Research Projects

DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS:

Mechanisms of self-esteem regulation in narcissistic personality disorder
Michał Dolczewski
The project aims to describe intrapsychic and interpersonal mechanisms of self-esteem regulation and to identify their role in the emergence and maintenance of narcissistic personality pathology. Research (including interviews) is designed to test the theoretically assumed differences between narcissistic and non-narcissistic individuals: 1) in the characteristics of self-esteem regulation mechanisms and 2) in temperamental prerequisites, personality organization, and situational factors employed in the regulation process.
Autobiographical reasoning and level of personality pathology assessment;
Arkadiusz Wesołowski
The dissertation aims to test the relationships between autobiographical reasoning, a specific aspect of narrative identity, and the level of personality pathology according to the dimensional conceptualisation of personality disorders. The implementation of the project involves conducting research to test (1) the relationships between autobiographical reasoning and the level of personality pathology, with a particular focus on identifying the characteristics of autobiographical reasoning for different levels of personality pathology and (2) testing the utility of clinical analysis of autobiographical reasoning for the assessment of the level of personality pathology.
Generativity of people with borderline personality organisation;
Jerzy Bandel
The dissertation aims to describe the multifaceted generative functioning of healthy people and people with borderline personality organization. Three studies will be carried out consecutively to: 1) test differences in the intensity of generative concern and the frequency of engaging in generative behaviour in the two groups (using a quantitative, questionnaire-based study), 2) describe the specificity of the generative narrative of people with borderline personality pathology (using a qualitative, narrative-based study), and 3) test the relevance of engaging in generative behaviour to the dynamics of personality dysfunction symptoms (using a longitudinal, diary-based study).
Dynamika interpersonalna w zaburzeniach narcystycznych (working title);
Marcel Kawczyński [Project in preparation]

CURRENT PROJECTS:

