DIE QUALITAT DER THERAPEUTISCHEN BEZIEHUNG: ENTSPRECHEN GEMEINSAME FAKTOREN IN DER PSYCHOTHERAPIE GEMEINSAMEN CHARAKTERISTIKA VON PSYCHOTHERAPEUTINNEN?

In view of the great diversity to be found among psychotherapists in many countries in terms of professional background, theoretical orientation, and other personal and demographic characteristics, it is surprising to find certain areas of great commonality. Among the most striking of these are therapists' reports of their ideals and perceptions concerning their manner of relating to their patients. A very large majority of nearly 2.400 therapists surveyed in an on-going study of psychotherapeutic development wanted to and did see their behavior vis-a-vis patients as accepting, friendly, warm, tolerant, committed, and involved. These traits, which indicate a strong proclivity toward forming a positive therapeutic bond or alliance, also closely match qualities that therapists perceive in their own personal relationships. Discussion of these findings focuses on the possible sources and therapeutic consequences of this common pattern of interpersonal behavior.