Although contemporary practitioners have rejected the confrontational style and perceived aggressiveness of earlier family therapists in favor of a more \"collaborative\" stance, confrontation, as a technique, is still widely used in almost all forms of psychotherapy, including family therapy. The present process study explored what makes confrontation more or less effective in motivating clients to recognize and reevaluate counterproductive ways of interacting. Using videotaped family therapy sessions, confrontation clarity, emotional reactivity, and the use of suggestion were examined in relation to client levels of acceptance of confrontation immediately following the confrontation, as well as in relation to overall client change within the session. Findings indicate a significant positive relationship between clarity and understanding of confrontation suggesting that direct and focused confrontations are more likely to be understood and accepted than indirect and unfocused confrontations. Findings also indicate that client confrontation response is positively and significantly correlated with within-session change.
","abstract_html":"<p>Although contemporary practitioners have rejected the confrontational style and perceived aggressiveness of earlier family therapists in favor of a more "collaborative" stance, confrontation, as a technique, is still widely used in almost all forms of psychotherapy, including family therapy. The present process study explored what makes confrontation more or less effective in motivating clients to recognize and reevaluate counterproductive ways of interacting. Using videotaped family therapy sessions, confrontation <em>clarity</em>, <em>emotional reactivity</em>, and the <em>use of suggestion</em> were examined in relation to client levels of acceptance of confrontation immediately following the confrontation, as well as in relation to overall client change within the session. Findings indicate a significant positive relationship between <em>clarity</em> and understanding of confrontation suggesting that direct and focused confrontations are more likely to be understood and accepted than indirect and unfocused confrontations. Findings also indicate that <em>client confrontation response</em> is positively and significantly correlated with <em>within-session change</em>.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["DiGiacomo, Timothy Michael"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Michael P. Nichols","J. D. Ball","W. Larry Ventis","Glenn D. Shean","Richard W. Handel"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:34:31Z","subjects":["Clarity","Confrontation","Emotional reactivity","Structural family therapy","Suggestion","Clinical Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
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"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Effective Use of Confrontation in Family Therapy: A Process Study"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Michael P. Nichols","J. D. Ball","W. Larry Ventis","Glenn D. Shean","Richard W. Handel"],"dc:creator":["DiGiacomo, Timothy Michael"],"dc:date.available":["2019-04-08T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Although contemporary practitioners have rejected the confrontational style and perceived aggressiveness of earlier family therapists in favor of a more \"collaborative\" stance, confrontation, as a technique, is still widely used in almost all forms of psychotherapy, including family therapy. The present process study explored what makes confrontation more or less effective in motivating clients to recognize and reevaluate counterproductive ways of interacting. Using videotaped family therapy sessions, confrontation clarity, emotional reactivity, and the use of suggestion were examined in relation to client levels of acceptance of confrontation immediately following the confrontation, as well as in relation to overall client change within the session. Findings indicate a significant positive relationship between clarity and understanding of confrontation suggesting that direct and focused confrontations are more likely to be understood and accepted than indirect and unfocused confrontations. Findings also indicate that client confrontation response is positively and significantly correlated with within-session change.
"],"dc:identifier":["9781124504209","https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/psychology_etds/190"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
"],"dc:subject":["Clarity","Confrontation","Emotional reactivity","Structural family therapy","Suggestion","Clinical Psychology"],"dc:title":["The Effective Use of Confrontation in Family Therapy: A Process Study"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:34:31Z"}