Aktywność autonarracyjna a funkcjonowanie psychiczne w zdrowiu i zaburzeniach / Self-narrative activity and psychological functioning in health and disorders
Głowny projekt QMMCAB
Head: Emilia Soroko; In collaboration witt QMMCLAB Team The research project refers to narrative psychology, clinical psychology, and psychodiagnostics. It is based on the following assumptions: 1) personality structure, relational tendencies, identity, and the level of psycho-social adaptation manifest themself in narratively structured autobiographical accounts (self-narratives); 2) mental functioning in health and disorders will be better understood and more accurately conceptualized if self-narrative activity and its verbal indicators in statements are taken into account.
Dimensional models in personality disorders - assessment and research
Fulbright Senior Award link
The project covers three areas with the main thrust of integrating research, theory, and practice in clinical psychology as a sub-discipline of psychology.
I will explore the social and organizational determinants of using dimensional personality assessment models from the perspective of the clinician(s) who employ evidence-based practice. I will conduct in-depth interviews with clinician-practitioners about their professional experiences and perform qualitative data analysis to portray these determinants.
I will develop a framework for case conceptualization that is useful in diagnosing personality disorders, which draws on multiple diagnostic methods (including questionnaire data, the person’s self-narrative, and intensive longitudinal measurement). To this end, I will analyze several in-depth case studies and develop guidelines for theory-driven integration of the assessment data.
I will learn how to formulate research questions and test hypotheses in personality psychopathology based on the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) at the Bronx Personality Lab (Fordham University).
Doświadczanie troski generatywnej przez homoseksualne nauczycielki w okresie średniej dorosłości
Individual research project under the “Excellence Initiative - Research University” program, „PhD Minigrants” Head: Jerzy Bandel
From bodily sensation to narrative identity. Exploring the importance of interoception in the process of making sense of life experiences
Individual research project under the “Excellence Initiative - Research University” program, “Study@Research”
Head: Natasza Pyszel; Supervision: Emilia Soroko
Many contemporary models of mental health emphasize the dynamic relationship between body and mind, and the mechanism central to this relationship is interoception - the ability to experience stimuli coming from within the body. The overall goal of the study is to determine the role that conscious interoception and meaning-making have in the development and maintenance of mental health and psychopathology.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy in the face of COVID-19 epidemic and social quarantine
Monika Zielona-Jenek i Agnieszka Izdebska (Department of Social and Clinical Sexology), Emilia Soroko
The aim of the study is to analyze the experiences of psychodynamic psychotherapists struggling with the challenge of working with patients brought about by the COVID-19 epidemic and social quarantine. We want to focus on the dilemmas of working at this particular time and how to deal with them, including the issue of working on the Internet. We would also like to check if therapists’ experiences will change with the duration of the epicemic and quarantine situations.
link
link to the paper - read!
Do self-narrative diary interventions during COVID-19 pandemic improve mental health?
Emilia Soroko, Kamil Janowicz, Paweł Kleka, Michał Dolczewski, Maciej Borzyszkowski, Apolonia Borzęcka
The objective of the presented project is to examine in experimental way supportive and proactive role of self-narrative diary intervention for sustaining psychological well-being, and mental health during the pandemic. The planned research will also examine the role of the chosen psychological and socio-demographic factors potentially related to the effectiveness of a self-narrative-based intervention. People encouraged to implement self-narration-based intervention into their daily life will be compared with those who will be encouraged to just answer questions describing their situation (but in a non-narrative way), and those who will do nothing additional. It is predicted that: 1) constructing self-narration about the important daily event and/or experience related to a pandemic would lead to better mental health (short and long term); 2) higher awareness of narrative identity, self-narrative inclination and reflectiveness, and lower anxiety, reward-dependence, thrill-seeking, and motion would be related to higher effectiveness of self-narrative diary intervention for mental health; 3) lower initial level of personality functioning would be related to lower effectiveness of self-narrative-based intervention for psychological well-being.
link to the pre-print - read!
link to the article where the data were also used
Polish adaptation of a questionnaire to measure the severity of splitting: The Splitting Index
Arkadiusz Wesołowski, Jerzy Bandel, Emilia Soroko Iga Skrzypczak (student research assistant) also participated in the project in November 2021. The research project aims to adapt a Polish questionnaire tool to measure splitting, The Splitting Index (Gould, Prentice, Ainslie, 1996). The tool allows us to assess the severity of the splitting mechanism in three areas: Self, Family and Others. The project will contribute to developing the first Polish adaptation of the test, which is designed exclusively to measure the intensity of a specific defence mechanism – the mechanism of splitting. In the validation process, in-depth interviews will be conducted.
Narrative identity and level of personality functioning and personality traits. Content analysis of statements about biographical turning points
Individual research project under the “Excellence Initiative - Research University” program, “Study@Research”
Head: Barbara Sikora; Supervision: Emilia Soroko
The aim of the research is to clarify the role that narrative identity (in terms of contextual, chronological and thematic aspects; Reese et al., 2011) plays in determining levels of personality functioning and personality traits. The research consists of a quantitative and a mixed-methods part (collection of interviews and their quantitative and qualitative analysis).
Excessive Internet use and schizoid traits and the need for affiliation
Individual research project under the “Excellence Initiative - Research University” program, “Study@Research”
Head: Sandra Nowak; Supervision: Emilia Soroko
The current aim of the project is to construct a tool (performance method with pictures as stimuli and generated stories) to measure explicite and implicite need for an affiliation. The resulting stories (narrations) are analysed in terms of the frequency of words belonging to theoretically determined categories containing indicators of affiliation (external dictionaries).
Minimalism and coping in everyday stressful situations
Individual research project under the “Excellence Initiative - Research University” program, “Study@Research” with continuation. Head: Maciej Borzyszkowski; Supervisor: Emilia Soroko; Investigator (further steps): Sandra Nowak
Maciej says: The research project aims to capture minimalism as a psychological phenomenon and to demonstrate its adaptive function in coping with stressful situations. Minimalism is commonly understood as a lifestyle based on the principle of ’less is more’, and is defined as the pursuit of something that is essential, most important, fundamental in life. So far, among the circumstances of practising minimalism, social or philosophical factors are mentioned, less often psychological, and, if they are already mentioned, in the context of humanistic and existential approach. In the study, I want to look at minimalism from the perspective of stress psychology. I plan to build a reliable and accurate tool to measure minimalism, taking into account its psychological aspects; using the ecological momentary assessment, I want to verify the relationship between minimalism and coping with stress in everyday life in the context of Hobfoll’s theory of conservation of resources, and to deepen my understanding of it by interviewing minimalists and analysing it in the spirit of a qualitative approach.
Supervizor says: A tool to measure minimalism has been developed and its psychometric parameters are satisfactory. The results of the diary study are being compiled. Analysis of interviews with minimalists is currently underway regarding the role minimalism plays in coping with stress.
Polish adaptation of questionnaires to measure generative functioning: Loyola Generativity Scale and Generative Behaviour List
Jerzy Bandel, Emilia Soroko, Marcin Sękowski
The aim of this research project is the Polish adaptation of two questionnaire tools to measure generative functioning in adults: Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS) and Generative Behaviour Checklist (GBC; McAdams, de St. Aubin, 1992). The LGS questionnaire measures the intensity of generative concern, understood according to McAdams and de St. Aubin’s (1992) theory of generativity as concern for the next generation and being the motivational basis for generative behaviour. The GBC questionnaire, in turn, measures the frequency of generative behaviour.
[link to the paper in Polish soon!](Psychologia Rozwojowa)
Attitudes towards psychological interventions over the Internet. Quantitative and mixed methods approach
Maciej Borzyszkowski, Zuzanna Pawlak, Maja Skory, Paweł Kleka, Emilia Soroko
The research project aims to develop knowledge about the increasingly common phenomenon of using online help and psychotherapy by people who experience psychological difficulties. There is a growing range of offers from professional therapists, computer applications and programs or websites with self-help programmes. The research is organized in three stages: 1) Adaptation and validation of the Attitudes towards Psychological Online Interventions (Schröder et al., 2015); 2) in-depth interviews with people who have had the experience of psychological assistance and psychotherapy, targeted at their experience; 3) in-depth interviews with psychotherapists who use to work online, also targeted at their personal experience.
[link to the paper soon!](Polskie Forum Psychologiczne)
Attitudes towards psychological help provided via the Internet
Arkadiusz Wesołowski, Julianna Skawińska, Emilia Soroko
The purpose of this study was to determine what image of online psychological help is evident in the subjects’ experiences and what experiences of the subjects are related to the topic of online psychological help? A thematic analysis was conducted (Braun, Clarke, 2006) of the statements made by individuals participating in a questionnaire survey about online psychological help who voluntarily (N = 77) shared their reflections concerning online help.
link to the paper - read!