ABSTRACT
The terrorized patient is representative of those who are in a genuine emotional state in the initial session. This chapter provides some empirical data on the patient effects of emphasizing the gathering of problem-related background information. It argues that the emphasizing of problem-related background information generates a dyadic interaction in which therapists and patients mutually invite one another to be information-requesters and information-providers. The hypothesis is that patients will provide background information whether or not it is requested by the therapist; that is both before and after the therapist requests background information, patients will show the same distribution of statements predominated by the providing of background information. Both before and after the target therapist statement, the preponderant patient statement was that of providing problem-related background information. It is the terror, the patient who is in the state of terror, rather than background information which is either standard or geared to presenting problem.
