Attitude similarity and therapist credibility as predictors of attitude change and improvement in psychotherapy

Expatriates' Ethnicity and their Effectiveness: "Similarity Attraction" or "Inverse Resonance"?

Studies of expatriate effectiveness have tended to restrict themselves to Westerners sojourning in non-Western countries or to non-Westerners studying in the West, thereby overlooking non-Western expatriates working in Third World countries. Reconstituting diverse principles from social comparison and identity theories, attribution research, the similarity-attraction literature, psychotherapy, psychody namics, and experimental social psychology, we predict that the relationship between (a) perceived ethnic similarity to host and (b) acceptance by that host may often differ considerably in Western versus non-Western contexts. While acceptance by Western hosts may be affected by "similarity attraction reactions in some developing nations may be influenced instead by "inverse resonance", wherein collectivist hosts are comparatively unreceptive to expatriates who are ethnically similar rather than dissimilar. We discuss the potential relevance of such inverse resonance to the predeparture training of expatriates and to their inter- cultural effectiveness in the field.

Systematic Eclectic Models

Although increasingly popular, eclecticism has sometimes been characterized by its critics as "seat of the pants " therapy. This has led some authors to provide organizing principles for the eclectic field. These systematic eclectic models help counselors and therapists integrate interventions from various schools of psychotherapy. Four systematic eclectic models (Beutler 's eclectic psychotherapy; Howard, Nance, and Myers' adaptive counseling and therapy; Lazarus' multimodal therapy; and Prochaska and DiClemente's transtheoretical approach) are presented and evaluated on five dimensions. Additionally, the article examines support for the models, and makes conceptual and empirical recommendations.

General and specific psychotherapy role induction with substance-abusing clients

The present study examined the effects of general and specific psychotherapy role induction on return rates and attendance in psychotherapy for substance-abusing clients. The subjects were 111 of 129 consecutive applicants to a community outpatient drug treatment center. Following a standard intake interview, clients received either a general psychotherapy role induction or a drug treatment specific role induction, or were placed in one of two control conditions. Results indicated that clients who received role induction procedures were more likely than controls to return after the intake interview. Furthermore, clients who received the drug treatment specific role induction returned at a significantly higher rate than all other clients. Analysis of attendance rates after 3 months showed that role induction had no effect on continuation in treatment.

Therapeugenic factors in psychotherapy: the effects of fee and title on credibility and attraction

Led male (N = 69) and female (N = 75) Ss to believe that they were rating the accuracy of a description of a mental health professional used to help clients choose their therapist. Ss were exposed to descriptions that were identical in content, with exception of the level of fee, high vs. low, and the title of the therapist, psychiatrist vs. clinical psychologist vs. counselor. Ss were asked to rate the individual in the description on various dimensions of credibility and attraction. The results indicate that Ss were not affected by the level of fee charged except on their willingness to seek therapy from the therapist. Ss consistently rated the psychiatrist higher than the counselor, who in turn was rated higher than the clinical psychologist. Explanations for this and the implications of these findings are discussed.

Attraction to therapy and therapist credibility as a function of therapy orientation

Exposed male and female Ss (N = 96) to psychoanalytic, behavioral, client-centered, or gestalt therapy, in the form of a brief written description and a 5-minute videotaped simulation. Attraction to therapy and various dimensions of therapist credibility were measured. The psychoanalytic presentation generated the greatest attraction and the greatest perceived total credibility. The gestalt presentation was next highest on these variables, followed by the behavioral and client-centered presentation. No significant effects for sex of S or sex by therapy approach interaction were reported. Explanations for and implications of these findings are discussed.