Exploring virtue ethics in psychodynamic psychotherapy: latent changes in humility, affect regulation, symptoms and well‐being

Abstract

AbstractA rising interest in virtues in psychotherapy has spurred empirical exploration of their influence on both mental health symptoms and well‐being. As such, we explored the virtue ethics premise that growth in the virtue of humility may ameliorate mental health symptoms and promote well‐being. We also examined whether change in experiential avoidance was a mechanism of these changes. Using a multiple simultaneous latent change score model, we analysed latent changes among humility, experiential avoidance and the outcomes of symptoms and social well‐being in a sample of clients (N = 778; M = 31.56 years of age; 59.4% female; 78.1% White) who received outpatient contemporary relational psychotherapy at a community mental health training clinic. Results indicated that change in humility corresponded to changes in symptoms and social well‐being through change in experiential avoidance. Clinical implications centre on clinicians attending closely to client experiences of oscillation between self‐abasement and self‐superiority and utilising small ways within the therapeutic encounter to foster humility.