Actual Self Isolation
Ideal Self Isolation
Self Convergence
Figure 4.2 Self Identity Plot patterns identified by Norris and Makhlouf-Norris
Social Alienation
Self Alienation
Spotlight: In the Clinic
Leedy, Jackson, & Callahan (2007) published a case study in which they treated a depressed
41-year-old male, Mr. M, who had been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, a mood
disorder from the disease, and narcissistic personality disorder. He was given the standard
battery of inventories to assess depression, anxiety, etc., as well as the MMPI-2, the Rotter
Incomplete Sentences Test Blank, and the Rorschach Inkblot Test. Once treatment began the
therapists learned that the previous diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder was
personally upsetting to Mr. M as well as a sensitive point of contention. Based on various
comments and behavioral clues the therapists subsequently hypothesized that his narcissistic
personality disorder may be compensatory in nature, as described by Millon (1996). In order to
examine this hypothesis, they administered the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale with unique
instructions. Specifically, they asked Mr. M to respond to each item from several perspectives
(viz., his self at the start of therapy, his current self, his ideal self, his self when chronically ill)
and to rate several people on each item as well (viz., someone he admires, someone he
dislikes, and his therapist). Figure X.4 shows the self-identity plot that was created from his
responses.
Figure x.3 Self-Identity plot for Mr. M.
Significantly, his current self was not construed as similar to his ideal self; in other words, his
self-identity plot did not demonstrate the self-convergent pattern (see Figure X.2) that would
be expected from a typical narcissistic person. Leedy et al. therefore interpreted the results as
confirming their understanding of Mr. M’s narcissistic constructions as compensatory in
nature,
“If Mr. M’s current self had been located closely to his ideal self, the conceptualization
that his narcissism was compensatory in nature would not have been supported and
may have suggested a more typical presentation of narcissism. However,
results...supported the hypotheses that Mr. M’s narcissism was not based on a genuine
sense of grandiosity and that his illness likely contributed to his need to use a
maladaptive strategy to increase his self-esteem.” (p. 434).
Leedy et al.’s creative use of the Self Identity Plot exemplifies the versatility of the repertory
grid technique in a number of ways. First, by using items from the Hypersensitive Narcissism
Scale they demonstrated that the technique can incorporate traditional forms of measurement.
Second, they showed how repertory grids can be used in concert with contemporary views of
psychopathology, such as those expressed by Theodore Millon. Lastly, Leedy et al.’s approach
exemplified the virtue of understanding, using the tools and techniques at their disposal to
obtain the most accurate picture of their client’s outlook as possible.
References
Leedy, M., Jackson, M., & Callahan, J. (2007). Treating depression and compensatory
narcissistic personality style in a man with chronic lyme disease. Clinical Case Studies, 6,
430-442.
Millon, T. (1996). Disorders of personality: DSM-IV and beyond (2nd ed.). New York:
Wiley.
References
Makhlouf-Norris, F., & Jones, H. G. (1971). Conceptual distance indices as measures of
alienation in obsessional neurosis. Psychological Medicine, 1, 381-387.
Makhlouf-Norris, F., & Jones, H. G., & Norris, H. (1970). Articulation of the conceptual
structure in obsessional neurosis. British Journal of Social Clinical Psychology, 9, 264-274.
Makhlouf-Norris, F., & Norris, H. (1973). The obsessive compulsive syndrome as a neurotic
device for the reduction of self-uncertainty. British Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 277-288.
Norris, H., & Makhlouf-Norris, F. (1976). The measurement of self-identity. In Slater, P. (Ed.),
The Measurement of Intrapersonal Space by Grid Technique. Explorations of Intrapersonal
Space, vol. 1. Wiley, London, pp. 79-83.
*
Klapp BF, Jordan J, Walter OB (Hrsg.) (2004) Role Repertory Grid and Body Grid - Construct
Psychological Approaches in Psychosomatic Research. Frankfurt M: VAS.
Schoeneich, Frank; Klapp, Burghard F. (1998). Standardization of interelement distances in
repertory grid technique and its consequences for psychological interpretation of self-identity
plots: An empirical study. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Vol 11, pp. 49-58.
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haematological malignancies show a restricted body image focusing on function and emotion.
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experience and mental representation of body image in patients with haematological
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BF (2000) Therapy-evaluation of anorexia nervosa with role repertory grid and Giessen-test:
Changes in construing self and ideal self of 22 female patients with anorexia nervosa during
in-patient psychosomatic therapy. In: Fisher J & Cornelius N (Hrsg.): Challenging the
Boundaries: PCP Perspectives for the New Millennium (S. 197-201). Farnborough GB: EPCA
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Schoeneich F, Seidler A, Thier P, Weber C, Walter OB, Klapp BF (2000) The stability of results
in self identity plots: An empirical study with 311 psychosomatic in-patients. In: Fisher J &
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*
The chapters in this edited book all deal with the Body Grid, which is an extension of the Self
Identity Plot. Explain.