Interpersonal Interaction and Personality Change in Group Psychotherapy

Abstract

The study was concerned with comparing the efficacy of three forms of social interaction in modifying the behaviour of mental hospital patients. Eight groups of seven patients each were assigned, in a simple randomized design, to combinations of Formal Group Psychotherapy (conducted by a professionally trained therapist), Organized Ward Interaction (conducted by untrained group leaders), or Random Ward Interaction (no planned therapy). Equal numbers of male and female groups were involved. The dependent variables were: 1) The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; 2) The Hospital Adjustment Scale; 3) The Rorschach Technique of Personality Diagnosis. Formal Group Psychotherapy emerged as the only treatment condition which had a significant impact, alone or in combination with other treatment, on all three criterion measures. It was concluded that judgement must be reserved on the contention of several authors that traditional professional training in psychotherapy is unnecessary for the promotion of therapeutic change.