Publication Date

2015

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Social workers-Psychology, Personality development, Introjection, Quantitative research, Depressive experiences questionnaire, Introjective, Clinical social workers

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between clinical social workers who were identified as having strong self-definitional personality characteristics and selfdefinitional attributes within the social worker's clinical work. Self-definitional characteristics of clinical social work study participants were identified through Self- Criticism scores within the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (Blatt, D'Afflitti, and Quinlan, 1976). Motivation for this study grew out of the apparent dearth of research on introjective and anaclitic personality characteristics among psychotherapy providers and the researcher's subsequent desire to bring a more Relational perspective to research regarding personality development and characteristics as measured by the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire. Quantitative data for this study was obtained through an internet-based survey, which included demographic questions, the standard Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, and questions related to clinical characteristics. Sample size of this study and the lack of valid and reliable instruments to measure introjective characteristics of therapy providers within the therapeutic setting were influentially limiting factors to data analysis and significant findings within this study. The researcher's hope is that this study will open up the opportunity for future study on introjective and anaclitic personality characteristics in clinical social workers and other psychotherapy providers, thereby increasing the amount of research guided by the Relational tradition.

Language

English

Comments

vi, 71 pages. Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, 2015. Includes bibliographical references (pages 53-59)

Download

Share

COinS