Differential effects of the two-chair experiment and empathic reflections at a conflict marker.

Abstract

The differential effects of a Gestalt counseling operation and empathic reflections of feeling on client depth of experiencing, change in awareness, and goal attainment were studied in a counseling analogue. Using four counselors and 16 subjects as their own controls, each of the operations was applied to each subject to facilitate resolution of personally meaningful conflicts. Results showed that depth of experiencing and change in awareness were significantly higher for the subjects following the Gestalt operation. There was no difference in the level of goal attainment following the two operations. The implications for counseling of the change in depth of experiencing and awareness for the subjects, characterized as focusers and normally self-actualized, are discussed.

Resolving decisional conflict by Gestalt two-chair dialogue: Relating process to outcome.

“…A method shown to be effective in the reconciliation of opposites in the personality is the Gestalt two-chair operation (Greenberg, 1979;Greenberg & Clarke, 1979;Greenberg & Dompierre, 1981;Greenberg & Rice, 1981). This procedure facilitates a dialogue between the two sides in order to bring the opposing parts into contact.…”

Gestalt Therapy and Feminist Therapy: A Proposed Integration

“…Bohart (1977) found that an empty chair dialogue with an imagined provocateur was more effective than was emotional discharge, intellectual analysis, or no treatment for relieving anger and hostile attitudes. In other studies, a Gestalt two-chair technique resulted in greater depth of experiencing and greater shifts in awareness than did counselors' empathic reflection (Greenberg & Clarke, 1979;Greenberg & Dompierre, 1981). The two-chair technique allowed clients to experience and confront internal conflicts in the present, which led to a greater sense of internal conflict resolution.…”

A Reconceptualization of Values Clarification: Values Conflict Resolution

“…To date, empirical research in this area has been sparse and disconnected. In a series of experiments during the past decade, Greenberg and his colleagues have compared the effects of the Gestalt two-chair exercise with the effects of empathic reflection (Greenberg & Clarke, 1979;Greenberg & Dompierre, 1981), emotional focusing (Greenberg & Higgins, 1980), and rational problem solving (Clarke & Greenberg, 1986) on the resolution of decisional conflicts. In general, they found the twochair exercise to be most effective in increasing decisionmakers' awareness of and resolution to their conflicts.…”