Abstract
In this article, the nature and historical development of multimodal therapy (MMT) (from a ‘narrow-band’ via a ‘broad-spectrum’ behaviour therapy), as proposed by Arnold A. Lazarus, are reviewed. The basis of this therapy is the conception that the multimodal approach is an educative and didactic art and science directed towards the clinical modification of maladaptive behaviours, and eventually to personal growth through problem solving in the here-and-now situation. A number of issues relevant to the development of a multimodal strategy of assessment and therapy are described, analysed and explained within a broadly conceived social-learning-theory orientation. The following items are discussed: the personalistic viewpoint, a functional model, the importance of a technical eclecticism, the role of cognitions, and the BASIC-ID scheme. In addition the pros and cons of multimodal psychotherapy as an innovative treatment method are critically assessed and appraised.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramovitz, C.M. (1970). Personalistic psychotherapy and the role of technical eclecticism. Psychological Reports, 26, 255–263.
Ahsen, A. & Lazarus, A.A. (1972). Eidetics: an internal approach. In A.A. Lazarus (ed.), Clinical Behaviour Therapy. New York: Bruner/Mazel.
Bandura, A. (1969). Principles of Behaviour Modification. New York: Holt.
Bandura, A. (1977a). Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (1977b). Self efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 291–315.
Beck, A.T. (1976).Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. New York: International Universities Press.
Beck, A.T. (1977). Review of multimodal behavior therapy by A.A. Lazarus. Behavior Therapy, 8, 292–294.
Bergin, A.E. & Strupp, H.H. (1972). Changing Frontiers in the Science of Psychotherapy. Chicago: Aldine.
Brewer, W.F. (1974). There is no convincing evidence for operant or classical conditioning in adult humans. In W.B. Weimer & D.S. Palermo (eds), Cognition and the Symbolic Processes. Hilsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum.
Colby, K.M. (1964). Psychotherapeutic process. Annual Review of Psychology, 15, 347–370.
Davison, G. (1968). Systematic desensitisation as a counter-conditioning process. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 73, 91–99.
Ebbinghaus, H. (1902). Grundzuge der Psychologie. Leipzig: Veit.
Ellis, A. (1962). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. New York: Lyle Stuart.
English, H.B. & English, A.C. (1958). A Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychological and Psychoanalytic Terms. New York: Longmans Green.
Eysenck, H.J. (1964). Experiments in Behaviour Therapy. Oxford: Pergamon.
Eysenck, H.J. (1970). Behavior therapy and its critics. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 1, 609–613.
Fay, A. (1978). Making Things Better by Making them Worse. New York: Hawthorne Books.
Fay, A., Karlin, R., Mulligan, W. & Woolfolk, R. (1975). Some misperceptions in Wolpe’s reply to Salter’s review of The Practice of Behavior Therapy. Behavior Therapy, 6, 569–570.
Franks, C.M. (1976). Foreword. In A.A. Lazarus, Multimodal Behavior Therapy. New York: Springer.
Franks, C.M. & Wilson, G.T. (eds) (1973). Annual Review of Behavior Therapy: Theory and Practice (Vol.1). New York: Bruner/Mazel.
Franks, C.M. & Wilson, G.T. (eds) (1977). Annual Review of Behavior Therapy: Theory and Practice (Vol. 5). New York: Bruner/Mazel.
Goldfried, M. & Davison, G.C. (1976). Clinical Behavior Therapy. New York: Holt.
Kanfer, F.H. & Saslow, G. (1969). Behavioral diagnosis. In C.M. Franks (ed.), Behavior Therapy: Appraisal and Status. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Kazdin, A.E. (1978). History of Behavior Modification: Experimental Foundations of Contemporary Research. Baltimore: University Park Press.
Klein, M.H., Dittman, A.T., Parloff, M.B. & Gill, M.M. (1969). Behavior therapy: observations and reflections. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83, 192–195.
Korzybski, A. (1933). Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics. Lakeville, Conn.: International Non-Aristotelian Library.
Kuhn, T.S. (1962). The Structure of Scientific Revolution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kwee, M.G.T. (1974). Modaliteiten van gedragsbeinvloeding: een formele analyse. Gedrag, Tijdschrift voor Psychologie, 3, 182–202.
Kwee, M.G.T. (1978). Gedragstherapie en neurotische depressie. In J.W.G. Orlemans, W. Brinkman, W.P. Haaijman & E.J. Zwaan (eds), Handboek voor Gedragstherapie. Deventer: Van Loghum Slaterus.
Kwee, M.G.T. (1979). Over de ontwikkeling van een multimodale strategie van assessment en therapie. Tijdschrift voor Psychotherapie, 5, 172–188.
Lang, P.J. (1971). The application of psychophysiological methods to the study of psychotherapy and behaviour modification. In A.E. Bergin & S.L. Garfield (eds), Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change. New York: Wiley.
Lazarus, A.A. (1958). New methods in psychotherapy: a case study. South African Medical Journal, 33, 660–663.
Lazarus, A.A. (1959). The elimination of children’s phobias by deconditioning. Medical Proceedings, 6, 261–265.
Lazarus, A.A. (1960). The elimination of children’s phobias by deconditioning. In H.J. Eysenck (ed.), Behaviour Therapy and the Neuroses. Oxford: Pergamon.
Lazarus, A.A. (1961). Group therapy of phobic disorders by systematic desensitisation. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 505–510.
Lazarus, A.A. (1963). The results of behaviour therapy in 126 cases of severe neurosis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1, 69–79.
Lazarus, A.A. (1965). A preliminary report on the use of directed muscular activity in counter-conditioning. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2, 301–303.
