Diagnosis with Millon's Personality System: Implications for Transactional Analysis Therapy

Abstract

Psychiatric diagnosis tends to have little direct relevance for psychotherapy. The personality disorders (Axis II) outlined in the third edition of the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III, American Psychiatric Association, 1980) make diagnosis potentially more relevant to treatment, but even in that context diagnosis remains unrelated to a theoretical model. This article demonstrates how Millon's (1981; Millon & Everly, 1985) biosocial learning framework for Axis II disorders provides an important conceptual link between Axis II diagnosis and therapy using transactional analysis concepts. Tentative script analyses are offered to narrow the gap between Axis II diagnoses and therapy and in order to stimulate further discussion.