Clinical Usefulness of Confrontations in the Initial Interview

Abstract

Principal objective of this work is to illustrate the clinical usefulness of confrontations in the initial interview. Balint, Kernberg, Sullivan, Fromm-Reichmann are the authors, among many of them, who pointed out importance of the initial interview and the consequences of the interview for the future psychotherapeutic work. Initial interview represents two persons; therapist and person who needs help who meet for the first time and do not know anything about each other. Interaction between therapist and the patient through communication is a major source of information about potential patient in the initial interview. The nature of disorder, capacity of motivation for psychotherapy can be evaluated in the current interaction with the person who needs help. Confrontation is a routine technique in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, unilateral and potentially dangerous, especially when working alliance is not established and that is the case in the initial interview. Purpose of confrontation in the initial interview is to collect information about patient, his psychopathology, his structural personality features, presence of defensive operations, capacity and motivations to work and what kind of psychotherapy is best suited for him. Confrontation can be very harmful so it requires tact, patience and timing. Incorrect use of confrontations which are poorly conceptualized, premature could stop the flow of the material, make sense of chaos in the interview, increasing anxiety and risk the possibility of leaving interview.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.