Psychotherapy of paranoid personality disorder from the perspective of dialogical self theory

Abstract

According to Dialogical Self Theory (DST), persons give meaning to their relationships through an ongoing dialogue taking place between different parts of the self, termed characters, voices or positions. Following a brief introduction to DST, the authors present a case study in order to illustrate how a young woman diagnosed with Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) transformed self-other internal dialogues into (a) selves characterized by inadequacy and mistrust, and (b) others who express hostility, humiliation, and threats. The role of the therapist in this client's transformation toward healthier self-other dialogues is also highlighted.

Keywords:

• Paranoid personality disorder
• Dialogical self theory
• psychotherapy