The Impact Message Inventory-Circumplex (IMI-C): Exploring the Aversiveness Component of Therapists' Covert Reactions to Patients' Interpersonal Communications
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Impact Message Inventory-Circumplex (IMI-C) is a two-dimensional measure of patient-induced countertransference. Surprisingly, in a replication study of its circumplex structure, Hafkenscheid and Timmerman could retrieve a third dimension, in addition to the basic dimensions of Affiliation and Control. They tentatively interpreted this preliminary third dimension as representing ‘reactance’ (oppositional and uncooperative patient behaviours), with ‘active’ and ‘passive’ as polarities. This provisional interpretation was no more than plausible and was partly speculative. Therefore, a more systematic empirical approach to the meaning embedded in the third dimension is required. The present empirical study tests the hypothesis that the preliminary third dimension might represent aversiveness rather than reactance. A panel of IMI-C users (N = 100) independently judged all 56 items of the instrument in terms of the general (i.e., without taking a specific patient in mind) emotional undertone enclosed in the item formulations using a forced choice three point scale format: ‘positive emotional undertone’ (+), ‘neutral’ (o) and negative (aversive) undertone (−). Overall, IMI-C users appeared to evaluate the formulations of items constituting the preliminary third dimension as intrinsically more aversive (negative emotional connotation), compared to the group of IMI-C items not included in this preliminary third dimension. However, the original octants of the IMI-C could be discriminated in terms of aversiveness as well. Anyhow, clinical interpretations of IMI-C profiles may benefit from an examination of the aversiveness component, enclosed within the items and octants themselves, irrespective of the specific patients judged with the instrument.
期刊介绍:
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy aims to keep clinical psychologists and psychotherapists up to date with new developments in their fields. The Journal will provide an integrative impetus both between theory and practice and between different orientations within clinical psychology and psychotherapy. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy will be a forum in which practitioners can present their wealth of expertise and innovations in order to make these available to a wider audience. Equally, the Journal will contain reports from researchers who want to address a larger clinical audience with clinically relevant issues and clinically valid research.