Abstract
The previous decade has witnessed a rapid proliferation of imagery-based psychotherapies, ranging from psychodynamic techniques such as psycho-imagination therapy (Shorr, 1974) to more structured and focused behavior modification procedures (Cautela, 1967; Wolpe, 1958). Despite the promise of imagery as a psychotherapeutic tool, a host of issues remain about the functional and structural characteristics of this complex private process. A frank assessment of the literature indicates that theoreticians and researchers alike continue to grope for a way to conceptualize the experience of clinical images. Many theories with little consensus explain therapeutic significance of imagery, but are constrained primarily by being “technique specific” in that they describe the therapeutic impact of a single therapy or a generically related group of therapies (Singer, 1974). Conversely, limited effort has been directed toward an understanding of nonspecific imagery effects that may be related simply to the fact that imagery provides different modes for organizing personal world conceptions. Clinical experience suggests that there is something distinctive about imagery as a form of cognition that cannot be duplicated by verbal processes, but one is pressed to identify what these distinctive elements are.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Reference Notes
Strosahl, K. Relative efficacy of covert modeling, desensitization and relaxation training in the reduction of test anxiety. Unpublished manuscript. Purdue University.
Strosahl, K. and Ascough, J. Relating the structure and function of imagery: An empirical analysis. Manuscript submitted for publication. Purdue University, May, 1980.
Strosahl, K., Ascough, J., and Mariotto, M. Imagery integrity and its relationship to analogue behavior therapy outcome. Manuscript submitted for publication. Purdue University.
Strosahl, K., Chaffee, R. and Ascough, J. A process and outcome investigation of covert modeling variations in the treatment of social anxiety. Manuscript submitted for publication. Purdue University.
References
Anderson, J. Arguments concerning representations for mental imagery. Psychological Review, 1978, 85, 249–277.
Cautela, J. Covert sensitization. Psychological Reports, 1967, 20, 459–468.
Cohen, J. and Cohen, P. Applied multiple regression analysisfor the behavioral sciences. New York: Wiley, 1975.
Cooper, L. Mental rotation of random two dimensional shapes. Cognitive Psychology, 1975, 7, 20–43.
Cooper, L. and Shepard, R. The time required to prepare for a rotated stimulus. Memory and Cognition, 1973, 1, 246–250. (a)
Cooper, L. and Shepard, R. Chronometric studies of the rotation of mental images. In W. Chase (Ed.), Visual information processing. New York: Academic Press, 1973. (b)
Davis, D., McLemore, C. and London, P. The role of visual imagery in desensitization. Behavior Research and Therapy, 1970, 8, 11–13.
Dyckman, J. and Cowan, P. Imaging vividness and the outcome of in vivo and imagined scene desensitization. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1978, 46, 1155–1156.
Goldfried, M. Systematic desensitization as training in self-control. Journal of Consuting and Clinical Psychology, 1971, 37, 228–234.
Gordon, R. An investigation into some of the factors that favour the formation of stereotyped images. British Journal of Psychology, 1949, 39, 156–157.
Hiscock, M. Imagery assessment through self-report: What do imagery questionnaires measure? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1978, 46, 223–230.
Holyoak, K. and Walker, J. Subjective magnitude information in semantic ordering. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 1976, 15, 287–299.
Kosslyn, S. Information representation in visual images. Cognitive Psychology, 1975, 7, 341–370.
Kosslyn, S. Can imagery be distinguished from other forms of internal representation? Evidence from studies of information retrieval time. Memory and Cognition, 1976, 4, 291–297.
Kosslyn, S. and Pomarantz, J. Imagery, propositions and the form of internal representations. Cognitive Psychology, 1977, 9, 52–76.
Kosslyn, S. Measuring the visual angle of the mind’s eye. Cognitive Psychology, 1978, 10, 356–389.
Lang, P. Imagery in therapy: An information processing analysis of fear. Behavior Therapy, 1977, 8, 862–886.
Mahoney, M. Cognition and behavior modification. Cambridge: Ballinger Publishing Co., 1974.
McLemore, C. Imagery in desensitization. Behavior Research and Therapy, 1972, 10, 51–57.
McLemore, C. Factorial validity of imagery measures. Behavior Research and Therapy, 1976, 14, 399–408.
McSweeney, A. Imagery as a variable in the efficacy of systematic desensitization. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1976, 36, (10-B), 5271.
Meichenbaum, D. Cognitive behavior modification: An integrative approach. New York: Plenum Press, 1977.
Paivio, A. Mental comparisons involving abstract attributes. Memory and Cognition, 1978, 6, 199–208.
Posner, M. and Keele, S. Decay of visual information from a single letter. Science, 1967, 158, 137–139.
Pylyshyn, Z. What the mind’s eye tells the mind’s brain: A critique of mental imagery. Psychological Bulletin, 1973, 80, 1–24.
Segal, S. and Fusella, V. Influence of imaged pictures and sounds on detection of visual and auditory signals. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1970, 83, 458–464.
Sheehan, P. A shortened form of the Betts Questionnaire Upon Mental Imagery. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 1967, 23, 386–389.
Shepard, R. The mental image. American Psychologist, 1978, 33, 125–127.
Shorr, J. Psychotherapy through imagery. New York: Intercontinental Medical Book Corporation, 1974.
Singer, J. Imagery and daydream methods in psychotherapy and behavior modification. New York: Academic Press, 1974.
Strosahl, K., and Ascough, J. Clinical uses of imagery: Experimental foundations, theoretical misconceptions and research issues. Psychological Bulletin, 1980, in press.
Tversky, B. Pictorial and verbal encoding in a short term memory task. Perception and Psychophysics, 1969, 6, 225–233.
Wolpe, J. Psychotherapy by reciprocal inhibition. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1958.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1981 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Strosahl, K., Ascough, J.C. (1981). A Multiple Component Model of Clinical Imagery. In: Klinger, E. (eds) Concepts, Results, and Applications. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-3974-8_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-3974-8_20
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-3976-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-3974-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive