Date of Award
Winter 2010
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Department
Psychology
Committee Director
Michael P. Nichols
Committee Member
J. D. Ball
Committee Member
W. Larry Ventis
Committee Member
Glenn D. Shean
Committee Member
Richard W. Handel
Abstract
Although contemporary practitioners have rejected the confrontational style and perceived aggressiveness of earlier family therapists in favor of a more "collaborative" stance, confrontation, as a technique, is still widely used in almost all forms of psychotherapy, including family therapy. The present process study explored what makes confrontation more or less effective in motivating clients to recognize and reevaluate counterproductive ways of interacting. Using videotaped family therapy sessions, confrontation clarity, emotional reactivity, and the use of suggestion were examined in relation to client levels of acceptance of confrontation immediately following the confrontation, as well as in relation to overall client change within the session. Findings indicate a significant positive relationship between clarity and understanding of confrontation suggesting that direct and focused confrontations are more likely to be understood and accepted than indirect and unfocused confrontations. Findings also indicate that client confrontation response is positively and significantly correlated with within-session change.
Rights
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
DOI
10.25777/nwxm-ak36
ISBN
9781124504209
Recommended Citation
DiGiacomo, Timothy M..
"The Effective Use of Confrontation in Family Therapy: A Process Study"
(2010). Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Dissertation, Psychology, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/nwxm-ak36
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/psychology_etds/190
Comments
A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculties of The College of William and Mary, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, and Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology through the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology.