Self-rated humour and the perception of humour's value in counsellor effectiveness
Date
1987
Authors
Balmer, Chris
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of self-rated humour on assessment of a counsellor's effectiveness in an interview using humour in different ways.
The subjects, six male and 40 female undergraduate students enrolled in the School of Child Care at the University of Victoria, were randomly assigned to three treatment conditions. Each group viewed a videotaped simulated counselling session in which the counsellor used either facilitative humour, non-facilitative humour, or no humour. Students then completed a scale rating the counsellor's effectiveness in terms of approachability and the ability to create a positive relationship. In addition, students completed the Martin and Lef court (1984) Situational Humour Response Questionnaire. Analysis of variance, revealed that counsellors who used facilitative humour were assessed as more desirable in terms of approachability and ability to create a positive relationship than the counsellor who used non-facilitative humour. Self-rated humour did not significantly influence the subjects' perceptions of the counsellor's effectiveness. Findings indicated that counsellor initiated humour does affect students' assessments of the counsellor and that facilitative humour is preferable to non-facilitative humour. Implications for counselling and recommendations for future research are presented.