Innere Einstellungen und psychische Befindlichkeit. Eine gruppenstatistische Untersuchung zum Konzept pathogener Überzeugungen der Control-Mastery-Theory

Abstract

Control Mastery Theory (CMT), founded by the american psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Joseph Weiss (1924-2004), assumes that psychopathology stems from pathogenic beliefs. Pathogenic beliefs might develop as a consequence of traumatic experience in childhood. Joseph Weiss regarded the concept of pathogenic beliefs to be universal and relevant for all kind of psychopathology. Numerous single case studies supported the assumption that identifying and disconfirming pathogenic beliefs during the therapeutic process help patients to get better. With a sample of 70 patients who received inpatient psychotherapy, a group study was conducted to assess the correlation between certain unpleasant beliefs and the psychic state and to evaluate the development of such unpleasant beliefs during the therapeutic process. Instruments used were an unpublished questionnaire of beliefs, the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) to evaluate the symptom load and the short version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-C) to evaluate interpersonal problems. The results showed that there was a statistically significant correlation between these unpleasant beliefs and the symptom load as well as between the unpleasant beliefs and interpersonal problems. There was no statistically significant change in the level of unpleasant beliefs during the therapeutic process.