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Speech behavior measures of group psychotherapy process

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Abstract

Two behavioral measures are presented which can be used in the analysis of phase and leadership emergence during group development. They are length of statement and the use of the pronoun “we” in reference to the group itself. These measures are applied to the typed transcripts of group therapy sessions. The paper focuses on phases two and three as these are described in Beck's theory of group development. Results of the analysis on three time-limited psychotherapy groups are presented with special emphasis on the Scapegoat Leader's role. A description of the highlights of both phases and some clinical implications of the results are included.

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References

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Authors
  1. Albert M. Eng M.S.W.
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  2. Ariadne P. Beck M.A.
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Additional information

The authors wish to thank Kathy Koltun for her assistance with the data analysis for this paper.

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Eng, A.M., Beck, A.P. Speech behavior measures of group psychotherapy process. Group 6, 37–48 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01459279

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01459279

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