Examined the effects of (1) two levels of risk-taking disposition and (2) four types of pregroup preparation on early group development. High risk takers exposed to the behavioral structure condition were more involved in self-disclosure and interpersonal feedback, reported higher levels of group cohesion, and reported greater perceived depth of…

A linear relationship in psychotherapeutic groups between verbal behavior, defined as the level of communication, and experienced anxiety is hypothesized. A curvilinear relationship was discovered. Maximum level of anxiety occurred on border of communication of private and unknown-self material. When communication increased above these levels, the…

This research was an inquiry into the effects of interpretation in counseling. The feelings of subjects toward interpretation were compared with their feelings toward the techniques of reflection, advice giving, and probing. The implications of the use of interpretation in counseling are discussed. (Author)

The effect of attitude similarity and topic importance on attraction was studied by exposing 75 prison inmates, incarcerated for public intoxication, to varying attitudes of a psychotherapist. Subjects were more attracted to the therapist after receiving alcohol items regardless of degree of similarity expressed. (Author)

Two alternative explanations for early defection of female counseling clients were tested. Greater satisfaction with nondirective interviewing by females more likely to defect was found, which favored the catharsis alternative. (Author)

Subjects rated a counselor's performance on two videotapes which were identical except for the level of professional jargon employed by the counselor. Subjects were more likely to rate the counselor high if they were given the high-prestige introduction than if they received the low-prestige introduction. (Author)

Statements representing specific communication skills were derived from a review of the literature. Instruments were completed by 111 married couples. Scores on the Marital Adjustment Test were used to identify criterion groups as most satisfied and least satisfied. Findings suggest skills identified may be effective for marriage counselors.…

A quantitative approach was used to identify factors relating to emotional adjustment in 84 dying patients. Emotional adjustment was influenced more by the patient's physical condition, by previous experiences with dying persons, and by interpersonal relationships. (Author)

Discusses results of two studies conducted to investigate communications between friends, since it is often stated that psychotherapy is a type of friendship. Findings showed that empathic responses were infrequent between friends trying to be helpful, though such responses constituted a majority of statements of model Rogerian therapists.…

This laboratory analogue investigated the effects of supervisor skillfulness and supervisor-supervisee attitude similarity on the attraction of the supervisee to the supervisor. Results showed a main effect of supervisor skillfulness on attraction but did not show attraction to vary as a function of supervisor-supervisee attitude similarity.…

A psychotherapy analogue study examined the effects of therapist disclosure on subject disclosure to the therapist during a first interview. Three levels of therapist disclosure, no disclosure, demographic disclosure, and personal disclosure, and two levels of therapist warmth were manipulated. Results are discussed. (Author)

To replicate a study purporting to show positive effects of facilitative interpersonal functioning in a conditioning paradigm, 32 subjects were verbally conditioned within an experiment designed to vary preexperiment interview, facilitative level of the experimenter, and contingency of reinforcement. The present study failed to substantiate the…

The utility of employing elevated scores on the Depression and Psychasthenia scales of the MMPI as an indicator of a genuine, enduring clinical problem was investigated for a male college student population. Pilot data suggest that MMPI scale scores decrease following psychotherapy but not with the passage of time alone. (Author)

Attempted to determine whether an apparently physically disabled counselor, compared with an able-bodied counselor, would be perceived as exhibiting higher levels of four therapeutic ingredients. Results suggested the disabled counselor was rated significantly higher on all therapeutic variables compared with the same counselor when viewed as…

An analysis of the helping process suggests two important components of behaving competently. In the present research, snake phobics provided help to confederates whom they believed to be similarly phobic. Modeling produces more subjective improvement than the expectancy manipulation. (Author)