Lazarus, A.A. (1966). Broad spectrum behaviour therapy and the treatment of agoraphobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 4, 95–97.
Lazarus, A.A. (1967). In support of technical eclecticism. Psychological Reports, 21, 415–416.
Lazarus, A.A. (1968a). Behavior therapy in groups. In G.M. Gazda (ed.), Basic Approaches to Group Psychotherapy and Group Counseling. Springfield, III.: Thomas.
Lazarus, A.A. (1968b). Learning theory and the treatment of depression. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 6, 83–89.
Lazarus, A.A. (1968c). Variations in desensitisation therapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 5, 50–52.
Lazarus, A.A. (1968d). Behaviour therapy and graded structure. In R. Porter (ed.), The Role of Learning in Psychotherapy (A CIBA Foundation symposium). London: Churchill.
Lazarus, A.A. (1971a). Reflections on behavior therapy and its development: a point of view. Behavior Therapy, 2, 369–374.
Lazarus, A.A. (1971b). Behavior Therapy and Beyond. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lazarus, A.A. (1971c). Notes on behavior therapy: the problem of relapse and some tentative solutions. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 8, 192–194.
Lazarus, A.A. (1972) Multimodal Behavior Therapy. Fort Lee, N.J.: Sigma (behavioral sciences tape library).
Lazarus, A.A. (1973). ‘Hypnosis’ as a facilitator in behavior therapy. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 21, 25–31.
Lazarus, A.A. (1974). Desensitisation and cognitive restructuring. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 11, 98–102.
Lazarus, A.A. (1975). Group therapy and the BASIC-ID. In C. M. Franks & G.T. Wilson (eds), Annual Review of Behavior Therapy: Theory and Practice (Vol. 3). New York: Bruner/Mazel.
Lazarus, A.A. (1976). Multimodal Behavior Therapy. New York: Springer.
Lazarus, A.A. (1977). Has behavior therapy outlived its usefulness? American Psychologist, 32, 550–554
Lazarus, A.A. (1978a). In the Mind’s Eye. New York: Rawson.
Lazarus, A.A. (1978b). Styles not systems. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 15, 359–361.
Lazarus, A.A. & Rachman, S. (1957). The use of systematic desensitisation in psychotherapy. South African Medical Journal, 31, 934–937.
Lazarus, A. A. & Abramovitz, A. (1962). The use of ‘emotive imagery’ in the treatment of children’s phobias. Journal of Mental Science, 108, 191–195.
Lazarus, A.A. & Davison, G.C. (1971). Clinical innovation in research and practice. In A.E. Bergin & S.L. Garfield (eds), Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change. New York: Wiley.
Lazarus, A.A., Davison, G.C. & Połefka, D.A. (1965). Classical and operant factors in the treatment of a school phobia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 70, 225–229
Lazarus, A.A. & Fay, A. (1975). I can if I want to. New York: Morrow.
Lazarus, A.A. & Serber, M. (1968). Is systematic desensitisation being misapplied? Psychological Reports, 23, 215–218.
Lazarus, A.A. & Wilson, G.T. (1976). Behavior modification: clinical and experimental perspectives. In B.B. Wolman (ed.), The Therapist’s Handbook: Treatment Methods of Mental Disorders. New York: Van Nostrand.
London,.P. (1972). The end of ideology in behavior modification. American Psychologist, 27, 913–920.
Ludwig, L.D. & Lazarus, A.A. (1972). A cognitive and behavioral approach to the treatment of social inhibition. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 9, 204–206.
Mahoney, M.J. (1974). Cognition and Behavior Modification. Cambridge: Ballinger.
Meichenbaum, D. (1977). Cognitive-behavior Modification: An Integrative Approach. New York: Plenum Press.
Meyer, V., Adams, H.E. & Heyse, H. (1970). Behavior therapy — critical evaluation: new techniques or new approach? International Journal of Psychiatry, 9, 150–154.
Nurnberger, J.I. & Hingtgen, J.N. (1973). Is symptom substitution an important issue in behavior therapy? Biological Psychiatry, 7, 221–236.
Piaget, G.W. & Lazarus, A.A. (1969). The use of rehearsal desensitisation. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 264–266.
Salter, A. (1974). Review of Wolpe’s The Practice of Behavior Therapy (2nd ed.). Behavior Therapy, 5, 727–730.
Strupp, H.H. (1979). A psychodynamicist looks at modern behavior therapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 16, 124–131.
Wilkins, W. & Thorpe, G.L. (1978). Critique and reformulation of multimodal behavior therapy. Behavior Therapy, 9, 635–639.
Wilson, G.T. & Evans, W.I.M. (1976). The therapist-client relationship in behavior therapy. In A.S. Gurman & A.M. Razin (eds), The Therapist’s Contribution to Effective Psychotherapy: an Empirical Approach. New York: Pergamon.
Wolpe, J. (1958). Psychotherapy by Reciprocal Inhibition. Stanford: University Press.
Wolpe, J. (1971). The compass of behavior therapy. Behavior Therapy, 2, 403–405.
Wolpe, J. (1973). The Practice of Behavior Therapy (2nd ed.). New York: Pergamon.
Wolpe, J. & Lazarus, A.A. (1966). Behavior Therapy Techniques. New York: Pergamon.
Woolfolk, R.L. & Lazarus, A.A. (1979). Between laboratory and clinic: pavíng the two-way-street. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 3, 239–244.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kwee, M.G.T. Towards the clinical art and science of multimodal psychotherapy. Current Psychological Reviews 1, 55–68 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02979254
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02979254