Title
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of schema modes in a single case of anorexia nervosa: Part 2. Coping modes, healthy adult mode, superordinate themes, and implications for research and practice.
Reference
Edwards, D. J. (2017). An interpretative phenomenological analysis of schema modes in a single case of anorexia nervosa: Part 2. Coping modes, healthy adult mode, superordinate themes, and implications for research and practice. Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 17(1).
Abstract
In schema therapy, the identification of schema modes is central to case conceptualization and the
planning of interventions. Differences in the naming and description of specific modes in the literature
suggest the need for systematic phenomenological investigation. This paper presents the second part
of an interpretative phenomenological analysis of schema modes within the single case of Linda
(20), a young woman with anorexia nervosa. In this paper, the focus is on Linda’s Coping modes (of
which an Anorexic Overcontroller mode was prominent, and to which parallels are drawn in the
literature) and on several important superordinate themes: mode dyads, mode conflicts and balance
of power, mode differentiation, and mode sequences. The findings support the value of the mode
framework that is standard in schema therapy, based on Child modes, Parent modes, Coping modes,
and the Healthy Adult. They furthermore highlight the idiosyncratic nature of schema modes within
an individual case. Research and clinical implications of the findings are discussed, and links are made
to the phenomenological perspective of Merleau-Ponty.
planning of interventions. Differences in the naming and description of specific modes in the literature
suggest the need for systematic phenomenological investigation. This paper presents the second part
of an interpretative phenomenological analysis of schema modes within the single case of Linda
(20), a young woman with anorexia nervosa. In this paper, the focus is on Linda’s Coping modes (of
which an Anorexic Overcontroller mode was prominent, and to which parallels are drawn in the
literature) and on several important superordinate themes: mode dyads, mode conflicts and balance
of power, mode differentiation, and mode sequences. The findings support the value of the mode
framework that is standard in schema therapy, based on Child modes, Parent modes, Coping modes,
and the Healthy Adult. They furthermore highlight the idiosyncratic nature of schema modes within
an individual case. Research and clinical implications of the findings are discussed, and links are made
to the phenomenological perspective of Merleau-Ponty.
Country
South Africa
Study design
Case study