Motivation for treatment: A review with special emphasis on alcoholism

Provides an integrative review of research relating motivational variables and interventions to treatment entry, compliance, and outcome, emphasizing alcoholism and other addictive behaviors. Disadvantages of a trait model of motivation and perceptions of motivation, including agreement, self-label, desire for help, distress, and compliance/dependence, are discussed. Empirical evidence is considered regarding motivational interventions, including advice, feedback, goal setting, role playing, modeling, contingencies, continuity of care, voluntary choice, and modification of behavior attractiveness. Nonspecific aspects of motivation are addressed, including client characteristics (distress, self-esteem, locus of control, severity, conceptual level), environmental variables, and therapist characteristics (hostility, expectancy, empathy). A dynamic conceptualization of treatment motivation is proposed as an alternative to a trait model. (7 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)