THE RETROSPECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN PSYCHOTHERAPY:
AN EMPIRICAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
Abstract
There is a great controversy about the nature and quality of
psychotherapeutic experience. However, it is unknown if the problem lies
on therapeutic effectiveness or on the methods used to study these modalities of psychological intervention. This study concentrates on the quality
of therapeutic experience as critically perceived by the person and
manifested on her/his speech. Eight women and two men, all students,
with ages ranging from 21 to 26, being 3 in psychoanalytic psychotherapy,
2 in lacanian analysis, 2 in analytical psychotherapy, 1 in psychodrama, 1
in bioenergetic, and 1 in transactional analysis describe their experiences.
The descriptions, obtained by topic interview, were separated by themes
and hermeneutical interpreted. The results showed, among other aspects,
that the experience of being in psychotherapy is considered by these persons
as positive; changes related with perceptions of oneself, of others
and their problems ocurred during the period. However, they did not know
when and how. The difference among treatments is perceived, mainly, in
the kind of relation developed with the therapist and not with the kind of
therapeutic results. The study also exemplifies the pertinence of qualitative
criteria to this modality of investigation.
Downloads
References
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 147-155.
Bednar, R.L & Shapiro, J.G. (1970). Professional research commitment: A symptom
or a syndrome. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 34, 323-326.
Bergin, A.E. (1971). The evaluation of therapeutic outcomes. Em A.E. Bergin & S.L.
Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change. New York:
Wiley.
Bergin, A.E., & Lambert, M.J. (1978). The evaluation of therapeutic outcomes. Em S.L.
Garfield e A.E. Bergin (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavioral change:
An empirical analysis (2- ed., pp. 139-190). New York: Wiley.
Davis, J.D. (1972). Review of "the effects of psychotherapy" by Rachman. British
Journal of Psychology, 63, 642-643.
Elliott, R. (1983). Fitting process research to the practicing psychotherapist. Psychotherapy:
Theory, Research and Practice, 20, 47-55.
Eysenck, H. (1952). The effects of psychotherapy: An evaluation. Journal of Consulting
Psychology, 16, 319-324.
Eysenck, H.J. (1961). Classification and problem of diagnosis. Em H.J. Eysenck
(Ed.), Handbook of abnormal psychology. New York: Basic Books.
Eysenck, H. (1966). The effects of psychotherapy. New York: International Science
Press.
Frank, J. (1979). The present status of outocome studies. Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology, 47, 310-316.
Garfield, S.L. (1983). Effectiveness of psychotherapy: The perennial controversy.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 14, 35-43.
Gendlin, E. (1986). What comes after traditional psychotherapy research? American
Psychologist, 41, 131-136.
Giorgi, A. (1970). Psychology as a human science. New York: Harper & Row.
Giorgi, A. (1985). Sketch of a psychological phenomenological method. Em A. Giorgi
(Ed.), Phenomenology and psychological research (8-22). Pittsburgh: Duquesne
University Press.
Goebel, J.B. (1981). Keeping up with the information explosion in psychotherapy research.
The Psychotherapy Bulletin, 15, 21-22.
Gomes, W. (1985). O eidético e o empírico na psicologia fenomenológica. Estudos de
Psicologia, 2 (2/3), 135-148.
Gomes, W. (1987). As aplicações sociais da pesquisa qualitativa. Psicologia. Reflexão
e Crítica, 2 (1/2), 3-14.
Karasu, Ð’. & Bellak, L. (1980). Specialized techniques in individual psychotherapy.
New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Kazdin, A.E. (1986). Psychotherapy research (Special issue). Journal of Consulting
and Clinical Psychology, 54 (1).
Lanigan, R. (1988). Phenomenology of communication. Pittsburgh, PA.: Duquesne,
University Press.
Luborsky, L, Singer, Ð’., & Luborsky L. (1975). Comparative studies of psychotherapies.
Archives of General Psychiatry, 32, 995-1008.
Meltzoff, J. & Kornreich, M. (1970). Research in psychotherapy. New York: Atherton
Press.
Morrow-Bradley, С & Elliott, R. (1986). Utilization of psychotherapy research by practicing
psychotherapists. American Psychologist, 41, 188-197.
Patton, M.Q. (1980). Qualitative evaluation methods. Beverly Hills: Sage.
Rachman, S. (1971). The effects of psychotherapy. New York: Pergamon Press.
Rachman, S. (1973). The effects of psychological treatment. Em H.J. Eysenck (Ed.),
Handbook of abnormal psychology. New York: Basic Books.
Rachman, S. & Wilson G. (1980). The effects of psychological therapy (2a ed.). New
York: Pergamon Press.
Rice, LN. & Greenberg, LS. (1984). Pattern of change: Intensive analysis of psychotherapy
process. New York: Guilford.
Shands, H.C. & Meltzer, J.D. (1973). Language and psychiatry. The Hague: Mouton.
Shapiro, D.A. & Shapiro D. (1977). The "double standard" in evaluation of psychotherapies.
Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, 30, 209-210.
Smith, M.L., Glass, G.V., & Miller, T.I. (1980). The benefits of psychotherapy. Baltimore,
MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Stiles, W.B. Shapiro, D.A., & Elliott, R. (1986). "Are all psychotherapies equivalenf?
American Psychologist, 41, 165-180.
Strupp, H. (1986). Psychotherapy: research, practice, and public policy (How to avoid
dead ends). American Psychologist, 41, 120-130.
VandenBos, G.R. (1986). Psychotherapy research (Special issue). American Psychologist,
41 (2).
