THE PERCEIVED EFFECT OF HUMOR ON SIX FACILITATIVE THERAPEUTIC CONDITIONS.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how therapists' use of humor in psychotherapy would affect subjects' ratings of those therapists. Short excerpts illustrating different levels of humor were developed by having four professional therapists view videotapes of actual therapy sessions and rate the therapists on amount of humor used. Interjudge agreement was obtained on six excerpts. These six included two excerpts in which the therapists were judged to have used no humor, two in which the therapists were judged to have used a slight amount of humor and two in which the therapists were judged to have used a moderate amount of humor. These six excerpts were then viewed and rated by 72 subjects on the dimensions of empathy, respect, warmth, genuineness, concreteness and self-disclosure. It was found that significant differences existed between all three humor groups on the condition of respect. The group judged to have used no humor was rated superior to the two groups using humor in amount to respect shown by the therapists to the clients. When the two groups judged to have used humor were compared, the group in which the therapists used more humor was rated significantly lower than the group judged to have used a slight amount of humor. It was concluded that subjects' ratings on the condition of respect decreased as greater amounts of humor were introduced by the therapists. Significant differences were not found between humor groups on the conditions of empathy, warmth, genuineness, concreteness and self-disclosure. However, the pattern observed in the subjects' ratings on the conditions of empathy and warmth suggested that the ratings given to therapists decreased as amount of humor increased. The results on the conditions of genuineness and concreteness were inconclusive. On the condition of self-disclosure, the pattern observed in the ratings suggested that a direct relationship existed between amount of humor and ratings received.