Abstract

Objectives: This research aims at the empirical study of resistance and transference twin factor in patients with and without personality disorders.

Method: In this empirical study with repeated measurements, 26 subjects with personality and anxiety disorders and 26 subjects with anxiety disorder without personality disorders were randomly assigned to two experimental and control subgroups of 13 individuals. In the experimental subgroups, pressure toward feelings, clarification, and challenge to the resistance were carried out during three 45-minute sessions with one-week intervals. In other subgroups, no such intervention was used and the therapist was only hearing patients’ feelings. The Defensive Style Questionnaire (DSQ) was employed to assess patient’s defensive style after the evaluation session resistance and transference were also measured respectively by the Resistance Assessment Scale (RAS) and Transference Assessment Scale (TAS) after the evaluation session and each of the interventional sessions. Repeated Measures Analysis method was used for analyzing the data.

Results: Findings showed that challenge to the resistance led to the intensification of negative transference however with no significant differences in resistance and positive transference. More Intensi-fication of negative transference in the personality-disordered group was observed.

Conclusion: In the intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy, pressure toward experiencing feelings, clarification of defenses, and challenge to the resistance lead to intensification of transference feelings which is more intensive in patients with personality disorders. So paying attention to both transference and resistance in psychotherapy is essential. If the resistance and transference twin factor is not considered and challenged, the therapeutic alliance will not be then activated against the resistance, the therapist and the patient will not be able to access major material of the therapy, and the therapy process will be deviated. This problem is more important in patients with personality disorders.