Empathy, Challenge, and Psychophysiological Activation in Therapist-Client Interaction

Bibliographic Data

ID5773013
AuthorsL Voutilainen (0000-0002-1021-7647, University of Helsinki, corresponding author), Pentti Henttonen (0000-0002-7112-6378, University of Helsinki), Mikko Kahri (0000-0002-0129-2688, University of Helsinki), Niklas Ravaja (0000-0003-1876-8731, University of Helsinki), Mikko Sams (0000-0002-1992-484X, Aalto University), Anssi Peräkylä (0000-0003-1633-1966, University of Helsinki)
Year2018
Volume9
Publication date2018-04-11
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-1078 • E-ISSN: 1664-1078
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00530
PMID29695992
OpenAlexW2797088390
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited48

Two central dimensions in psychotherapeutic work are a therapist's empathy with clients and challenging their judgments. We investigated how they influence psychophysiological responses in the participants. Data were from psychodynamic therapy sessions, 24 sessions from 5 dyads, from which 694 therapist's interventions were coded. Heart rate and electrodermal activity (EDA) of the participants were used to index emotional arousal. Facial muscle activity (electromyography) was used to index positive and negative emotional facial expressions. Electrophysiological data were analyzed in two time frames: (a) during the therapists' interventions and (b) across the whole psychotherapy session. Both empathy and challenge had an effect on psychophysiological responses in the participants. Therapists' empathy decreased clients' and increased their own electrodermal activity across the session. Therapists' challenge increased their own EDA in response to the interventions, but not across the sessions. Clients, on the other hand, did not respond to challenges during interventions, but challenges tended to increase EDA across a session. Furthermore, there was an interaction effect between empathy and challenge. Heart rate decreased and positive facial expressions increased in sessions where empathy and challenge were coupled, i.e., the amount of both empathy and challenge was either high or low. This suggests that these two variables work together. The results highlight the therapeutic functions and interrelation of empathy and challenge, and in line with the dyadic system theory by Beebe and Lachmann (2002), the systemic linkage between interactional expression and individual regulation of emotion

Facial electromyography · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Communication in Education and Healthcare · Emotions and Moral Behavior

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