| Abstract: | ![]()
Proposes self psychology as a relational model of psychopathology that can be incorporated into a biopsychosocial paradigm of symptom formation for Axis I disorders. Four specific pathways to symptom formation are outlined: (1) a self-state of impending fragmentation that is warded off through involvement with a substance or activity, as in addictive disorders; (2) a state of fragmentation without a behavioral means of self-restitution other than avoidance, as in anxiety disorders; (3) the use of a symptom as a compromise formation among conflicting impulses as a result of psychological trauma, as in dissociative and somatoform disorders; and (4) an internalized conflict between maintaining needed relationships and pursuing self-differentiation, resulting in symptoms such as depressive states and work inhibitions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
