In this study of the outcome of psychotherapy, these questions are being asked: Does the patient who has had psychotherapy agree with his therapist on the success of the experience? Is there disagreement, and what is the nature of this disagreement? What factors seem important for the “successfully treated” patient, and what factors may be responsible for the failure of the “unsuccessful” patient?
Psychotherapy and psychoanalysis as therapeutic procedures have recently been scrutinized closely in an effort to determine what contributes to various degrees of effectiveness.1-15 With few exceptions, these investigations have focused on the theory and technique of therapy, the therapists’ attitudes, and the patients undergoing treatment. Follow-up data obtained from former patients through interviews or questionnaires have been mainly utilized to determine the prognosis of various disorders,16-28 their spontaneous rate of recovery,29-35 or the outcome of various forms