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.
Dozier
R M
RM
Federal Correctional Instititution, Tallahassee FL, USA.
Hicks
M W
MW
Cornille
T A
TA
Peterson
G W
GW
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