COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING IN BEHAVIOR-THERAPY AND IN PSYCHOANALYTICAL THERAPY - A CONTENT-ANALYSIS OF THERAPY SESSIONS

This paper addresses the question of how psychodynamic psychotherapist s and behaviour therapists attempt to influence the cognitions of thei r patients. Two independent judges rated audioregistrations of therapy sessions of eight psychodynamic and eight behaviour therapists with r egard to various distinct categories of cognitive restructuring. The v alidity of the system of categories was established in a previous stud y. The interrater reliability of the present ratings was investigated and found to be satisfactory. Although psychoanalytic therapists carri ed out fewer interventions altogether, no differences were found betwe en the groups in the percentage of cognitive restructuring. However, t here were differences in the way the two groups tried to achieve cogni tive restructuring.