The significance of connectedness: avoidant personality disorder patients’ subjective experiences of change after attending a specialized treatment program

Abstract

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ObjectivesThis study aimed to inquire into the subjective experiences and meaning-making of change of people diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) after attending a treatment program developed for AvPD.MethodsEighteen AvPD patients were interviewed 1 year after completing their treatment using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsThree main themes were found to capture the various subjective experiences of change. The first main theme “being more alive” included the subthemes “talking and listening together” and “opening up and grounding into myself.” The second main theme was “still longing for more,” and the third main theme “I cannot even manage therapy” included the subthemes “as if we were together” and “capitulation.”ConclusionAlthough these findings may not be specific to AvPD, they shed light on the importance of attending to the dynamic interplay of intersubjectivity, social motivations, and agency in a therapeutic context. Discovering a sense of agency within an interpersonal context in which the patient feels connected may lead to them opening up for development in accordance with their social motivational intentions.

Keywords

• avoidant personality disorder
• specialized treatment
• psychotherapy
• subjective experience
• qualitative research