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This article discusses directive psychotherapy. The purpose of, this paper is to discuss the nature, indications and contraindications of methods of therapy involving pressure or coercion. Pressure is defined as the bringing to bear upon the client of stimulation tending to direct action toward specific goals. Coercion involves restraint or regulation by force, usually by law or authority, compelling or constraining the! client to comply with directions. Pressure will usually involve influences which leave ultimate responsibility for conformance up to the client himself, while coercion requires mandatory conformance.

The article cites a study that evaluates the nature of therapeutic change by using correlation and factor analysis of several measures of change which reflected different levels and areas of personality functioning. This study used the method to examine the nature of change in successfully treated adolescent delinquent boys. The success of the psychotherapeutic program for adolescent delinquent boys was shown by significant changes in all three areas investigated--overt behavior, personality attitudes, and achievement test performance. In evaluating personality attitudes, three areas in which the boys were believed to have special problems were sampled--attitude toward authority, control of aggression, and self image.

The article presents a study that investigates the relationships over time among blood pressure, personality dynamics discussed during therapy, and overt behaviors for a single hypertensive patient. The patient was a 38 year old white male hypertensive who was still in the fluctuating stage of hypertension. His blood pressures ranged between 120/70 and 140/200 during the nine months period in which he was followed. The patient's blood pressure was measured daily by the medical staff over the period of this study, but the psychotherapist avoided any knowledge of this variable in order to prevent any methodological contamination between this variable and the variables measured in the therapy sessions.

This article discusses Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and electroshock therapy (EST). The present concern is with one method of treatment, electroshock therapy, and one method of evaluating behavior change as a result of this treatment, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. This represents a prototype study, part of a larger evaluation of hospital treatment, and illustrates a design which could be employed with other treatments and other methods of evaluating treatment.

The article cites a study that examined differences between the factor structure of alcoholics' moods prior to and after three weeks of treatments. Results of the study revealed that analysis of the "today" mood descriptions indicated that present mood descriptions were more differentiated factorially than "before" mood descriptions reported in retrospect. One factor, labeled "Friendliness," appeared in both the "before" and "today" analyses. In contrast, items that comprised the broad General Pathology factor extracted from the "before" descriptions split into five distinct factors in the "today" descriptions.

The article presents a study which investigates changes in both behavioral and personality factors as a result of the administration of Compazine to institutionalized delinquent boys. Comparative changes occurring among institutionalized delinquent boys receiving Compazine placebos and no treatment were analyzed by means of tests and ratings in a double-blind study. Compazine in dosages of 10 mg. had no significant anxiety-reducing effects for this population of delinquent boys. The results pointed towards a greater increase in anxiety for the drug group as compared to the placebo or no treatment groups. In addition all three groups showed significant increases in nonconforming behavior, probably due to the tendency of delinquents to test limits as they become more acclimated to the institution.