Change in actual self and ideal self in 22 female patients with anorexia
nervosa during in-patient psychosomatic therapy: an empirical study with
persons-grid and Giessen test
Frank Schoeneich*, Michaela Hiller* Anita Peglow*, Sabine Kossow*, Simone
Stettner*, Otto B. Walter * *, Burghard F. Klapp *
*Charité/Virchow Clinic, Medical School of Humboldt University,
Internal Medicine - Psy-chosomatics, Berlin, **GridLab-Software-Development,
Berlin
Abstract
Introduction/Method: Drawn from a study concerning the evaluation of
in-patient, psychosomatic therapy for anorexia nervosa (September 1996
to February 1998), person grids (Kelly 1955) and Giessen tests with actual
and ideal self images (Beckmann, Brähler & Richter, 1983) were
drawn from 22 patients at the time of admission and release.
Results: Significant changes were found in the similarity measures
(Euclidean distances from the Repgrid) of "actual self-mother" and "actual
self-father at the time of admission and at the time of release, not, however,
between "actual self - ideal self" or "actual self - desired partner".
No changes were found in the differences between actual self image and
ideal self image in all scales in the Giessen test at the time of admission
and release.
Significant correlations appeared between the distance "actual self
- ideal self" in the grids and the difference between "actual self image
and ideal self image" in the "social resonance"-scale of the Giessen test
at the time of admission and release, and in the "social potency"-scale
only at the time of release. Correlations between the scale "basic mood"
in the Giessen test and the "actual self - ideal self" distances in the
grid could be found neither at the time of admission nor at the time of
release.
Conclusions: The results suggest that the relationship self-mother
and self-father could be rela-tivized in the process of therapy, not, however,
the self-esteem regulation parameter "discrepancy between actual self and
ideal self".
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