the roles of differentiation of self, anxiety and emotional self awareness on destructive ...

154 Pages·2012·0.6 MB·English

THE ROLES OF DIFFERENTIATION OF SELF, ANXIETY AND EMOTIONAL SELF
AWARENESS ON DESTRUCTIVE COUNTERTRANSFERENCE REACTIONS

A DISSERTATION IN
Counseling Psychology

Presented to the Faculty of the University
of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

APRIL L. CONNERY
B.S., State University of New York at Buffalo, 2006
M.A., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2009

Kansas City, Missouri
2012
© 2012
APRIL LEE CONNERY
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
THE ROLES OF DIFFERENTIATION OF SELF, ANXIETY AND EMOTIONAL SELF
AWARENESS ON DESTRUCTIVE COUNTERTRANSFERENCE REACTIONS

April Lee Connery, Candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree

University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2012

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated the mediating role of emotional self awareness and
state anxiety in predicting overinvolved and underinvolved countertransference feelings and
behaviors from level of differentiation of self. The study was a between subjects design with
participant counselors randomly assigned to viewing an interpersonally hostile-submissive
(low demand) or interpersonally hostile-dominant (high demand) video client. At ten time
points in the video participants rated overinvolved, underinvolved and appropriate responses
to the client, according to the likelihood that they would actually say the given responses.
After the video session, participants also rated items measuring their underinvolved and
overinvolved feelings in towards their client.
Mediation was not observed as initially hypothesized. Follow up analyses suggested
that both clarity of feelings (emotional self awareness) and anxiety may only be predictive of
countertransference feelings, not behaviors. Additionally, mediation analyses also suggested
that differentiation of self may better explain the relationship between anxiety and
countertransference feelings, and partially explain the relationship between emotional self
awareness and countertransference feelings.
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Analyses examining moderation found that counselors lower in differentiation of self
reported significantly more overinvolved countertransference behaviors, overinvolved
feelings and underinvolved feelings compared to those higher in differentiation of self
regardless of client analog condition.

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APPROVAL PAGE
The faculty listed below, appointed by the Dean of the School of Education, have
examined a dissertation titled, “The Roles of Differentiation of Self, Emotional Self
Awareness and Anxiety on Destructive Countertransference Reactions”, presented by April
L. Connery, candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, and certify that in their opinion it
is worthy of acceptance.

Supervisory Committee
Carolyn Barber, Ph.D.
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

LaVerne Berkel, Ph.D.
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

Chrisanthia Brown, Ph.D.
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

Nancy L. Murdock, Ph.D., Committee Chair
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

Johanna Nilsson, Ph.D.
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ iii

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... x

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .................................................................................................. xi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... ............................................................................................... xiii

