Self concept and parental images in patients with affective disorders - A clinical study with the Giessen-test

The relationship between self, ideal self and normative self was studied in a sample of 139 patients with affective disorders and 73 patients with ort hopaedic complaints. The depressive patients showed significant asymmetric relationships between self and ideal self even after recovery from the clin ical depression. Neurotic depressive patients could be distinguished from u nipolar depressive patients in this regard, The self-concept of the depress ive patients was characterised by means of the bipolar Giessen-test dimensi ons "insufficiency of performance", "lack of social adjustment" and "lack o f social contact" and by means of the GT-dimensions "negative social resona nce" and "depressive mood". There were no specific relationships between se lf-image and parental images in the depressive sample. The results underlin e the necessity of therapeutic interventions in depressive patients during the so-called symptom-free interval.