Malleability of Preference for Therapists' Response Style

Abstract

Studies of clients' preferences, primarily descriptive in nature, are being reported at an increasing rate. The resources given to this sort of collecting and summarizing of clients' and nonclients' preferences are justified only if preference is an important variable to be reckoned with in group and individual psychotherapy. While a number, of authors have indeed postulated that clients' preferences constitute a critical variable in psychotherapy, not much experimental work has been done. To estimate the importance of clients' preferences for therapists' directiveness, the strength with which such preference is held was investigated. Sixty-six undergraduates were randomly assigned to six groups in a Solomon design. The four experimental groups were subsequently shown one of two taped demonstrations of high and low directive therapists' response styles, respectively. Posttests determined preference regarding therapists' directiveness. Results suggested preference was not impervious to shaping procedures and can be modified prior to therapy. It was hypothesized that if preference proved to be a such weakly held attitude, then it might well prove similarly weak in actual therapy.