Kapustin, S.A.

Background. A number of well-known and leading theories of psychotherapy developed in the works of S. Freud, A. Adler, K. Jung, E. Fromm, K. Rogers, and V. Frankl unites a common theoretical provision that the most important prerequisites for many problems of psychotherapy clients who seek for help from a psychologist are the characteristics of their personality. However, all these authors lack a common understanding of what these personal prerequisites are, as well as they lack a common understanding of the purpose of psychotherapy.

Objectives. In this first of the four articles planned for publication, based on the works of E. Fromm, we are going to formulate the basic theoretical provisions that constitute the basis for integrative approach to understanding the personal prerequisites of the problems of clients of psychotherapy and its purpose. This would allow us to consider the different points of view on these issues of all these authors from a unified, common position.

Results. The analysis of the theory of humanistic psychoanalysis by E. Fromm made it possible to identify its main provisions characterizing human nature, productive and unproductive personality.

Conclusions. Based on these results, we have formulated three basic theoretical positions that form the basis of an integrative approach to understanding the personal prerequisites of the problems in psychotherapy and its purpose. The first of them characterizes the objective property of human life inherent in its very nature; the second refers to the typical personal prerequisites for the problems of clients of psychotherapy; the third describes the purpose of psychotherapy. In the next three publications, it will be shown that different ideas about the personal prerequisites of the problems of clients in psychotherapy and its purpose contained in the psychotherapeutic theories of Z. Freud, A. Adler, K. Jung, K. Rogers, and V. Frankl allow for considering them from a unified, common position set by these three basic provisions.

It was shown in our previous researches, that such styles of parenting, like overprotection and overexactingness, contribute to formation of three children abnormal personality types: oriented on external help, oriented on compliance of own behaviour with other people requirements and oriented on protest against such compliance. These personality types are the most important factors influencing the occurrence of parent­child problems. The present study included adults (n=54; age 18—40), who asked for psychological consultation with their personal problems. The analysis of consulting cases detected that 42 of 54 clients (78%) were educated with overprotection or overexactingness style of parenting in their childhood. These clients had the same abnormal personality types that had the children from families of psychological consultation clients with parent­child problems, educated with the same parenting style. It was shown, that abnormal personality types, formed in childhood, influenced the formation of large amount of personal problems in adulthood."

The article presents the results of applying of existential criterion of normal and abnormal personality to assess the personality of the overprotecting and overexacting parents in 176 families, who visited psychological consultation. It is shown that the styles of parenting “overprotection” and “overexactingness” indicate the one-sidedness of parental position in the education of their children concerning the certain existential dichotomies. Overprotecting parent’s position is one-sided towards existential dichotomy help and autonomy. Overexacting parent’s position is one-sided simultaneously towards the three classical existential dichotomies: nature and culture, self-actualization and conventional values, determinism and self-determination. Test for assessment of interpersonal relations by Sobchik L.N. was used to identify the characteristics of interpersonal relationships progenitors with parents in childhood. M. Luscher’s test was used to identify the characteristics of parent personalities. The results of these tests allowed to suppose that such one-sided educational positions of the overprotecting and overexacting parents has been formed under the influence of “excessively interfering” educational progenitors positions, which were irrationally assigned and later reproduced in the education of their children in the form of overprotection and overexactingness. Pointed out special aspects of the educational positions of the overprotecting and overexacting parents allow us in accordance with existential criterion to conclude about the abnormality of their personality.

The article suggests a classification of parenting styles found in the families of psychological consultation clients, who have asked for the help in the decision of the parent-child problems. This classification is created as a result of investigation 176 families. Based on interview with clients there were identified and described two main parenting style — overprotection and overexactingness. Their descriptions are given in three dimensions of the relationship of parents with their children’s: cognitive, emotional and behavioral. There were identified and described the various variants of overprotection and overexactingness: local and total, moderate and strong, “hospital”, anxious and loving overprotection; local and total, moderate and strong, soft, hard and cruel overexactingness. Content characteristics of all these variants were also given by separate dimensions of the relationship of parents with their children. This classification, in comparison with the known, gives the opportunity to more clearly define meaningful similarities and differences of different parenting styles on each of the selected dimensions.