Abstract
By bringing empirical results of therapeutic alliance into a general theoretical frame of reference for psychotherapy, the author outlines why therapeutic alliance, beyond its consistent relationship to therapy outcome, could be regarded as one of the central psychotherapy variables. Regarding outcome measures, differences between psychotherapy and formal attempts in medical treatment with the estimation of utilities and the attribution of values are highlighted. The role of therapeutic alliance for psychotherapy rests on the social impact as its most determining theoretical factor. From this point, the chances and possible pitfalls for empirical research on therapeutic alliance as well as for a theoretical demarcation can be explained. Its theoretical basis is also discussed within a developmental context because therapeutic alliance clearly has a personal history. The actual patient–therapist interaction can, however, also be seen in the broader context of social psychology. Variables with a potential i...
Published Version
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