Assimilation of Voices in Psychotherapy: The Case of Jan

The authors present a marker-based method for tracking the assimilation of a previously outcast voice into the self, conceived as a community of voices. In a qualitative assimilation analysis of the case of Jan, a woman whose depressive symptoms abated in process-experiential psychotherapy, the auth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of counseling psychology 1999-10, Vol.46 (4), p.448-460
Main Authors: Honos-Webb, Lara, Surko, Michael, Stiles, William B, Greenberg, Leslie S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assimilation
Assimilation (Cognitive Process)
Assimilation Theory
Biological and medical sciences
Case Studies
Experiential Psychotherapy
Female
Individual psychotherapy
Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal Relationship
Major Depression
Medical sciences
Personality Change
Personality Theories
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapeutic Processes
Psychotherapeutic Techniques
Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling
Psychotherapy
Self Esteem
Self-Concept
Treatments
Voices
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Summary:The authors present a marker-based method for tracking the assimilation of a previously outcast voice into the self, conceived as a community of voices. In a qualitative assimilation analysis of the case of Jan, a woman whose depressive symptoms abated in process-experiential psychotherapy, the authors tracked 2 major themes, excerpted 43 relevant passages, and rated each passage on the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES). Ratings by 3 independent raters who used a marker-based APES manual were highly correlated with the investigators' consensus ratings. APES ratings tended to increase across sessions, as expected in successful therapy. The authors present passages to illustrate the assimilation of a voice of neediness and weakness by Jan's dominant superwoman voice and the assimilation of a voice of rebellion and assertiveness by Jan's dominant good-girl voice, yielding a more complex and flexible community.
ISSN:0022-0167
1939-2168
DOI:10.1037/0022-0167.46.4.448