Changing character: A narrative review of personality change in psychotherapies for personality disorder

Abstract

Objective: Personality disorder (PD) is a negative prognostic indicator for treatment, and absolute improvements in functioning among these patients are often modest. This may be because personality features that give rise to dysfunction in PD are not targeted optimally during most treatments. Method: Attachment, mentalization, core beliefs, and personality organization/defense use were identified as personality constructs that have been pursued in treatment studies and that are proposed to underlie PD. Results: All constructs correlate with psychiatric symptoms, PD diagnosis, and functioning. Defense mechanisms and core beliefs further distinguish specific PDs, whereas personality organization separates more versus less severe PDs. Evidence from treatment and naturalistic studies indicate that maturation of defense mechanisms temporally precedes improvements in symptoms and functioning. Changes in attachment and mentalization correlate with some outcomes, but mediation of improvement has not been established. In psychodynamic therapy, transference interpretations may promote amelioration of personality dysfunction. With the exception of attachment, the experimental literature is lacking that could explicate the mechanisms by which these personality constructs maintain psychosocial dysfunction. Conclusions: Future research should aim to identify changes in these mechanisms that mediate positive outcomes in PD, as well as the specific therapeutic procedures that best promote positive change in PD.