Relationship Inventory

Godfrey T. Barrett-Lennard is Adjunct Professor in the School of Health Professions and the School of Psychology & Exercise Science at Murdoch University, Australia. He is Honorary Doctor of Murdoch University and Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Australian Psychological Society. He studied with Carl Rogers at the University of Chicago and his research has focused on relationship in therapy and life systems. He is the author of many books, chapters, articles, and research questionnaire instruments. His most recent publications include The Relationship Paradigm: Human Being Beyond Individualism (2013), Relationship at the Centre: Healing in a Troubled World (Wiley, 2005), Steps on a Mindful Journey: Person-centred Expressions(2003), and Carl Rogers’ Helping System: Journey and Substance (1998). He has given addresses and workshops around the world, and in 2011 he was presented with the Carl Rogers Award of APA Division 32 (Society for Humanistic Psychology).

• Preface vii About the Companion Website ixPart 1 The Relationship Inventory: Beginning, Fruition, Future 11 How Change Happens: The Guidance and Refinement of Theory 32 The Classic Investigation of Carl Rogers’ Core Theory 8Definitions of the “therapeutic” variables 10Instruments and procedure 12Experimental hypotheses 16Results 17Implications and further research 22Conclusion 243 A Major Revision: Crafting the 64-item RI and Emergent Adaptations 26Purposes of the revision 27Item analysis and other features 27The spread of application with varied adaptations 31Conclusion 344 Mature and Travelling: The RI “System” in Focus 35The theoretical structure of the BLRI reviewed 35Phases in dialogue exchange linking to the main inventory forms 38Gathering, scoring, and using RI data: Practice and rationale 39Reliability and validity: Issues and evidence 43New and underused applications of the BLRI 46Conclusion 485 The BLRI Story Extended: Later Work and Looking Ahead 49Reflections on theory and the interrelation of conditions 50Later studies and analyses 52Where to next? Underexplored and adventurous regions 60The spectrum of BL relationship inventories 61Conclusion 636 Training Applications: Exercises in Facilitation 64Use of the whole BLRI early in counsellor training 64Learning from interviews in triads with BLRI-derived participant ratings 65Conclusion 71Part 2 The Journeying Self in Personal and Group Relations 737 The Contextual Selves Inventory: For the Study of Self in its Diversity 75Origins and manifestations of self-diversity 76Constructive change in relations within the plural self 78Studying the self in context – new focus and method 78The CSI poised for fresh inquiry 83Conclusion 838 Tracking Self and Relational Process in Experiential Groups 85End-of-meeting participant process appraisals 86Illustrative results from use of the in-group questionnaires 87Conclusion 89Part 3 Reframing: Envisioning the Path Ahead 919 Looking Ahead: Fresh Horizons in Relationship Study 93Invitations to connected further study of relationship 93Towards the study of relations between very large systems 96Conclusion 98Appendix 1: The Relationship Inventory Forms and Scoring Keys 99Appendix 2: Contextual Selves Inventory and Triad and Group Rating Forms 160References 175Index 184