At 8:31 AM -0600 3/27/00, Rick Froman wrote:
>I had a student tell me a similar thing about psychotherapy. [...]
>"Well, I know the clinician and patient will both be bias, but that
>doesn't change the fact that to them it was a success and is that
>not what the goal was....to alleviate a problem or give them a
>personal victory over a problem?
You might point that student to the interesting studies that Seligman
documents in his book "What you can change and what you can't." It
seems that "cathartic" therapies get high marks from clients in terms
of their happiness with the therapy. But outcome studies show no
differences in their effectiveness. So, it seems being pleased with
the outcome and actually getting a good outcome can be two different
things.
-Chuck
- Chuck Huff Psychology Department
- Associate Professor St.Olaf College
- Tutor in the Paracollege 1520 St. Olaf Avenue
- 507.646.3169 Fax: 646.3774 Northfield, MN 55057-1098
- [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/
