What makes therapists run? A model for analysis of motivational styles

Proposes that psychotherapists are motivated by contact, discovery, fame, fortune, growth, healing, power, and/or vicarious experience (voyeurism). Discovery and healing provide the basis of motivation for many clinical psychologists, but each motive can add its distinctive influence. The therapist's primary frustration is the difficulty in obtaining adequate positive feedback for good work. Being a therapist requires having a clear intention, thinking rationally and creatively, remembering, forgetting, and paying attention. Coping mechanisms are internal (e.g., retraining) and external (e.g., shifting of focus away from therapy). It is suggested that these processes be studied longitudinally. (12 ref)