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Constructs and ‘conflict’ in depression
Author(s) -
Sheehan M. J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1981.tb02176.x
Subject(s) - psychology , depression (economics) , construct (python library) , clinical psychology , perception , developmental psychology , neuroscience , computer science , economics , macroeconomics , programming language
The relationship between the nature of self‐constructs and the level of ‘conflict’ in depression was discussed. It was hypothesized that depressed patients would have lower self‐esteem and a less differentiated self‐construct system characterized by a higher level of intensity and a lower percentage of ‘conflict’ than non‐depressed individuals. After drug therapy, it was expected that these differences would diminish ‐ although not entirely ‐ on the grounds that the differences are a more permanent feature of the self‐construct system of the depressed‐prone individual. A sample of 16 depressed patients (13 in‐patients and three out‐patients) were given a ‘Multiple Perception of the Self’ grid at the start of drug therapy. After six/eight weeks of treatment, a further grid was administered and new constructs elicited. A retest grid was administered after a short interval of 12‐24 hours. The same procedure was carried out with a group of 16 non‐depressed individuals ‐ matched as far as possible for age, sex, intelligence and social class. The results offered strong support for the hypotheses.