doiSerbia

Attribution style of patients with delusion disorder

Leposavić Ivana (Institut za psihijatriju, Klinički centar Srbije, Beograd)
Leposavić Ljubica (Medicinski fakultet, Beograd)

Introduction. Attribution style represents a tendency to explain events by our own actions, or actions of forces and causes, persons or surroundings, which are external. Objective. The objective of our study was the analysis of specific way in which patients with delusion disorders ascribe meanings to events. Method. The test group included 30 patients with delusional disorder, of both sexes, aged between 30 and 53, without serious organic or somatic disorders. In order to determine the specific attribution system, through a wider frame of cognitive style, Rorschach’s cognitive techniques was applied. RESULTS An average value of MMSE score amounted to 28.43 and IQ - to 103.86. The data were evaluated by Comprehensive interpretation system of John Exner, and only those parameters were used that were the most indicative for this analysis. Patients with delusional disorder belonged to ambitent experience type, which pointed to inconsistency because the role of emotions varied during the process of decision making. Processing quality was temporarily significantly reduced to less mature and unsophisticated level, especially in complex situations. Thinking was strongly fixed and inflexible. More than other people, they applied intellectualization in order to annihilate affective experiences, leading thus to delusional thinking disorder in extreme cases. Sometimes, internal conflicts between high self value and awareness that it might not be valid, could lead to delusional expressions, if the environment was especially unsupportive. Conclusion. Attribution style of patients with DD is externalized and implies the ascribing of negative experiences to another person’s action. Marked self-centering and experience of increased personal value dominate over the perception of the environment in these patients, while discrepancy between real self and an ideal is decreased by specific ascribing.

Keywords: attribution style, delusional disorder, cognitive style