Leston L. Havens

Explorations in the Uses of Language in Psychotherapy: Complex Empathic Statements

I have suggested (1978) that the language occurring to us in personal and psychotherapeutic speech reflects our distance from one another, and that the empathic position in particular evokes emotional reverberations and spontaneous verbal accompaniments which serve to identify that position. I have also suggested some prototypic forms of this spontaneous empathic speech. A clinical anecdote and two observations will illustrate these points and prepare for the discussion of more complex empathic forms.

STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF COMPETITIVE RESPONSES.

Repeated verbal responses to short English word stimuli contain more correct letters than do verbal responses given only once. The letter-positions of the repeated verbal responses vary significantly in their content of correct letters.

Stimulus frequency: Determinant of perception or response?

Two stimulus variables, frequency of word usage and word configuration, were investigated tachistoscopically by a method designed to separate their effects on perception and verbal responding. Configurational differences appeared to alter perception. Differences in frequency of usage, however, were associated only with changes in response probability.

The relative value of tranquilizing drugs and social and psychological therapies in chronic schizophrenia

SummaryForty-six chronic schizophrenic patients were divided into two groups and treated for six months with tranquilizing drugs in two different settings, a large state hospital and a small treatment center.The rate of improvement was the same at the two hospitals. Marked or moderate improvement was made in one-third of the patients. Another one-fourth was slightly improved and the remainder unimproved.The discharge rate was significantly different at the two hospipitals. Eight patients (33 per cent) were discharged from the small hospital and one patient (5 per cent) was discharged from the large hospital. Discharges were to protected environments, similar in varying degrees to the patients previous hospital life.The relation of drug therapy to social and psychological therapy in chronic schizophrenia is discussed. Drug treatment appeared to be related to the uniform improvement rate. Intensive social and psychological therapy appeared to increase significantly the discharge rate at the small hospital. The implications of the present study for the management and disposition of chronic schizophrenic patients are listed.