Making Diagnosis More Meaningful. The Developmental Profile: a Psychodynamic Assessment of Personality

The Developmental Profile (DP) offers a psychodynamic description of the degree to which an individual has developed adaptive functioning appropriate to his or her age, and the extent to which daily functioning is determined by “early” maladaptive patterns. In this article we summarize the taxonomic frame of reference of the DP, the constituted Developmental Lines and Developmental Levels, and the way DP can be reliably assessed by a semi-structured interview using a scoring protocol. We describe DP from a theoretical and clinical point of view. Current empirical research findings with regard to reliability and validity issues are reviewed.

We discuss the use of the DP in clinical practice with respect to other diagnostic methods and assessment procedures, and its properties in supporting the treatment process. Directions for future empirical research are explored.