ABSTRACT

In psychotherapy with schizophrenic patients, the therapist must make an effort to build an alliance with the person behind the illness. The therapeutic process will progress if the patient and the therapist are able to create a meaningful mutual dialogue. However, the person behind the illness in schizophrenia is often deeply disturbed and part of the illness itself. Our assumptions and understanding of how this link takes shape are limited. We do not know how and when the personality structure becomes inflicted and what kind of impact this impairment has on the therapeutic development and outcome. Therefore, this relationship between personality and schizophrenia is difficult to investigate.