Patient motivation as a predictor of process and outcome in psychotherapy

This study examined the effect of the patient's level of motivation upon process and outcome in short-term psychotherapy. 18 shy, anxious, and depressed male college students received up to 25 sessions of therapy with experienced professional therapists. Analyses of audiotaped samples from four therapy sessions indicated that motivation was a good predictor of a patient's behavior in therapy. These analyses also suggested that the patient's level of motivation may influence the therapist's behavior during treatment. Lastly, ratings of motivation significantly predicted both the therapist's and the clinician's ratings of overall improvement, but not the patient's rating of overall improvement or the residual maladjustment scores derived from the MMPI.