Der provokative Stil bei depressiven Störungen oder: Humor und Herausforderung in der Psychotherapie

Abstract

The Provocative Style has developed from the Provocative Therapy of Frank Farrelly. It's main characteristics are humour and challenge. Laughter frees you and resistance sets in motion. The therapist points out the self-damaging parts of the client's thinking, feeling and behaviour through humorous exaggerations, enabling the client to laugh about himself. Simultaneously the therapist provokes the client's resistance towards his self-damaging parts by challenging him, i.e. through paradoxical interventions and drastic, absurd exaggerations and advices. The therapy's goal is to elucidate and simultaneously run down the victim-attitude of the client, so that he wants to be an active committer again, taking on responsibility for his own life. The imperative precondition is the therapist's benevolent and positive attitude toward the client, combined with the conviction that the client can change if he wants to. This attitude prevents the provocations from being offending.

Keywords:

Provocative Style, humour, challenge, paradoxical intervention, cognitive behavioural therapy