Chapter

1. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................................ 1
Countertransference ............................................................................................. 2
Classical Perspective ................................................................................... 4
Totalistic Perspective .................................................................................. 4
Integrative Perspective ................................................................................ 7
Current Countertransference Perspective .................................................... 7
Destructive Countertransference .......................................................................... 8
Underinvolvement ....................................................................................... 9
Overinvolvement ....................................................................................... 10
Impact of Destructive Countertransference ............................................. 12
Self Awareness ................................................................................................... 13
Differentiation of Self ........................................................................................ 15
Anxiety….. ......................................................................................................... 17
Anxiety and Differentiation of Self........................................................... 17
Anxiety and Countertransference .............................................................. 18
Counselor Factors ............................................................................................... 19
Differentiation of Self and Countertransference ....................................... 19
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Counselors and Countertransference......................................................... 21
Clients and Countertransference ............................................................... 22
Summary…. ........................................................................................................ 27
Hypotheses ................................................................................................ 27
2. METHOD…... ......................................................................................................... 31
Participants ......................................................................................................... 31
Measures... ......................................................................................................... 32
Demographic Questionnaire...................................................................... 32
Differentiation of Self-Revised Short Form .............................................. 32
Analog ....................................................................................................... 33
Destructive Countertransference Behaviors Questionnaire (CBQ) .......... 35
CBQ validation ................................................................................ 35
Pilot study .............................................................................. 37
Destructive Countertransference Feelings Questionnaire (CFQ) ............. 40
State Anxiety – Y Form (STAI) ................................................................ 44
Clarity of Feelings (COF) ......................................................................... 45
Procedure ......................................................................................................... 47
Main Study ................................................................................................ 47
3. RESULTS…... ......................................................................................................... 49
Preliminary Analysis .......................................................................................... 49
Attrition ..................................................................................................... 51
Main Analysis ..................................................................................................... 51
Hypothesis 1 .............................................................................................. 53
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Hypothesis 2a ............................................................................................ 60
Hypothesis 2b ............................................................................................ 64
Hypothesis 2c ............................................................................................ 68
4. DISSCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 70
Hypothesis 1 ....................................................................................................... 70
Anxiety ...................................................................................................... 71
Clarity of Feelings Scores ......................................................................... 73
Hypotheses 2 ....................................................................................................... 75
Theoretical Implications ..................................................................................... 79
Limitations ......................................................................................................... 81
Analog Use ................................................................................................ 81
Demand Characteristics ............................................................................ 82
Social Desirability ..................................................................................... 83
Training Implications .......................................................................................... 83
Future Research .................................................................................................. 86

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Appendix
A. KIESLER’S INTERPERSONAL CIRCLE ............................................................... 88

B. INTERPERSONAL CIRCLES FOR ANALOG CLIENTS...................................... 90
C. DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE ..................................................................... 92
D. DIFFERENTIATION OF SELF INVENTORY-REVISED SHORT FORM ........... 94
E. ANALOG TAPE SCRIPTS ....................................................................................... 96
F. COUNTERTRANSFERENCE ANCHOR DESCRIPTIONS ................................. 106
G. COUNTERTRANSFERENCE FEELINGS QUESTIONNAIRE ........................... 108
H. STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY ............................................................. 110
I. CLAIRITY OF FEELINGS QUESTIONNAIRE .................................................... 112
J. PILOT STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE ....................................................................... 114
K. SOLICITATION/ RECRUITMENT MESSAGES ................................................. 120
L. PARTICIPANT INFORMATION PAGE ............................................................... 123
M. IRB APPROVAL LETTERS ................................................................................... 125
REFERENCE LIST ............................................................................................................ 128
VITA ................................................................................................................................... 140

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TABLES
Table Page
1. Confirmatory Factor Analysis With Varimax Rotated Factor Loadings of
Countertransference Feeling Scales ........................................................................... 43

2. Bi-variate Correlations Among Predictors and Outcome Variables .................................. 52

3. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Underinvolved
Countertransference Behavioral Reactions from Differentiation of Self,
Mediated By Clarity of Feelings and State Anxiety .................................................. 55

4. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Appropriate Behaviors from
Differentiation of Self, Mediated By Clarity of Feelings and State Anxiety............. 55

5. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Overinvolved
Countertransference Behavioral Reactions from Differentiation of Self,
Mediated By Clarity of Feelings and State Anxiety .................................................. 56

6. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Underinvolved
Countertransference Feelings from Differentiation of Self, Mediated By
Clarity of Feelings and State Anxiety ........................................................................ 57

7. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Overinvolved
Countertransference Feelings from Differentiation of Self, Mediated By
Clarity of Feelings and State Anxiety ........................................................................ 57

8. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Overinvolved
Countertransference Feelings from Anxiety and Clarity of Feelings
Mediated By Differentation of self ............................................................................ 59

9. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Underinvolved
Countertransference Feelings from Anxiety and Clarity of Feelings
Mediated By Differentation of self ............................................................................ 60

10. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Overinvolved
Countertransference Behaviors ................................................................................. 61

11. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Overinvolved
Countertransference Feelings .................................................................................... 63

12. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Underinvolved
Countertransference Behaviors ................................................................................. 65

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