A paper has just been published reporting new evidence for Evolutionary Systems Therapy. The study was designed to extend what we already knew, investigating its feasibility and potential clinical utility.
Previously, an RCT and several case series had suggested the possible efficacy of Evolutionary Systems Therapy in the treatment of schizotypal traits. In this study, we compared its efficacy for other traits and the viability of the conceptualization model used.
Evolutionary Systems Therapy presupposes the existence of three interpersonal styles corresponding to the three major spectrums of psychopathology (defensive style corresponding to the spectrum of schizotypy or thought disorders; affiliative style corresponding to the internalizing spectrum; dismissing style corresponding to the externalizing spectrum). These three styles are not considered to be excluded from these spectrums but are instead identified during “difficult” times.
This new study reports new evidence for Evolutionary Systems Therapy. First, the correspondence between styles and their corresponding spectrums has been confirmed. Second, the efficacy previously demonstrated in the schizotypal spectrum was also confirmed in the other two spectrums.
Of interest was the fact that the target age was that of greatest risk for personality disorders: the 16-25 age group. This choice was intended to minimize the bias associated with the study’s small sample size and focus attention on those most at risk.
Cheli, S., Brüne, M., Goldzweig, G., Bui, S., Velicogna, F., & Cavalletti, V. (2026). Evolutionary systems therapy for personality pathology: a proof-of-concept single-arm trial. Current Psychology, 45, 375 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-08606-0 (Preprint and Supplementary Material are freely accessible at https://osf.io/urjdz/overview)