By re-examining the epistemological foundations upon which the ego-centric clinical construct of insight in psychosis rests, research conducted with the narratives of patients who participated in the clinical project, Psychosis and Culture: The Role of Spaces of Negotiation (Between Patients, Families, and Practitioners) During Consultation was aimed to explore and formulate a socio-centric model of insight construction more sensitive to patients' intersubjective and cultural milieus. Collected interviews---conducted with recently diagnosed psychotic patients using the Turning Point Interview (TPI) grid---were approached from a phenomenological and hermeneutical perspective in order to illustrate the processual manner in which patients' insight (into the cause and reason of illness) was the cognitive and epistemic derivative of dialogical relations with other persons set within a socio-cultural matrix. The results of this research indicate that the production of patients' insight in psychosis is an inherently intersubjective and dialogic phenomenon which, in the clinical context, occurs at two points of juncture: (1) a synchronic juncture where the patient is interpellated by the clinician and hence positioned as a speaking subject, and (2) a diachronic juncture where the patient, as a result of having been called into a speaking position, constructs and authors a narrative account of significant events related to his/her illness experience based on biographical memory. Insight was shown to consist of 3 stages: (1) Detection of alteration of lived experience, (2) Causal attribution, and (3) Global construction of meaning . Each stage was shown to form the intersubjective and dialogic basis for the production of a subjectively meaningful account of insight, using the lifeworid of the patients and the patients' entourage as subjective frames of reference.

The central aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the process of interpretation as it occurs in the context of a dialogue in insight-oriented psychotherapy. The literature review consisted of two parts. Firstly, the philosophical literature on the theory of interpretation was reviewed. A set of central philosophical issues was identified, which pertain to the psychotherapeutic project of interpreting the meaning of a person's experience in the context of a dialogue with that person. Secondly, the psychotherapeutic literature was reviewed. Previous attempts to conceptualise and prescribe processes of interpretation were described. The issues which appeared to be in need of further clarification were identified. A clinical study was conducted to further explore the questions raised in the literature reviews. A methodology was developed which gave access to the direct experience of both clients and therapists during the events of psychotherapeutic interpretation. The methodology yielded a description of the interpretative structure of the psychotherapeutic dialogue for each therapist-client pair. These were then consolidated into a description of general structural features of the psychotherapeutic dialogue. The results consisted of a description of processes and structural features which are intrinsic to the psychotherapeutic interpretation of the meaning of a person's experience in the context of a dialogue. The results were elaborated in an extensive discussion from which the following findings emerged: (l)It is important to distinguish between communicative and interpretative forms of dialogue. (2)Thematisation activity is mediated by a number of dialectically related operations which are intrinsic to the interpretative project of psychotherapy. (3)Insight-oriented psychotherapy relies on the presence of the therapist as a dialogical partner and the therapist is not merely a facilitator of introspection on the part of the client. (4)The character of interpretation in psychotherapy may be understood in certain respects to be an elaboration of functions of the imagination. (5)The process of interpretation can be understood in relational terms and the variations of interpretative experience may be understood as variations of 'an inter-subjective interpretative ideal. (6)Understanding of certain forms of psychopathology is deepened when they are considered as variations of an ideal capacity to engage in interpretative dialogue. (7)It is possible to describe certain ideal conditions which are facilitative of interpretative dialogue and hence of the psychotherapeutic development of self-insight. In conclusion suggestions for further research were made. It was suggested that the perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology provides an appropriate philosophical and methodological foundation for understanding the unique dialogical interpretative situation which is psychotherapy. The study emphasized, both in its content and in the manner of its execution, the need for interpretative efforts to be accompanied by methodological reflection and especially an awareness of how interpretative strategies partially constitute the realities they set out to describe.

No description available.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 W54 / Master of Science / Educational Leadership

From introduction: This study is an attempt to explore and describe phenomenologically a clients total retrospective experience of psychotherapy. The research consistently and radically approaches the phenomenon of the experience of psychotherapy from the clients own perspective and is conceived as a mutual project between researcher and subject. The phenomenological method is used to explicate the subjects qualitative experience of psychotherapy so as not to impose any presuppositions regarding the nature of this experience. At all times the research remains as faithful as possible to the subjects personal account of her therapy experience

From Introduction: This thesis involves a detailed explication of my experience as a client in psychotherapy. Being in therapy has brought about extremely important ·changes in my life and continues to do so. Being involved · in the field of· psychology as a student and therapist-to-be, the experience of therapy has also been a valuable source of a greater understanding of the process itself. The various facets of the importance of my experience of psychotherapy will become clear in my explication. It is a fact that experience, which is an essential aspect of our humanness, has been sadly neglected in psychological research. It is surely psychology's task to explore all aspects of humanity, and this neglect of experience has only fairly recently been questioned. Its reasons have been psychology's bias towards the natural sciences whose methods are not suitable for the study of experience. The tremendous achievements of the natural sciences caused psychology to adopt this slant, as Sigmund Koch (19.69) puts it, "The stipulation that psychology be adequate · to science outweighed the commitment that it be adequate to man". (p 65).

Previous attempts to alter client expectancy and behavior using brief therapy introduction documents have yielded mixed results. This paper reports on the clinical evaluation of such a document which presented individual therapy clients with suggested in-therapy behaviors and offered them a choice as to therapeutic framework. The document told clients that they would be allowed to choose between short term and long term therapy, but woven into the descriptions of these alternatives were repetitions of suggestions for in-therapy behaviors which were intended to positively alter the therapy process and the clients' attitudes toward it. A third choice, no therapy at all, provided the opportunity to present information about what therapy would not offer (medical treatment, direct advise, etc.). Twenty-nine adult subjects (14 experimental, 15 control) were given either the experimental document or a control document (offering no suggested behaviors and no choices) immediately following their initial intake appointment at the North Texas State University Community Psychology Clinic.

Text in English / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology, with specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)

Text in English / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology, with specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)