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Abstract
The relationship of three types of personal conflict and clinical symptoms was examined in a group of 139 psychotherapy clients and participants of a psychological training course in the workplace. The participants received the Lauterbach conflict measure and the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R). A subgroup of low-conflict and a subgroup of high-conflict participants was formed. Conflict measures and clinical symptoms were highly correlated in the low-conflict group, but not in the high-conflict group. In addition, we showed that the three types of cognitive conflict correlated highly in low-conflict participants but not in the high-conflict subgroup. We concluded that symptoms and conflict account for different dimensions of mental strain in highly conflicted individuals and personal conflict represents a risk factor for developing clinical symptoms. Psychotherapy should not be limited to the symptom dimension but should account for the conflict perspective in an individualized approach.