ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the nature, extent, and consequence of personal influence upon applicants to go to a clinic. It discusses the influence as the "last straw" which sends a person to a clinic, for the time to talk about last straws has arrived. The chapter deals with an almost infinite regression of reasons for entering therapy–having a problem, discussions about problems with friends, reading books, getting information about sources of therapy, trying out various other sources of treatment, and evaluating differences between one clinic and another. It examines the extent of personal influence upon applicants and the circumstances in which it occurred. The chapter shows the structure of psychiatry and the effectiveness of different sources of information explain why influence and pressure are fairly low. It explains in what way the types of applicants differ and what the differences indicate. Personal influence in the decision to undertake psychotherapy is potentially more important than it is in other decisions.
