Exploring virtue ethics in psychodynamic psychotherapy: latent changes in humility, affect regulation, symptoms, and well-being

Abstract

[Empirical exploration of a salutary role for virtues on both mental health symptoms and well-being has increased. Yet, tests for this role in psychotherapy have not matched research in other contexts. As such, we tested the virtue ethics premise that growth in humility could facilitate changes in symptoms and well-being in the context of contemporary relational psychotherapy (CRP; Sandage et al., 2020). CRP is grounded in three premises: (a) conceptualizing clients within their historical, familial and sociocultural contexts, (b) understanding distress as stemming from maladaptive intra- and interpersonal patterns, and (c) prioritizing a here-and-now focus within the therapeutic relationship. We proposed experiential avoidance as the mechanism whereby humility influences symptoms and well-being.]First author draf