Title:
The effects of therapist self-disclosure (low, moderate, or high) and type of psychotherapy (traditional psychodynamic, self psychology, humanistic, or feminist) on perceived expertness, trustworthiness, and attractiveness of the therapist
Author:
J. Mark Gallagher
Thesis Advisor:
Steven A. Sobelman
Committee Member:
Martin F. Sherman
Committee Member:
Charles T. LoPresto
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2002
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
reformatted digital
Abstract:
Therapist self-disclosure is one of the most hotly debated techniques of psychotherapy. Freud (1912/1958a) established a precedent by advocating that therapists take a "neutral" position rather than self-disclosing. This view was not seriously disputed until Jourard (1971) proposed that therapists take the "risky lead" and use self-disclosure to facilitate the self-disclosure of clients. Ferenczi (1928/1955), Kohut (1982) and Rogers (1942) were leaders in advocating that the therapist take an empathic stance inside a relational model of treatment. Over the course of time, four schools of therapy have become associated with four levels of therapist self-disclosure: traditional psychodynamic, no self-disclosure; self psychology, low self-disclosure; humanistic, moderate self- disclosure; and feminist, high self-disclosure. There is research evidence supporting the use of therapist self-disclosure, but there has been very little research on the effect of the theoretical orientation of a self-disclosing therapist on the way the therapist is perceived by clients or by others. The purpose of this analogue study was to determine the effect of low, moderate, or high levels of therapist self-disclosure in traditional psychodynamic, self psychology, humanistic and feminist therapies on the perception of observers regarding the therapists' expertness, trustworthiness and attractiveness. Participants were female undergraduate students at Loyola College who each read one of 12 different transcripts of a first therapy session and rated the therapist. Although there was only limited support for the primary hypothesis, which stated that therapist self-disclosure and theoretical orientation would be related to perceived expertness, trustworthiness and attractiveness such that observers would rate the therapist based on the principles of their respective orientation, participants clearly found the low self-disclosure humanistic and feminist therapists to have low levels of trustworthiness and attractiveness. Strong relations were also found between perceived expertness, trustworthiness and attractiveness and willingness to see the therapist.
Subject:
Psychotherapist and patient
Subject:
Self-disclosure
Degree:
Doctor of Psychology
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has not informed the Library of online preferences. This work is made available to the Loyola Notre Dame Library basic constituency.
Use and Reproduction:
The authors of theses and dissertations are the copyright owners. Loyola Notre Dame Library has their permission to store and provide access to these works. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Permission is required to use materials for which Loyola Notre Dame Library, Loyola University Maryland, or Notre Dame of Maryland University hold copyright. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift of purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Identifier:
GallagherJM-02
