Ha Ha and Aha
Ha Ha and AhaHarold H. Mosak
Sign up to use
Ha Ha and Aha

Ha Ha and Aha The Role of Humor in Psychotherapy

Sign up to use
Sign up to use
The use of humor in psychotherapy is discussed in this book. Part A focuses on humor itself. The first chapter discusses what makes things funny. The situational aspects of humor, witticism, joke-telling skills, ethnic humor, puns, and laughter are discussed. The second chapter presents three types of theories of humor: release-related theories; disparagement-related theories; and incongruity-related theories. The third chapter discusses the structure of the joke and presents 12 categories of jokes. Part B focuses on humor in psychotherapy. The fourth chapter discusses the role of humor in psychotherapy, including the role of humor in establishing a relationship and the role of humor in diagnosis. The fifth chapter discusses the role of humor in interpretation; the sixth chapter discusses turning the client around with humor; the seventh chapter presents humor as a criterion for termination; and the eighth chapter relates humor to the therapist's skill. Part C presents 45 pages of jokes to be used in psychotherapy. (ABL)