This study examined the verbal participation of Anglos, Mexican Americans and Native Americans in group therapy sessions for alcoholic patients. Fifteen therapy groups with a total number of 265 alcoholic inpatients, were recorded for the patients' verbal participation. The data are analyzed in ethnic categories and show that the Anglo patients have significantly higher verbal participation than either of the two other ethnic groups in the study. The need to reconsider the advantage and disadvantage of homogeneous or heterogeneous ethnic groupings in therapy is discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aston, P. J.
(1970). Predicting verbal participation in group therapy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 45-50.
2.
Aston, P J.
(1971). Predicting participation length in group therapy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 119, 57-58.
3.
Brandes, N. S.
(1977). Group therapy is not for every adolescent: Two case illustrations. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 27, 507-510.
4.
Dodson, J. P.
(1971). Participation in a bi-racial encounter group: Its relationship to acceptance of self and others, racial attitudes, and interpersonal orientations. Dissertation Abstracts International, 31, 5120-5121A.
5.
Jacobs, M. K.
, Trick, O. L., & Withersty, D. (1976). Pretraining psychiatric inpatients for participation in group psychotherapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 13, 361-367.
6.
Klagsbrun, S. C.
(1969). An analysis of groups that never were. International Journal of Psychotherapy, 24, 142-149.
7.
Lundgren, D.
, & Miller, D. (1965). Identity and behavioral changes in training groups. Human Relations Training News, Spring.
8.
Marlatt, G. A.
(1972). Task structure and the experimental modification of verbal behavior. Psychologic Bulletin, 78, 335-350.
9.
Mollica, R. F.
, Blum, J. D., & Redlich, F. (1980). Equality and the psychiatric care of the black patient: 1950 to 1975. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 168, 279-286.
10.
Reynolds, D. K.
(1980). The quiet therapies: Japanese pathways to personal growth. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii.
11.
Shen, W W.
(1983). Alcoholic neuropathy associated with the eighth cranial nerve. Psychosomatics, 24, 407-408.
12.
Shen, W W.
, (In press). Menstruation and admission date of the female intoxicated alcoholic. Biological Psychiatry.
13.
Shen, W W.
, Chavez, C. E., & Huang, T. D. (1983). Which detoxified alcoholic keeps the first clinic appointment?Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 11, 353-358.
14.
Stephan, F. F.
, & Mishler, E. G. (1952). The distibution of participation in small groups: An experimental approximation. American Sociological Review, 17, 598-608.
15.
Wolf, S. R.
, & Hall, R. C. W. (1971). The use of psychodrama to diminish transcultural distance in psychotherapy. Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama, 24, 17-23.
16.
Yalom, I. D.
(1970). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.
