Toward greater specificity of the concept of positive regard

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study investigated positive regard (PR) in the psychotherapeutic relationship, seeking to identify its primary components. A total of 540 psychotherapy clients completed several web-based measures of PR and the therapeutic alliance, including two Likert-type instruments designed for this study, reflecting a variety of therapist behaviors and statements: a scale assessing clients’ perceptions of the affirming potential (PEPR-A) of each of these items and a corresponding scale assessing client perceptions of the likelihood of occurrence of each item in their therapy (PEPR-L). Each was subjected to PCA and EFA to identify underlying dimensions. PCA and EFA yielded near-identical three-factor structures. Supportive/Caring Statements and Unique Responsiveness were endorsed as more affirming and likely to occur in the therapeutic relationship than Intimacy/Disclosure Behaviors; these first two factors also bore the greatest associations to established measures of PR and working alliance. Results suggest that there are distinctive components to the construct of PR. Differences between factor scores on the PEPR-L and PEPR-L suggest that psychotherapy clients desire for their therapists to affirm them somewhat more than their perceived likelihood to do so.