This study examines the relative efficacies of the specific and non-specific
factors in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is conceptualized as
having three common components: the problem component whose essence is
low self-esteem; the interactional component which induces change through
social influence; and the treatment component which elicits change through
therapeutic techniques. The relative efficacy of each of these two change
components - influence (nonspecific factor) and therapeutic techniques
(specific factor) - is the central issue of the study. Four groups, each
of 20 subjects, were matched according to their low levels of self-esteem.
Each group was administered a different treatment in three, one-hour sessions
over a period of two weeks, designed to enhance self-esteem. The
four treatments involved: 1. An emphasis on techniques - cognitive
behavior - with social influence minimized through pre-session inductions;
2. An emphasis on social influence with no "usual" therapeutic techniques
other than talk; 3. An emphasis on both therapeutic techniques - cognitive-
behavior and social influence maximized through pre-session inductions;
and 4. A no-treatment control group. Social influence induction
scales indicated that pre-session inductions successfully maximized and
minimized conditions of influence. Post-treatment interview measures
indicated that the "full-therapy" - with both techniques and influence
maximized -was most effective. However, the therapies with maximized
social influence obtained significantly h1gher degrees of acceptance of
their therapy, and elicited significantly greater enhancement of self-esteem,
than did either the maximized technique, minimized influence
therapy, or the no-treatment, control group. The therapy with minimized
social influence showed no significant difference in its levels
of acceptance, or in its enhancement of self-esteem, from the control
group. These findings are interpreted to support the interactional
view of psychotherapy; seeing therapeutic change as an influence process,
and the therapeutic techniques as a means of further maximizing
that influence. A case is made for a re-emphasis in psychotherapy on
the interactional dynamics from a social psychological viewpoint. / Graduation date: 1982
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/38241 |
| Date | 01 February 1982 |
| Creators | Lynagh, Ian Lawrence |
| Contributors | Becker, Gerald |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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