What is "success" in psychotherapy?

Explored in several theoretical studies, the relationship between global evaluation of psychotherapeutic success or change and various aspects of pre- and posttreatment status. Some of the investigations involved hypothetical case materials, an approach which made it possible to study certain parameters independently and to readily obtain large samples of patients. Real data from patients, therapists, and clinical Os from ongoing research are also presented for comparison with the invented data. Results suggest a widespread tendency to evaluate change more positively at higher levels of adjustment. In general, perception of final status appeared to greatly influence judgments of success or change in psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).