ABSTRACT
Reasons why research with nonpsychotic patients has lagged behind investigations with other samples have been discussed, and it is evident that it is much more feasible to do controlled research with institutionalized patients. Of the numerous patient characteristics that may have a bearing on the success of psychotherapy, the two clinical features of diagnosis and severity of maladjustment are among the most prominent. Once patients who are frankly psychotic or for whom a diagnosis of brain damage has been established are eliminated, the diagnostic classifications become less clear. School phobias have been treated by conventional psychotherapy with varying degrees of success, depending partly upon the criterion. Examination of the clinical literature reveals a rather pessimistic attitude toward the value of psychotherapy in modifying such behavior. Psychotherapy has helped to achieve goals that are limited in scope but nonetheless important within the institutional context of the lives of the individuals.
