Object representation quality, therapeutic alliance, and psychotherapy process

This is the first study to demonstrate the existence of a relationship between patient pretreatment object relations functioning as measured by the Mutuality of Autonomy (MOA) Scale and patient-rated therapeutic alliance. Specifically, MOA scores were related to a patient-rated alliance Bond score (lower, more adaptive object-relations representations were associated with a stronger alliance). In addition, higher MOA scores indicating more malevolent object relations were related to a greater use of psychodynamic techniques. Specific psychodynamic techniques focused on the patient's relationships with the therapist as well as cyclical patterns in actions, feelings, and experiences. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.