Recent studies done by behavior analysts have aimed at gaining more knowledge about the function which self-descriptive accounts of feelings, emotions and motivational
states (SEM) can have on the therapeutic process. This would allow for the development of a model of behavior-analytic intervention in light of such report. This study investigated the possible relationship between the clients verbalizations which were made concerning SEM, the interventions of the therapist in light of these comments and the evolution of the problems or complaints of the client in the development of a clinical case. The participants in the study were an experienced behavior-analytic therapist and a married adult client, who had no record of psychiatric
problems. Thirty-six sessions were recorded, transcribed and analyzed over a period of one year. The analysis of the verbalizations which occurred in the sessions was done on the basis of four categories, two referring to the therapist: categories related to the basic functions of the therapists verbalization (FBVT) and categories of analysis. The other two categories referred to the client: categories of analysis and indicators of complaint or change. These categories were also compared regarding their occurrence within and outside of emotional episodes (EE), defined as sequences of dialogues between therapist and client, in which there was at least one mention of the clients SEM. The analysis of the results showed that the main complaints of the client were related to her husband, body events, mood, parents or relatives, work colleagues and the lack of assertiveness. The SEM which were referred to most in the report of the client and the therapist were those related to motivational states, sadness and fear. It was verified that the therapists interventions, in light of the accounts with reference to SEM took place mainly in the form of investigation and confrontation. Only a small portion of these interventions
suggested any relationship between a response of the client and environmental contingencies, predominately the antecedent-response type. The client made more relationships between environmental events and her responses than the therapist did, which were also of the antecedent-response type. Regarding the evolution of complaints made, one can affirm that there was no evidence of the occurrence of consistent changes in the clients repertoire, nor in the way she referred to her problems. Comparing the categories which were studied within and outside of the EE, a major change was found in the FBVT, in the categories of analysis of the therapist and the client. There was also a larger number of and variation of the occurrences of indicators of complaint or change within such episodes. Such results confirmed that feelings, emotions and motivational states are targets of investigation and intervention of the analytic-behavioral therapist, which are consistent with existing literature. The clients and therapists mention of SEM or of related events strengthen the idea that these can be dealt with, some times as hidden responses, some times as private stimulus and quite frequently as the relationship between those who are involved in the events, as well as groups of interrelated links. Not being occasionally able to observe terms of behavioral relationships which define SEM did not lead to a different type of approach on the part of the therapist. On the contrary, the mention of SEM by the therapist and client seemed to favor the occurrence of verbalization which established connections between the clients behavior and environmental events.
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