Therapist Behavior as a Determinant for Client Noncompliance A Paradox for the Behavior Modifier

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology Vol. 53; no. 6; pp. 846 - 851
• Main Authors: Patterson, G. R, Forgatch, M. S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-12-1985
• Subjects: Adolescent; Aggressive Behavior; Behavior Modification; Behavior Therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Behavior Disorders - psychology; Child Behavior Disorders - therapy; Child, Preschool; Family Therapy; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Illness and personality; Male; Patient Compliance; Professional-Patient Relations; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychotherapeutic Processes; Therapist Characteristics; Treatment Compliance; Human; Physician patient relation; Compliance; Child; Therapeutic relation
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.53.6.846

The immediate impact of therapist behavior on client noncompliance was examined in two studies. Observation systems describing client and therapist behavior were used to code videotaped therapy sessions. In the first study, the therapist behaviors "teach" and "confront" were associated with significant increases in the likelihood of client noncompliant reactions. Therapist behaviors "facilitate" and "support" were followed by reliable decreases in client noncompliance. In the second study, the therapist behaviors "teach" and "confront" were manipulated in a series of single-subject ABAB reversal designs. The experiment demonstrated that changes in therapist behaviors produced increases in client noncompliance.