Humor in therapy : an observational study

The purpose of the present study was to examine the occurrence of humor in an individual therapeutic relationship. Empirically, humor has been studied in a variety of group settings and has concerned the following issues: frequency of targeted and nontargeted humor; choice of target; relationship of targeting to being targeted; and frequency and nature of "negatively" and "positively" toned humor.

To obtain data on the natural occurrence of humor in a therapeutic dyad, one complete, seven session, therapy was videotaped. Three raters independently viewed the video tapes and identified instances in which they thought someone had attempted to be humorous. For those instances, the same raters also independently judged whether the humor was targeted or nontargeted; positively or negatively toned; and targeted at self, other, or generalized other. They also determined the subject of the humor and impact of the humor on nine variables, including anxiety, intimacy, and defensiveness. The percentage of time talked and the occurrence of laughter by each participant were also noted. The therapist and client were also interviewed as to their perceptions of humor in this therapy.

The results indicate that humor was a frequent and important behavior. Although the client produced more humorous attempts than the therapist; when considering amount of time talked, the therapist produced about three times as many humorous attempts. The large percentage of targeted remarks seemed to indicate an intense and intimate relationship. The target and topic of humor produced by both therapist and client were predominantly the client and his concerns. According to raters and participants, alike, the "negatively" toned humor was not destructive; rather it seemed to help establish rapport, facilitate new perspectives, and decrease defensiveness. The only humor not encouraged by laughter or smiling was some client initiated humor in response to which the therapist chose to emphasize the serious, underlying content. Finally, results indicate that humor can be useful therapeutically. However, because appropriate, successful humor is contextual and spontaneous, therapists should allow and encourage humor to emerge naturally rather than artificially injecting it.