CLIENTS RESPONSES TO DISSATISFACTION IN PSYCHOTHERAPY - A TEST OF RUSBULT EXIT-VOICE-LOYALTY-NEGLECT MODEL

The present study examined predictions of clients' reactions to interp ersonal problems in the therapy relationship derived from Rusbult's (1 987) exit-voice-loyalty-neglect model. General feelings of commitment to the therapy relationship were positively related to loyalty (i.e., being passive about problems in the therapy relationship but hoping ma tters would improve) and negatively related to exit (i.e., threatening to end or actually ending therapy) and neglect (i.e., being passive a bout solving problems in the therapy relationship and contributing to therapy's deterioration). Satisfaction, defined as positive feelings a bout the therapy relationship, was (albeit marginally) negatively rela ted to neglect. Clients' self-disclosure in therapy (a specific type o f commitment to therapy) was positively related to voice (i.e., expres sing one's dissatisfaction with the therapy relationship in a construc tive manner) and loyalty. The results suggest that theory and research about the development and maintenance of personal relationships may b e usefully applied to understanding how clients and perhaps therapists deal with dissatisfaction and interpersonal problems in the therapy r elationship.