Turkish adaptation of the inventory of personality organization: The validity and reliability study

The aim of the present study was to develop Turkish version of Inventory of Personality Organization. The main contribution of the present study was to provide an objective test for the Turkish clinical psychology reseach, which could identify the personality organization level. Considering the predictive power of that inventory regarding axis 2 diagnosis, the present study might be seen as an unique research example as well. 418 students and faculty members from İstanbul Kültür University in total participated in the current study. 280 partcipants were women (66.9%) and the rest138 participants (33%) were men. The test-retest reliability was conducted with a group of 42 university students. Test-retest reliability analyses of the inventory subscales revealed Cronbach alpha coefficients varying between .77 and .84. Cronbach alpha and Spearman Brown internal consistency coefficients were .906 and .801 respectively. Test-retest analysis yielded consistency coefficients of .935, .847 and .847 for primitive defenses, identity diffusion and reality testing subscales, respectively. Principal Factor Analysis (PFA) with oblique rotation revealed a three factor solution explaining 40% of the total variance with an eigen valuıe above one regarding the participant group who has not received psychiatric treatment or psychotherapy. Regarding the PFA with oblique rotation of the clinical group (consisted of participants who have attended psychiatric treatment program or/and psychotherapy), again a three factor solution was obtained explaining 48.65 of the total variance. With respect to the concurrent validity; the inventories used to measure schizotype were given to 98 participants whereas the ones used to measure the normative self-concept, social desirability, psychological state and affective measurements were answered by 320 participants. Counter balancing technique was applied with respect to the inventory sequence. Concurrent validity coefficients varied between -.19 and .62. Regarding the discriminant validity analysis, it was found that the average inventory score was significantly higher in favor of the group who has applied for psychiatry and/or psychotherapy. As a result, all psychometric analyses showed that the Inventory of Personality Organization was a reliable and a valid inventory. For the second part of the present study, the prediction power of Inventory of Personality Organizations against axis II diagnoses was tested. with the participation of 416 participants in total (365 women (%87.7) and 51 men (%12.3)). At this stage, significant, high correlations were obtained between the axis II diagnostic inventory and KOREN subscales. Compatible with the related literature, regression analysis results revealed that KOREN subscales were significant predictors of axis II diagnoses; more specifically, primitive defense mechanisms and identity diffusion subscales significantly predicted A, B, and C cluster personality disorders (PD) whereas the subscale of reality testing could not significantly predict B cluster personality disorders (Borderline, Histrionic and Narcissistic PD), except antisocial PD. Futhermore, the results showed that reality testing subscale could significantly predict neither the Obssesive Compulsive, Avoidant and Dependent PD from C cluster nor the schizoid PD subscale of A cluster. It was found out to be a good predictor for only paranoid PD and Schizotypal PD regarding A cluster personality disorders. These results were also compatible with the previous research findings. All those results supported the beliefs regarding the positioning of axis II diagnoses in personality organization spectrum. Keywords: Personality organizations, primitive defenses, identity diffusion, reality testing, Kernberg theory, KOREN