The effect of Tomm's therapeutic questioning styles on therapeutic alliance: a clinical analog study.
Tomm (1988) suggests that circular and reflexive questions tend to elicit feelings of freedom/acceptance whereas lineal and strategic questions usually trigger feelings of judgment/constraint. Employing an analog methodology, each of Tomm's four questioning styles was portrayed in the form of a 5-minute videotaped intake scenario. Forty family triads with a mother, father, and adolescent son were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions with ten families each. Each condition involved viewing one of four questioning style scenarios. All participants (N = 120 individuals--40 mothers, 40 fathers, and 40 adolescent sons) completed the Family Therapy Alliance Scale (FTAS; Pinsof & Catherall, 1986) and a validity-check instrument. The results indicated that circular and reflexive questioning styles elicited significantly higher (p < 0.001) alliance scores on the FTAS than did either lineal or strategic questions. Implications for the use of different types of questions in family therapy are discussed.
Federal Correctional Instititution, Tallahassee FL, USA.
R M
RM
Dozier
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MW
Hicks
T A
TA
Cornille
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GW
Peterson
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D005195:Family Relations; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014741:Video Recording