Psychosomatic Manifestations of Rapport in Psychotherapy

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Abstract
A motion picture film of a psychotherapy session was analyzed for occurring naturally configurations of postures assumed by the patient and the therapist. The configurations were classified as congruent and non congruent. The vocal behavior correlated with each of these types was analyzed structurally and thematically. It was found that the vocal correlates of congruent posture were significantly different from those correlated with non congruent posture: they were consistently positive, interpersonal, specific, and bound to the therapeutic situation, whereas those occurring with non congruent configurations were more self-oriented, negational, and nonspecific, and tended to be self-contradictory and non referenced. It was concluded that congruent postural configurations in vis-avis psychotherapy are behavioral indicators of rapport or relatedness. The results point up the value of using naturally occurring behavioral units in analysis of behavior.

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