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Mechanisms of change in dialectical behavior therapy: Theoretical and empirical observations
Author(s) -
Lynch Thomas R.,
Chapman Alexander L.,
Rosenthal M. Zachary,
Kuo Janice R.,
Linehan Marsha M.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20243
Subject(s) - dialectical behavior therapy , psychology , borderline personality disorder , biosocial theory , psychotherapist , dialectic , psychological intervention , motivational interviewing , mindfulness , clinical psychology , personality , social psychology , psychiatry , epistemology , philosophy
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can be considered a well‐established treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) as evidenced by seven well‐controlled randomized clinical trials across four independent research teams. The primary purpose of this article is to address a variety of potential mechanisms of change that may be associated with those aspects of DBT that are unique to the treatment and its theoretical underpinnings. Based on the biosocial theory of BPD, many of these mechanisms can be distilled down to the following process: the reduction of ineffective action tendencies linked with dysregulated emotions . Specifically we address the following interventions and associated mechanisms of change: mindfulness, validation, targeting and chain analysis, and dialectics. Patient change in BPD is conceptualized primarily as helping the patient to engage in functional, life‐enhancing behavior, even when intense emotions are present. Ultimately, our goal was to provide guidance for theoretically and empiricallygrounded research on the mechanisms of change in DBT. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 459–480, 2006.