Abstract
Symptoms and behavioral manifestations alone provide insufficient diagnostic information. A more comprehensive diagnostic approach is recommended, and the works of the ego psychologists Hartmann, Mahler, Jacobson, and the Blancks are utilized to demonstrate the process of formulating a descriptive developmental diagnosis. The clinical material presented addresses the complexity of the diagnostic task and focuses on the need for a precise assessment of the degree of structuralization and the level of ego organization achieved. The patient discussed conforms neither to a classically neurotic arrangement nor to a characteristically borderline organization. The capacity for and nature of the transference is highlighted as a significant diagnostic tool.
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Dooley, A.M. A developmental approach to diagnosis. Clin Soc Work J 15, 328–333 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00752968
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00752968