Effects of therapist's gender, ethnicity, and verbal style on client's willingness to seek therapy.

Abstract

Summary In a simulation of the initial therapeutic encounter, a self-disclosure questionnaire was administered to college students, and two dependent variables were analyzed: willingness to sign up for a meeting with the examiner to obtain individual results and reported self-disclosure. The effects of the administrator's (simulated therapist) gender, ethnicity (Anglo- or Mexican-American), and verbal style (nondirective, directive, or neutral) upon clients' willingness to seek therapy (as indicated by their signing up to learn their results) were assessed. Anglo- and Mexican-American females signed up at different rates according to the varied styles of male administrators but Mexican-American male Ss did not. Anglo-American males and females and Mexican-American female Ss were more likely to sign up for results when male administrators employed a directive verbal style. When the administrator was female, the only significant sign up difference was that Mexican-American female Ss were more likely to sign...