Faculty Bibliography

Used narrative data from psychotherapy sessions with 33 outpatients to offer 14 observations about the relationship narratives and to recognize their meaning for the process of psychotherapy. Among the most significant external observations were their identifiability by trained judges, their frequency in almost all sessions, and their focus on recent events in intimate relationships. Internal observations came from L. Luborsky and P. Crits-Christoph's (1990) core conflictual relationship theme method applied to the narratives, including a high frequency of wishes for closeness as well as for independence, a high frequency of negative expectations of responses from others and self, a high pervasiveness of wishes both early and late in therapy, and an increase in positive responses from others and self as patients improved in psychotherapy.

Describes the development of a new measure of compensatory skills, the Ways of Responding (WOR), to be used in cognitive therapy for depression. Study 1 reports initial reliability and validity data based on responses of 43 students. The WOR demonstrated good stability, internal consistency, interrater agreement, and reliability. Among participants most able to imagine the upsetting thoughts provided by the WOR, the WOR scores predicted changes in well-being over a 3-mo period. Study 2 describes reliability and initial validity data obtained from a group of 50 patients with major depression. The validity of the new measure was shown by correlations with synchronous mood and with measures of attributional style and learned resourcefulness.

The aim of this investigation was to examine the context of recurrent crying episodes during family therapy sessions. We tested the relative contribution of social versus individual intrapsychic variables within a 10-session, videotaped, structural family therapy. Segments of therapy before crying episodes when compared with control (non-crying) segments were found to have higher levels of the following variables: involvement with others in the room, rejection, and concern about supplies. Two family variables were also higher before crying episodes: family discussion about patient, and patient receives hostility. A stepwise discriminant function analysis using these variables indicated that family discussion about the patient was most important in signaling onset of crying. The results are discussed in terms of individual and family theories of symptom formation as illuminated through this case study.

Comments that J. C. Norcross (see record 1992-06265-001), J. O. Prochaska (see record 1992-06274-001), A. R. Mahrer (see record 1992-06261-001), and L. E. Beutler (see record 1992-06229-001) seem willing to consider recommending psychoanalysis or psychoanalytically inspired psychotherapy to some patients with simple phobias. From a psychodynamic point of view, most phobic systems are seen as symptoms of expressions of wishes, fears, and fantasies that are unacceptable to the patient. For simple phobias, Freud (1926) tended to use these dynamic techniques in combination with what is currently called a behavioral technique. Since many approaches (e.g., behavioral, eclectic) have achieved prominent status, there is less need to negate other approaches to justify one's own approach. It has been difficult to show that treatment techniques for specific kinds of patients have differing effectiveness.

Research is reviewed on 6 theoretical propositions central to psychodynamic psychotherapy: (1) The establishment of an alliance is important to successful outcome; (2) the patient displays a central relationship theme (transference); (3) transference interpretations are helpful; (4) the therapist aims at accurate interpretations of the transference; (5) the patient gains understanding of self and the relationship pattern; and (6) the patient's improvement is reflected in changes in the relationship pattern, although the pattern is still evident. We suggest concepts that are in need of research development: internalization, resistance, working through, self-understanding and insight, and the therapist's adherence to recommended techniques.

Describes rational thinking as (1) a search for possibilities, evidence, and goals and (2) a process of inference by which possibilities are evaluated. Possibilities may be choice options, beliefs, or goals. Rational thinking is actively open-minded. Searching is sufficiently thorough, and inference is unbiased in bringing forward the possibility that is best in terms of all the thinker's goals. The most common departures from rational thinking are insufficient search and bias in favor of possibilities that are already strong. This perspective is applied to the analysis of coping. Cognitive therapies are discussed as training in rational thinking, including instruction in useful heuristics.