Paul Rothaus

Autonomous Groups in Human Relations Training for Psychiatric Patients

A Human Relations Training Program for psychiatric patients has been in operation at the VA Hospital, Houston, Texas, since May 1961. The instrumented program uses groups which meet without trainers or therapists for four weeks. The importance of the leaderless Development Groups is stressed as the major vehicle through which members examine and share their laboratory learnings about themselves and others. Contrasts are made between the more typical trainer-led groups and the autonomous groups relative to group dynamics, interpersonal behavior, process analysis, dilemma and invention, feedback, generalization, and application. The philosophy and goals of the program and the underlying learning strategy and daily work schedule are described in fairly specific terms. Critical issues such as dependency and need for personal contact are also examined, with discussion focusing on how such issues are handled in the autonomous group program. One study evaluating the training laboratory and comparing it with a more traditional type of group therapy program is cited. Four other pre-and post-laboratory evaluative studies are also described.

A HUMAN RELATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR HOSPITAL PERSONNEL.

A human relations training laboratory of one weeks duration was conducted for dietetic interns. A distinguishing feature of this laboratory was that the small group discussions were self-directed. The effectiveness of the session was evaluated. An analysis of variance revealed significant changes for the trained group, but not for the controls, on certain scales. On other rating scales participants reacted favorably toward the trainina nroaram.

Human Relations Training for Psychiatric Patients : a Follow-Up Study

HE Human Relations Training Laboratory for psychiatric patients, also Tknown as the Patients’ Training Laboratory (PTL), was established at the Houston VA Hospital in May 1961, as a new and experimental approach to the treatment of behaviour problems. In departing from traditional psychiatric treatment modes, the PTL borrowed concepts and techniques from social psychology and industrial management training. The introduction of a new approach to the problems of psychiatric patients immediately raises the question of whether the newer and unorthodox approach offers significant advantages over conventional therapies. The present paper presents an evaluation of the effectiveness of human relations training as a therapeutic modality. An earlier study (Rothaus, Morton, Johnson, Cleveland and Lyle, 1963) reported a partial assessment of the training programme. Patients were used as their own controls and studied through the use of interview rating scales, psychological testing, ward behaviour observation, and diary analysis. Research findings indicated significant reductions in the amounts of depression and dependency in psychiatric patients, as well as reawakening of interest in interpersonal relationships. Three clear-cut limitations of this exploratory study are apparent, however. First of all, changes from preto post-testing could answer only limited questions about the effectiveness of the programme; there was distinct need for a posthospitalization follow-up study. Second, the effects of the programme were considered solely for the first group of patients processed through the training programme, thus introducing the ever-present danger of a Hawthorne effect. Finally, there was a clear-cut need for comparison with a different treatment programme drawing Ss from the same patient population. The research reported here attempts to supplement and enlarge upon the findings of the earlier study. A decision was made to compare the PTL, which is group-oriented, with a group therapy (GT) treatment ward operated in a more conventional manner (Bloom, Boyd and Kaplan, 1962). To be accepted as a valued addition to the currently existing means available for changing behaviour, the PTL should meet predetermined standards at least as well as the more