Topic Control as Relational Control and its Effect on the Outcome of Therapy

Abstract

The concept of relational control was measured using the index of Topic Control to investigate Haley's assertion that successful therapy is characterized by the therapist controlling the definition of the therapeutic relationship and defining it as a complementary relationship in which the therapist is in a “one-up” position. Following Haley's assertion, it was hypothesized that: (a) across a sample of successful therapeutic dyads, therapists exhibit a greater measure of Topic Control than clients; (b) across a sample of successful and unsuccessful therapists, successful therapists exhibit a greater measure of Topic Control than unsuccessful therapists; (c) across a sample of successful and unsuccessful clients, unsuccessful clients exhibit a greater measure of Topic Control than successful clients; and (d) across a sample of unsuccessful therapeutic dyads, clients exhibit a greater measure of Topic Control than therapists. Analysis of therapist-client transactions for Topic Control was conducted by trained raters across 18 full-case transcripts of actual therapy interviews. The same transcripts were also analyzed by trained raters with respect to clients' change over the course of treatment. The results did not support the notion that across successful dyads therapists exhibit a greater measure of Topic Control than clients; and they did not support the hypothesis that across successful and unsuccessful therapists, successful therapists exhibit a greater measure of Topic Control. Also, there was no support to show that across successful and unsuccessful clients, unsuccessful clients exhibit a greater measure of Topic Control. Finally, the results did not support that across unsuccessful dyads, clients exhibit greater Topic Control than therapists.