Curiosity is widely seen as a basic human drive, important to the development of relationships as well as to the process of change in psychotherapy. Less attention, however, has been directed toward examining curiosity in the client–therapist relationship. In particular, we lack a comprehensive understanding of what occurs for clients when they become curious about their therapists. As a result, we aimed to explore clients’ experiences of curiosity about their therapists. Using a consensual qualitative research approach, we analyzed data from ten current and former adult psychotherapy clients. Results were organized in six domains that captured different facets of participants’ experiences of curiosity about their therapists: the content of the curiosity, motivation(s) for the curiosity, triggers of the curiosity, expressions of curiosity, influences on the curiosity, and consequences of the curiosity. More specifically, results revealed participants experienced curiosity that (a) concerned the therapist’s professional and personal life, (b) was motivated by concerns over the therapist’s ability to understand or relate, and (c) was triggered by therapist behavior (e.g., disclosures). For some participants, having a positive therapeutic relationship led to greater curiosity; by the same token, participants’ desire for professional boundaries at times quelled this curiosity. Moreover, although some participants described positive relational outcomes, others disclosed feelings of shame or discomfort resulting from their curiosity. Several cultural factors were also found to influence participants’ curiosity. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.