A Somatic Psycho-Diagnostic Approach to Personality Disorders

This dissertation explores how the body's movement in spatial orientation may play an influential role in the dis-ordering tendencies of personality. The somatic psychodiagnostic approach to personality presented in this dissertation advances the case for a more rigorous examination of the body/psyche dynamic in the formation, assessment, and treatment of personality issues. The hypothesis of this study is that stimulation of the motor/sensory system in movements through various spatial planes substantially impacts perceptions of self, others, and the world. These perceptions form the basis of the evolving personality. Rather than viewing personality as a set of fixed traits, personality is viewed as a state of consciousness on a continuum of adaptations to self, others, and the world. Research findings of this study with 70 research participants indicate that fixations in movement correlate with fixations in personality. In this schema a causal comparative relation between 12 fixated spatial orientations and 12 clinically recognized personality disorders is demonstrated in matrix, tabular, and textual formats.

Author: William Bento

Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing

Publication Date: Jun 09, 2010

Number of Pages: 216 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: 3838321995

ISBN-13: 9783838321998