Case study of a conduct-disordered youngster: building ego defenses and improving object relations within a therapeutic alliance

Psychol Rep. 1994 Aug;75(1 Pt 1):59-70. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1994.75.1.59.

Abstract

The classification of Conduct Disorder, sometimes seen as a nonspecific designation descriptive of antisocial behavior, is illuminated through case study of a youngster admitted for acute hospital treatment. Drawing on psychodynamic theory and treatment, principles are used in illustrating how individual, historical, family, and trauma factors may contribute to disordered self-esteem and behavior, which may become a focus of therapeutic intervention. A concluding section delineates the possibility of two varieties of Conduct Disorder related, respectively, to trauma or failures in socialization. These may have implications for treatment and setting.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child Behavior Disorders / psychology
  • Child Behavior Disorders / therapy*
  • Defense Mechanisms*
  • Diseases in Twins / psychology
  • Ego*
  • Homicide / psychology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Maternal Deprivation
  • Object Attachment*
  • Patient Admission
  • Personality Development
  • Physician-Patient Relations*
  • Psychoanalytic Therapy*
  • Sibling Relations