The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy Based on Core Conflictual Relationship Theme in Ego Development and Self-Destructiveness

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) psychotherapy in increasing ego development and decreasing self-destructiveness. The research design of the present study was quasi-experimental with two experimental and control groups. The statistical population consisted of those students of Tehran and Shahid Beheshti universities whose scores on the Beck Depression Scale indicated moderate or severe depression. The sample was selected by the purposive sampling method and 12 subjects were assigned for each experimental and control group according to entry and exit criteria. Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale (Kelley et al.,1985), Washington University Sentences Completion Test (Manners & Durkin, 2001), Beck Depression Inven- tory-II (1996), and the depression subscales of Symptom CheckList‒90 (Derogates & Cleary, 1977) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) were used for data gathering. The experimental group was treated with CCRT psychotherapy, individually. Both groups were evaluated at the beginning, middle, and end of the treatment and one and three months after finishing the treatment in order to evaluate treatment effects. Data were an- alyzed through the variance analysis of repeated measures on one factor. The trend analysis showed that in the exper- imental group, CCRT psychotherapy led to a decrease in self-destructiveness (with two indices of the score of CSDS and depression symptoms) by helping to improve ego development. The application of psychotherapy tech