History of IPT

Question 1

Briefly introduce Psychoanalysis (analogy, main concepts, belief about the mind)

Answer 1

1. Mind is an iceberg, a very small portion is avaliable in consciousness. Unconscious and subconscious form the majority
2. Id, ego and superego, (animalistic instincts driven by the pleasure principle, mediated by the ego, and steered by the superego ‘i shouldn’t eat pizza im on a diet’
3. Freud believed that up to the age of 12 (in an age where children were seen and not heard) emphasized the importance of early relationships

Question 2

What techniques from the psychodynamic umbrella does IPT use? (4)

Answer 2

1. Therapist is expressive: Uncover relevant, subconcious material with different techniques (e.g., word association, role play)
2. They are also supportive: Help the client to understand, accept themself, reduce distress
3. Transference: The client may use the therapist (e.g., you remind me of my mother)
4. Countertransference: The therapist is also a person, may express their own reactions to situations described by the client

Question 3

What was the psychiatric context in which IPT began to be formed?
K & W (1969) method and results?

Answer 3

In the 1970’s psychiatry in America turned its focus towards empircally based treatments.
In 1969, Klerrman and Weismann used IPT as a control placebo against the effectiveness of antidepressant medication in a study in Yale. They used it from the compelling evidence that depression is linked to social functioning (Jesus Mari et al., 2005)
The 16 week framework was based on academic rather than clinical assumptions
In K & W 1969 study, IPT outdid medication and was found to be comparably effective.

Question 4

What did Sullivan beleive?

Answer 4

Harry Stack Sullivan was a prominent psycholigist, he beleived that the self was only the self in interpersonal contexts.
He belived satisfaction and life fulfillment only arose from relationships
He contested that lonliness is the worst and most painful human condition, people can have many relationships but unless they are close, one can be lonely.

Question 5

What theories did Sullivan base IPT on?

Answer 5

Attachment (main theory)
Communication
Social

Question 6

Sullivan in response to Freud

Answer 6

Believed that too much weight was put on subconscious experience. Making inferences was too wild and dangerous. There was enough to learn from interpersonal context