In Treatment: Doctor Paul Weston—Psychotherapist or Cinetherapist?

Greenberg, Harvey Roy

doi:10.1521/prev.2011.98.1.121

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…He displayed a relatively high level of functioning and a narcissistic personality (Zalman et al, ). Alex's therapist, Dr. Paul Weston, a white married male psychologist in his early 50s, used a psychodynamic Rogerian therapy approach (Greenberg, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reciprocal language style matching in psychotherapy research

Doorn

Müller‐Frommeyer

2020

Couns and Psychother Res

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Successful coordination of language, that is language style matching (LSM; Gonzales, Hancock, & Pennebaker, 2010) indicated by interdependent use of function words, might be of particular relevance to the psychotherapy process. Empirically, two previous psychotherapy studies indicate that LSM may provide a deeper understanding of the quality of the therapeutic alliance. Theoretically, this process of implicit linguistic coordination may be conceptualised as interpersonal synergy (Riley, Richardson, Shockley, & Ramenzoni, 2011). To illustrate the potential of LSM in psychotherapy research, patterns of LSM per 5 min segments and reciprocal LSM per speaking turn were assessed in a seven‐session treatment demonstration of a narcissistic client. First, LSM predicted observed frequency of ruptures but did not predict observer‐rated working alliance in the corresponding 5 min segments. Second, LSM in these 5 min segments showed a quadratic trajectory of change within session and a stable pattern between sessions. Reciprocal LSM per speaking turn showed that within the majority of this treatment, the client followed the therapist's language style; however, this influence appeared to be bidirectional during the time of a physical altercation in session five. LSM may thus provide a novel way to study some of the more elusive aspects of the therapeutic interaction.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reciprocal language style matching in psychotherapy research

Doorn

Müller‐Frommeyer

2020

Couns and Psychother Res

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“…They have two children, who complain about his alienation and aloofness from the family (Garcia, 2008 ). We learn from Greenberg's ( 2011 ) examination of the therapies conducted by Dr. Paul Weston in the TV series, that this fictional therapist likely received psychoanalytic education and used a classic analytic- Rogerian therapy approach. In the TV series, it appears that the therapist works at the Washington-Baltimore Psychoanalytic Institute, and sees patients for fifty-minute sessions, on a weekly basis, at his private practice on the ground floor of his home.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At some point, he seeks help from his previous supervisor as he is losing patience with patients . He presents several professional deficits as countertransference behaviors and ethical failures (Greenberg, 2011 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alliance challenges in the treatment of a narcissistic patient: the case of Alex

Zalman

Doorn

Eubanks

2019

ResPsy

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People with pathological narcisism, with their conflicted sense of grandiosity and vulnerability, often pose a variety of therapeutic challenges, which may impede these patients’ ability to benefit from psychotherapy. To offer a case illustration and provide insight into the intrinsic difficulties of working with this patient group, we examined the treatment of a fictional character, Alex, from the TV series In Treatment. Based on the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 we diagnosed Alex with pathological narcissism, and evaluated the treatment process (seven sessions) by reporting on measurements of session-by-session change in explicit working alliance, implicit language alliance, and ruptures and repairs. Over the course of treatment, the working alliance (Working Alliance Inventory-Observer scale) fluctuated with a particularly low bond at session five, identified as a rupture (Rupture Resolution Rating System). Language analysis (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count) showed that the unconscious aspects of the alliance started to deteriorate just before the rupture occurred. The results illustrate how therapists might be pulled to collude with narcissistic patients’ grandiosity, with the risk of neglecting their vulnerability. This fictional portrayal of a treatment with a narcissistic patient may be widely shared with researchers, students and therapists alike, offering a common locus of scholarly attention, and an innovative tool for teaching. Given the lack of empirical treatments for pathological narcissism and the great therapeutic challenges narcissistic patients present, further research and development of clinical guidelines are warranted.

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“…Very much like the producers, American critics of In Treatment (e.g. Abele, 2008;Franklin, 2008;Gabbard, 2008;Goodman, 2008;Greenberg, 2011;Lowry, 2008;Poniewozik, 2008;Ryan, 2008; and more) have revealed a similar attitude to the show. From the outset, they treated it as if it were an original production, classified as an American quality TV show, in line with the already well-known tradition of HBO dramas featuring psychotherapy narratives, notably The Sopranos and Tell me you love me (Gabbard, 2008).…”

Section: The American Critics' Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Two-way cultural transfer: the case of the Israeli TV series BeTipul and its American adaptation In Treatment

Sela-Sheffy

2017

Media, Culture & Society

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BeTipul, the first Israeli TV series purchased by American television, and its American adaptation, In Treatment, provide an intriguing case of bidirectional (peripheral-global) cultural transfer. Focusing on the psychotherapy content of the show, this article examines the effect of foreignness versus compatibility it generated in the two different reception spaces. In America, the adaptation strategies and critics’ response to the remake reveal a smooth naturalization in the target setting, whereas in the (source) Israeli setting critics’ commentaries and anonymous online comments to the original series reveal that it was conceived from the outset as an American-like production made in Israel – evaluated either positively, as matching international standards, or negatively, as a cultural pretense. The antagonism between Israeli viewers of this show illustrates the powerful ‘foreignness effect’ associated with psychotherapy images in the local culture, inciting a social contest between elitist and mass audience.

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In Treatment: Doctor Paul Weston—Psychotherapist or Cinetherapist?

Cited by 7 publications

References 3 publications

Reciprocal language style matching in psychotherapy research

Reciprocal language style matching in psychotherapy research

Alliance challenges in the treatment of a narcissistic patient: the case of Alex

Two-way cultural transfer: the case of the Israeli TV series BeTipul and its American adaptation In Treatment

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