Differences in self-disclosure in psychotherapy between American and Israeli patients

This study investigated differences in extent and patterns of disclosure in psychotherapy between American (n = 164) and Israeli (n = 45) patients. Pa rticipants completed the Disclosure to Therapist Inventory-R, an 80-item me asure that uses a rating scale to assess the extent to which psychotherapy patients have discussed each of 80 moderately to highly intimate topics wit h their most recent therapist. Analysis yielded no significant difference b etween groups in overall disclosure and high overlap in the topics most and least discussed. Both groups frequently discussed aspects of their persona lities they disliked, feelings of desperation or depression, and feelings o f rage or anger towards parents. Findings suggest universal concerns may ou tweigh the cultural context in which therapy occurs.