Personality, Expectancies and Group Psychotherapy

Abstract

SummaryThe paper reports an extension of work into the relevance of personality and pre-treatment expectancies for allocation and response of patients to group psychotherapy. The results show that subjects who are internally directed in interest and who have a liberal attitude to a variety of social issues and a ‘psychological’ set to treatment are more responsive to group psychotherapy as seen by their therapists as well as by themselves. Those who are externally directed in interest and who have a conservative attitude to life and a more ‘medical-physical’ set to treatment are more likely to be referred for behaviour therapy; if referred for group psychotherapy they are likely either to drop out or to show very limited response to treatment.