Slow Open Dialectical Behavior Group Therapy for Adolescents and Parents: Longitudinal Study of Unconscious Orientation

Abstract

Introduction: The study’s objective is to explore the existence and the evolution of common behavior of the participants to four slow open groups taking part in a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training. Two groups were composed of adolescents and two of their respective parents. We analyzed their evolution via the answers to the “absurd” questionnaire. Methods: The “absurd questionnaire,” composed of 50 pairs of images, was administered to the participants who had to choose one image from each pair. In this experiment, we were able to submit a version of the questionnaire to the participants before forming the groups. We have analyzed their initial picture choices and how these evolved, considering the changes in the choices, the differences in the four groups, the flux, and the answers’ focus. Results: In the four groups, we found statistical evidence that both the pictures’ initial choices and their evolution during the training are not simply governed by randomness. The initial picture choice in each pair is highly skewed toward one of the two pictures in each pair. We compare the longitudinal evolution of the picture’s choice in the four groups. Conclusions: The results show that the answers to the questions are strongly polarized already before the groups convene, revealing an initial socio-cultural bias. The group environment causes relaxation of this strong initial bias and subsequent recovery. This relaxation could indicate the formation of a “group continuum,” coming from the entanglement of individuals’ psyches, creating a group entity having its own identity. In the slow-open groups, the participants are mainly subject to clan loyalties.