Interviewer's Role-Playing and Responses to Sensory Deprivation: A Clinical Demonstration

Abstract

10 Ss with a history of intransigent hypochondriacal personality disorder were subjected to 2-1/2 hr. of sensory deprivation preceded and followed by planned interviewing procedures. Each interview was designed to prestructure the interpersonal meaning of the experience of sensory deprivation and selectively reinforce social roles antithetical to S's characteristic, maladaptive interpersonal behavior. As predicted, Ss showed a significant (p smaller than .01) shift from passively hostile to an actively warm social role. The changes in social role were also reflected in a significant (p smaller than .01) reduction in number of medical clinic visits. These effects were still operative 30 days following the procedure, whereas an equated baseline group of 10 Ss showed no significant change in behavior over the same period of time.

Case study: Treatment of herpes genitalis phobia and agoraphobia with panic attacks.

“…driacal Neurosis, American Psychiatric Association, 1980). Cooper et al (1975) successfully treated physically disabled veterans who had hypochondriacal personalities with a combination of treatments consisting of sensory deprivation and selective reinforcement of social roles. These were patients with physical diseases who had hypochondriacal attitudes; there are no adequate controlled studies in patients with hypochondriasis.…”