Harry Stack Sullivan & Interpersonal Theory

Question 1

Sullivan was trained as a

Answer 1

psychiatrist

Question 2

Sullivan’s definition of personality:

Answer 2

“The relatively enduring pattern of recurrent interpersonal situation which characterize a human life”

Question 3

He believed personality only exist in the presence of…

Answer 3

other people

Question 4

What is Sullivan’s most enduring concept?

Answer 4

Significant others - the people we are emotionally closest to, not necessarily family

Question 5

Sullivan identified himself as a…

Answer 5

psychoanalyst

Question 6

What is the Dyad?

Answer 6

The basic interpersonal “unit”
A series of two person relationships

Question 7

What is the first dyad?

Answer 7

The mothering one

Question 8

Each persons’ needs and developmental tasks are met through…

Answer 8

the dyad

Question 9

Sullivan believed that we all live in a state of ______ and that all human motivation is geared toward eliminating that ______

Answer 9

anxiety
anxiety

Question 10

What are Sullivan’s two basic needs?

Answer 10

1. Physical
2. Interpersonal

Question 11

Sullivan is the one who most closely aligned himself with ______

Answer 11

Freud

Question 12

What is the definition of interpersonal needs?

Answer 12

a tension that is alleviated in relationships with others or in feelings of well-being

(finding an occupation which you love and are happy with it)

Question 13

What is the definition of the self-system?

Answer 13

the part of the personality born entirely out of the influences of significant others upon one’s feeling of well-being

Question 14

What are the 2 parts of today’s conceptualization of self-esteem?

Answer 14

Part 1: What do you think of yourself
Part 2: What others think of you

Question 15

The Dyad of “Mommy and Me”

What is the 1st interpersonal situation?

Answer 15

Feeding

Question 16

What are personifications?

Answer 16

the investment of human attributes in persons who do not have the assigned traits, at least not to the degree they are assigned

Question 17

What are the 5 personal personifications?

Answer 17

Me
Good me
Bad me
Not me
Maybe me (added later)

Question 18

What are 3 important features with the mothering one?

Answer 18

Empathy
Anxiety
Interpersonal security

Question 19

What are Sullivan’s Modes of Experience (3)

Answer 19

Protaxic
Parataxic
Syntaxic

Question 20

Which mode of experience is this?

o Sensations of infants
o Images, feelings, moods or impressions as adults
o Starts in infancy
o Bunch of chaotic sensations

Answer 20

Protaxic

Question 21

Which mode of experience is this?

o Private, personal events only experienced by an individual
o Does not involve any other human beings
o Starts later on in life

Answer 21

Parataxic

Question 22

Which mode of experience is this?

o Consensually validated events with others
o Does involve others
o Ex: you and friend go to football game, saw QB stumble as you went past the 25 yard line. You both saw it, and both agreed that it happened

Answer 22

Syntaxic

Question 23

What are Sullivan’s stages of personality development? (6)

Answer 23

Infancy
Childhood
Juvenile era
Preadolescence
Early adolescence
Late adolescence

Question 24

Preadolescence: Use of genitals during sex

O________: sex with “natural receptor organs”
P________: opposite sex contact that cannot lead to pregnancy
M________: masturbating or performing oral sex on another
A________: assuming a different role with one’s partner

Answer 24

Orthogential
Paragenital
Metagenital
Amphigenital

Question 25

Preadolescence: choices of intimacy expressions

A________ person = self-directed love
I_________ person = orientated to one’s own gender
H________ person = interest in relationships with opposite sex

Answer 25

Autpphilic
Isophilic
Heterophilic

Question 26

How do children learn? (5)

Answer 26

o Trial and success
o Rewards and punishments
o Trial and error
o Learn by anxiety
o Anxiety gradient

Question 27

Use of Genital:
Orthogenital =
Paragenital =
Metagenital =
Amphigenital =

Answer 27

Orthogenital = tradition, missionary
Paragenital = frottage (dry humping??)
Metagenital = masturbation
Amphigenital = mutual masturbation

Question 28

Who was the first one to come up with the structured interview?

Answer 28

Sullivan

Question 29

What are the Clinical Interview stages?

Answer 29

1. Inception
2. Reconnaissance stage
3. Detailed Inquiry
4. Interruption or termination

Question 30

Clinical interview - Inception

Answer 30

Presenting problem is established

Question 31

Clinical interview - Reconnaissance stage

Answer 31

Outline of the personal history of patient

Question 32

Clinical interview - detailed inquiry

Answer 32

In-depth exploration of presenting problem
Mental Status Exam

Question 33

Clinical interview - Interruption or Termination

Answer 33

Interruption: end of this session
Termination: therapy has ended

Question 34

What are the goals of interpersonal therapy?

Answer 34

o Discover what the interpersonal difficulty is

o Allow patient to achieve non-threatening consensually validated experience with another human being – ingredient to success