A Process Scale for Impact-Promoting Activities

An Impact Factors Process Scale (IFPS) was developed to assess impact-promoting activities in directive therapy. The IFPS focuses on three major therapist activities: (1) the creation of special, surprising, and arousing events; (2) the attraction of attention; and (3) the mobilization of commitment and effort. The IFPS was shown to be consistent and reliable. It successfully ranked the level of directiveness of different therapeutic approaches, displayed a session's climax (or its absence), and provided a profile of the therapist's impact-promoting activities in the session.