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Evidence given for delusions during cognitive behaviour therapy
Author(s) -
Rhodes J.E.,
Jakes S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
clinical psychology and psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-0879
pISSN - 1063-3995
DOI - 10.1002/cpp.417
Subject(s) - psychology , perception , perspective (graphical) , cognition , interpretative phenomenological analysis , psychotherapist , cognitive psychology , social psychology , qualitative research , psychiatry , social science , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , sociology , computer science
In cognitive behaviour therapy for delusions it is recommended that in some cases it is useful to examine evidence given by participants to support their beliefs. We wished to examine the nature and range of evidence from the participant's perspective without prior assumptions about its nature.The evidence given by 23 participants in therapy was collected, and 9 participants were given an additional interview. The data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. We found 10 types of evidence. The most common included the perception of ‘things’, perception of real people and a form of ‘accounting’ using ideas already assumed by the participant. In addition to specific evidence types, we also noted how participants made comments about their relationships to evidence, for example, by emphasizing how claims are based on the ‘real’.The use of evidence reported tended to be compatible with Maher's theory that participants seek to explain unusual experiences but does not lend support to a picture of neutral ‘data’ as separate from ‘theorizing’ by participants. Our findings also gave some indirect support to cognitive theories of delusions in terms of the derivation of content, but also suggested certain insufficiencies and neglected topics in these theories. We emphasize the importance of fully understanding the perceptions of participants for therapy, research and everyday transactions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.