Task Analysis of “Working” Responses to Dynamic Interpretation in Short-Term Individual Psychotherapy

Abstract

Results of the preliminary stages of a task analysis of “working” interpretation episodes from brief dynamic psychotherapy are described. A database of interpretation episodes (N = 1081) drawn from 60 completed therapy cases was the source for the study sample. Each episode was characterized by a dynamic interpretation, reliably coded according to a therapist intervention rating system. A conceptual model of a “working” response to interpretation was specified. The model was first evaluated against 10 episodes selected to reflect a working response by the patient. The analysis identified additional patient and therapist operations and greatly increased the complexity of the model. The revised model was then refined through the review of another 10 work episodes. The final model was applied to 10 episodes in which the patient had clearly evidenced a “nonwork” response, allowing for a diagnosis of deviations from a working interpretive process. Implications, limitations, and verification research directions...