While it is assumed that people strive to be healthy, some tend to be reluctant to receive practitioners’ advice on treatment. In their article, Beutler et al. (2002) discuss people who express resistant behavior and describe its conceptual issues, measurement, and effects on treatment outcomes. The report by Beutler et al. provides a thorough description of resistance in patients and offers a basis for further research.
The article’s authors have considered several aspects of resistance that I have found engaging. I appreciated that Beutler et al. (2002) offered multiple definitions of resistance and suggested that it emerges from a history of interactions with authorities, such as psychotherapists. Moreover, the many descriptions indicate the complexity of resistance (Beutler et al., 2002). However, while Beutler et al. (2002) suggested many ways to measure resistance, I wished to know more about empirical correlations. In particular, I was interested in exploring further specific personality traits of patients prone to resistance, like age groups and their preferences. Nevertheless, Beutler et al. (2002) provided some recommendations that I believe can be helpful, such as the renegotiation of the therapeutic contract. Finally, I deemed it important that Beutler et al. (2002) also described some manifestations of resistance but felt that a more detailed description is needed. Overall, the authors presented a valuable assessment of resistance in patients.
To summarize, I think the article can be useful in gathering basic knowledge on resistance, its measurements, and its consequences. However, as the report was published in 2002, I believe that practitioners should seek more contemporary analyses on the matter and research resistance in specific groups of patients. Moreover, with regard to the current pandemic, it is necessary to conduct additional studies on patients’ acceptance of treatment.
Reference
Beutler, L. E., Moleiro, C., & Talebi, H. (2002). Resistance in psychotherapy: What conclusions are supported by research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(2), 207-217. Web.