The experience of contrast not only plays a fundamental role in moment
-to-moment construction of reality, but also may function as a common
source of change across diverse forms of psychotherapy. This article (
a) examines salient sources of contrast associated with psychodynamic,
interpersonal, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, and experiential psy
chotherapies and (b) proposes a developmental framework for understand
ing the role of contrast in the process of change.