Locus of control and clients' expectations of psychotherapeutic outcome

The two studies reported in this paper investigated the hypothesis that an important determinant of clients' therapeutic expectations is to be found in the match between therapists' and clients' locus of control. The first study was an analogue study employing role plays, conducted with a sample of 67 clients. The second study investigated 78 clients in real clinical settings. Both studies investigated the effect of matched vs. mismatched cognitive styles on clients' expectations. Results from both studies support the hypothesis that the more similar the control orientations of therapist and client, the more favourable the clients' expectations. Limitations of the studies and the possible implications of the research findings are discussed.