The aim of the research is to develop the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme Method (CCRT) as a much-needed measure of relationship patterns for psychotherapy research and for the practice of psychotherapy.
The aims are to determine its reliability and validity by (a) comparison with other measures of relationship patterns (b) comparison of CCRT for relationships with other people vs, with the therapist (as required by the definition of transference) (d) comparison of changes in CCRT from the beginning to end of treatment with those in standard outcome measures and (d) comparison of relationship patterns assessed pretreatment with those found during the treatment. The lack of such a measure has been the major impediment to research on psychodynamically oriented psychotherapies since the CCRT appears to measure the transference. The central agent of change in these therapies is supposed to be the recognition and working through of the relationship problems that appear in the transference relationship with the therapist. The therapists from this largest of all schools of psychotherapy have been making formulations of the transference ever since the concept was first introduced over 70 years ago. After such a long history of constant clinical use it is time for a major effort to objectify the concept, if that can be done.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH039673-03
Application #
3377589
Study Section
(TDAA)
Project Start
1984-07-01
Project End
1987-11-30
Budget Start
1986-07-01
Budget End
1987-11-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1986
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pennsylvania
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
042250712
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104
Barber, J P; Luborsky, L; Diguer, L et al. (1995) A comparison of core conflictual relationship themes before psychotherapy and during early sessions. J Consult Clin Psychol 63:145-8
Fried, D; Crits-Christoph, P; Luborsky, L (1992) The first empirical demonstration of transference in psychotherapy. J Nerv Ment Dis 180:326-31
Luborsky, L; Barber, J P; Crits-Christoph, P (1990) Theory-based research for understanding the process of dynamic psychotherapy. J Consult Clin Psychol 58:281-7
Luborsky, L; Crits-Christoph, P (1989) A relationship pattern measure: the core conflictual relationship theme. Psychiatry 52:250-9
Crits-Christoph, P; Luborsky, L; Dahl, L et al. (1988) Clinicians can agree in assessing relationship patterns in psychotherapy. The Core Conflictual Relationship Theme method. Arch Gen Psychiatry 45:1001-4
Crits-Christoph, P; Cooper, A; Luborsky, L (1988) The accuracy of therapists' interpretations and the outcome of dynamic psychotherapy. J Consult Clin Psychol 56:490-5
Luborsky, L; Crits-Christoph, P (1988) Measures of psychoanalytic concepts--the last decade of research from 'the Penn studies'. Int J Psychoanal 69 ( Pt 1):75-86
Luborsky, L; Crits-Christoph, P; Mellon, J (1986) Advent of objective measures of the transference concept. J Consult Clin Psychol 54:39-47