In-session reflective functioning in psychotherapies for borderline personality disorder: The emotion regulatory role of reflective functioning.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The capacity for understanding mental states (reflective functioning; RF) is considered essential for self-growth, social learning, and emotion regulation. Impaired RF is thought to play a central role in borderline personality disorder (BPD). We examined whether asking patients to consider mental states in-session has a down-regulatory effect on emotional arousal in treatments for BPD.

Method

Early-, middle- and late-phase videotaped sessions from a randomized-controlled trial of transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP; n = 30), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT; n = 29), and supportive psychodynamic therapy (SPT; n = 29) were segmented to therapist and patient talk-turns. Therapist talk-turns were rated as asking patients to consider mental state (bids for RF) or

SUBMITTER: Kivity Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9634511 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature