Deutsch Intern
Department of Psychology I – Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

Research

Translational Research with Focus on Social Interaction Processes and Mental Health

Our research group is dedicated to investigating processes that promote mental health and contribute to the success of psychotherapeutic interventions. Using a translational approach, our five research teams analyze processes operating at both intrapersonal and interpersonal levels.

  • Psychotherapy Mechanisms: This team focuses on the functions and dynamics within patients and therapists to better understand the underlying mechanisms of psychotherapeutic processes.
  • Aggression: This team examines aggressive behavior and its biopsychosocial correlates.
  • Networks for Behavior and Cognition: The research conducted by this team centers on personality traits and intelligence to elucidate their influence on behavior and cognitive processes.
  • Approach and Avoidance: This team explores the underlying processes and mechanisms of approach and avoidance behaviors in the context of the development and maintenance of mental disorders.
  • Social Interaction Processes and Mental Health: This team investigates social interaction processes to better understand their dynamics and impact on mental health. The focus lies on the underlying mechanisms shaping interpersonal relationships and their significance for well-being and mental disorders.
  • Bodily Processes: This team studies interoceptive processes, body perception, and pain-related anxiety to clarify their roles in the development and maintenance of mental disorders.

 

Methodological Expertise

Our research teams employ a broad range of innovative methods, including:

  • Neurobiological Markers and Methods: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Electroencephalography (EEG), electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate (variability), hormone concentrations and changes, as well as neurofeedback.
  • Virtual Reality (VR): Applications for simulating and exploring psychological mechanisms in controlled environments.
  • Behavioral and Psychometric Methods: Behavioral experiments, questionnaire surveys, and observational studies.
  • Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA): Smartphone-based surveys to capture data in everyday contexts.

Our aim is to bridge the gap between basic and applied research by integrating intrapersonal and interpersonal factors, as well as theoretical and practical aspects of psychotherapy. In doing so, we contribute to the advancement of evidence-based approaches that enrich both scientific knowledge and clinical practice.

Bertsch, K., Hillmann, K., & Herpertz, S. C. (2018). Behavioral and Neurobiological Correlates of Disturbed Emotion Processing in Borderline Personality Disorder. Psychopathology, 51(2), 76–82. https://doi.org/10.1159/000487363

Kramer, U., Eubanks, C. F., Bertsch, K., Herpertz, S. C., McMain, S., Mehlum, L., Renneberg, B., & Zimmermann, J. (2022). Future Challenges in Psychotherapy Research for Personality Disorders. Current psychiatry reports, 24(11), 613–622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-022-01379-4

Flechsenhar, A., Back, S., Knabe, M., & Bertsch, K. (2024). Personality Disorders in Criminal Offenders - A Systematic Literature Review. Current psychiatry reports, 10.1007/s11920-024-01541-0. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01541-0

Kolla, N. J., Tully, J., & Bertsch, K. (2023). Neural correlates of aggression in personality disorders from the perspective of DSM-5 maladaptive traits: a systematic review. Translational psychiatry, 13(1), 330. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02612-1