Cognitive conflicts, mental health and psychotherapy: A constructivist approach

 

The notion of internal conflict has been present in psychopathology for more than a century in various theoretical approaches, including Personal Construct Theory. From this theory, different conflict measures have been operationalized, such as implicative dilemmas, using the Grid Technique (RT). This technique allows these conflicts to be identified through the patient’s own constructions. In particular, data from some clinical studies in which the presence and number of implicative dilemmas (a type of cognitive conflict) is very relevant will be presented, and some of the most important implications for psychotherapy will be pointed out. Among them, the new development of Dilemma Focused Therapy.

Dr. Feixas, the author of more than 10 books and 80 articles, has made a substantial contribution to the development and application of constructivist epistemology in psychotherapy. His main line of research focuses on studying the role of cognitive conflicts in mental health.