IJSP Number 2, 2020

60 origin of the various pathology aspects, exploring neurotic patterns and strategies, the unconscious underlying emotional repression, and understanding early life world conception at the projection – introjection level. A particular aspect of psychotherapy with a histrionic refers to building and maintaining the therapeutic relationship, with the therapist’s attention for transfer and counter-transfer situations; these require to be dealt with correctly and duly reflected upon. APA statistics show that histrionic disorder touches 1,84 % of the population, but unfortunately treatment is only rarely sought, compared to the others psychological disorders [10]. 3. CASE STUDY WITH A HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY CLIENT The therapy process of a client presenting histrionic personality traits and at high risk for developing later in life a full-bloom disorder is presented. The therapist met L. A., age 17, as a high school student in the city’s technical profile high school where she studied a mechanic curriculum. She had a rather low grade report and attendance problems. L. A. would often get observed, both at school, as well as in an informal and familial environment, through her explosive and provocative behaviour in her interactions with others. At school, she would manifest contexts where she sought to be provoked by either her classmates or her teachers, only to realize afterwards that the drama she had created was meant to attract attention or to delight and impress her audience. The drama-provoking issues could be as varied as getting a bad grade or playing games to tease her classmates. For example, once, when in counselling (she would always come to counselling unexpectedly to discuss her family or school related conflictual situations), she demanded our presence in the class, wanting to explain her fragile psychological state and to ask for sympathy towards her, sometimes, extremely exaggerated reactions. Furthermore, in front of the classmates, she claimed her need for attention and protection whenever she felt herself to be provoked and started reacting; she also explained that she was a traumatised and extremely sensitive child. The psychologist being present at that moment actually constituted her way of having a trump card in front of the others (“My back is covered”), but also a way of manipulating the psychologist on her own personal scene, where the others were playing the parts of puppets. Obviously, these aspects remained unconscious, not being intentionally staged. The student was very active on social networks, with large groups of friends and predominantly posting selfies. Whenever she had the opportunity, she would manifest herself in a loud and colourful manner: involved in school festivals (often in the leading part), parties, educational projects, the school’s choir and theatre club, etc. But just as often she would manifest inconsistency in her degree of attendance or commitment. She