Week 3 Journal

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to

Identify the waves of personality theories.

Explain the differences between eclectic psychotherapy and integrative psychotherapy.

Identify a treatment intervention that corresponds to the theory of personality used

6Personality and Abnormal Psychology Stephen Brewer, PsyD—Ashford University

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in case conceptualization.

Explain ethical issues in the practice of psychology, including how to obtain informed consent.

Discuss career options at the bachelor's level related to psychology or the practice of psychology.

Jon is a 45-year-old male who decides to investigate whether supportive psychotherapy with Dr. Cozy might help him process some emotions related to a recent loss. Dr. Cozy is a psychologist who is trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy and prefers to focus therapeutic work on interpersonal attachments. During the first session, Jon reports feeling sad and having low motivation after losing his mother two weeks prior. During the standard clinical interview, Dr. Cozy learns that Jon was born a female named Johanna and transitioned to being a male approximately 25 years ago. Jon adds that he has been in a loving and happy relationship with a woman for 20 years and they have adopted several children together. Dr. Cozy comments that Jon passes well as a male and reflects back to Jon that the sadness he feels might be related to the stressors involved in being a transgender person and not the recent loss of his mother. Jon denies this possibility and goes on to describe a warm, supportive, and accepting relationship between he and his mother. He states to Dr. Cozy that he would like to focus on processing the loss and moving on with his life. Later in the clinical interview, Dr. Cozy asks questions about Jon’s transition from female to male and his social supports. Jon states that his social supports are excellent and his transition was supervised by a treatment team of specialists in the area. Again, Dr. Cozy suggests that Jon’s symptoms might relate more to unconscious conflicts he has within himself regarding his transition and whether his mother truly accepted him before she died. Jon thanks Dr. Cozy for his time and leaves the session abruptly.

What led Dr. Cozy to emphasize Jon’s transition rather than the issue Jon wanted to discuss? How might Dr. Cozy have handled the situation differently to avoid Jon’s sudden departure?

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