulties in the therapeutic relationship charac- teristic of patients with personality disorders from clusters A, B and C; 2) the indication to typical transactional games between patients with various personality disorders and the therapist and their influence on the fluctuation of the strength of alliance and 3) the presentation of Paul Ware’s (1985) conception of “open door, target door and trap door” in psychotherapy along with the re- sulting recommendations as regards the order of applied therapeutic strategies.

1. Lidia Cierpiałkowska, Prof. zw. dr hab., Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

   kierownik Zakładu Psychologii Zdrowia i Psychologii Klinicznej w Instytucie Psychologii UAM, psycholog kliniczny, psychoterapeuta, superwizor terapii uzależnień, autorka przeszło 160 publikacji naukowych z psychopatologii i psychoterapii

2. Anna Frączek, mgr, Centrum Analizy Transakcyjnej

   nauczyciel i superwizor analizy transakcyjnej w kontrakcie z EATA, jest psychologiem i Certyfikowanym AnalitykiemTransakcyjnym w dziedzinie psychoterapii. Zajmuje się psychoterapią indywidualną i grupową dorosłych i młodzieży. Szkoli i superwizuje w Centrum AT oraz w Centre Auvergnat de Formation en Analyse Transactionnelle we Francji.

• pdf (Polish)

I am aware that the Educational Transactional Analysis journal is published under a Creative Commons license - Attribution (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode).

By submitting the article, I agree to make it available under this license