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Evaluation of changes in mother‐infant brief psychotherapy: A single case study
Author(s) -
Cramer Betrand,
Stern Daniel N.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0355(198821)9:1<20::aid-imhj2280090105>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , fantasy , mental representation , representation (politics) , affect (linguistics) , infant development , single subject design , psychotherapist , communication , cognition , art , literature , neuroscience , politics , political science , law
Representation‐oriented brief psychotherapy with mother‐infant dyads is used to examine correspondences between maternal behaviors and maternal representations of her infant. A single case study is presented to illustrate how one can objectify interactional variables that may correspond behaviorally to underlying maternal mental representations. This paper presents the results of a collaboration that focuses on the process of enacting fantasy via the domain of behavior. Attention is drawn to interacted themes that are enacted versions of representational themes. Enacted themes are pathogenic in behavioral terms for the infant. Five themes are identified in the case material. Changes in the mother's representations affect both the mother‐infant relationship and the infant's functioning.