EFFECTS OF PARADOX AND EXPECTANCY ON DEFICITS ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION
Abstract
This study tested the efficacy of the paradoxical model of the Mental Research Institute of Palo Alto (MRI) in reversing clinically defined depressive correlates. A group of 48 (24 male and 24 female) depressed inpatients were given differential instructions for an anagrams task which addressed the amount of effort they should put into the task. Effort was either encouraged, discouraged or not mentioned at all. The discouragement condition constituted a therapeutic paradox which included an appropriate rationale. There were no significant main effects of effort and expectancy and no significant interaction. There was no relationship found between mood and anagrams performance. Implications for future research are discussed, including potential difficulties encountered in securing the approval of Instutional Review Boards for research involving paradox.
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References
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