STUDYING INTERPERSONAL THEMES IN PSYCHOTHERAPY RESEARCH

Presents several concepts about the interpersonal process during psychotherapy as they relate to the thematic productions of clients. Guidelines are proposed for recording themes so that a wide range of researchable questions is possible. The empirical framework used to categorize behaviors is the interpersonal system developed by M. B. Freedman, et al. (see 27:2), Leary, and others. Considerations regarding scoring themes such as defining the scoring unit, scoring multiple behaviors, clarifying troublesome behavior categories, and orienting judges to the circumplex are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.