Journal of Depression and Anxiety
Open Access
ISSN: 2167-1044
+44 1223 790975
ISSN: 2167-1044
+44 1223 790975
Anna Contardi
European University of Rome, Italy
Keynote: J Depress Anxiety
In the last years, the interest in clinical psychology in the scientific research about mind has shifted from a focus on mental contents centrality to cognitive process analysis. At present, interests, motivations and aims represent the fulcrum of the mental working models, based on the analysis of feed-forward psychological processes. The cognitive perspective offers a further version of functional analysis (increasing it from 3 to 7 columns) and of downward arrow technique (causal analysis technique) dedicated to highlighting the motivational aspects of the observed behaviour. This new technique is used in the assessment phase as a necessary tool in understanding the deep levels of structure the personality and the dynamics, which produces the psychological disease. The basic hypothesis is that there is present in a person a multilevel motivational structure capable of explaining the origin, the meaning and the role of a person��?s each and every behaviours. The assessment aim is to specify the different motivational levels related to several aspects, in which the individual fulfils himself: oneself area, relational area, self-efficacy, area of the psychophysiological wellbeing, area of control or vital wish the world has particular characteristics, considered absolutely necessary. Defining the structure starts with the purpose of the action and the causal analysis is used to ask the subjects why it is important to achieve that goal and then, resuming its response, continue to ask what it wants to achieve as long as it expresses the desired condition, the priority interest, which explains the personological operation in the area investigated. These five areas of motivational structure levels are chained by a syllogism between motivational area of control and wellbeing until area of self. Knowledge of the individual��?s motivational structure improves the diagnostic work and allows a more incisive therapeutic plan. Recent Publications 1. Bandura A et al. (1996) Multifaceted impact of self-efficacy beliefs on academic functioning. Child development. 67(3):1206-1222. 2. Beck A T (1976) Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. Intl Universities Press. Pages: 356. 3. Ellis A (1957) Rational psychotherapy and individual psychology. Journal of Individual Psychology. 13: 38-44. 4. Higgins E T, King G A and Mavin G H (1982) Individual construct accessibility and subjective impressions and recall. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 43(1):35-47. Doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.43.1.35. 5. Markus H (1977) Self-schemata and processing information about the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 35(2):63-78. Doi:10.1037/0022-3514.35.2.63.
Anna Contardi is an Assistant Professor, Psychotherapist and Researcher in Clinical Psychology since 2009. She teaches “Cognitive and Personality Psychology” and “General Psychodiagnostics and Laboratory” for the undergraduate and graduate psychology courses at the European University of Rome. She is the Coordinator of the MA in Psychology for the UER and has been a Member of the Doctoral Committee (Cognitive Psychology and Clinical Assessment) at the same university. She collaborates with the research group of the Institute Skinner of Rome, to build a causal cognitive model. Her main research topics includes: attention and therapeutic processes, cognitive causal psychology, psychological diagnosis and clinical investigation, food addiction and Binge eating and disorders.
Email:anna.contardi@unier.it