Aha-Experiences in Psychotherapy in Relation to Dysfunctional Beliefs and Self-Esteem

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Psychology - Clinic and Health Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, grade: 1,8, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Psychologisches Institut), language: English, abstract: This study is part of a pioneering project examining aha-experiences regarding dysfunctional beliefs using the Rethink-paradigm designed for this purpose. Findings stemming from problem-solving research lead to consider aha-experiences as beneficial for motivational clarification, a working mechanism of psychotherapeutic change.

The present study examines interactions of implicit self-esteem and therapeutically relevant aha-experiences in participants that have no history of psychological disorders. Lower self-esteem was shown to be associated with experiencing more aha-moments regarding dysfunctional beliefs but this moderate effect fell short of becoming significant. A small, non-significant effect was found for the number of aha-experiences being associated with a decline in self-esteem.

Given the limitations of the present study, future research should be carried out to satisfactorily answer the question of how aha-experiences influence implicit self-esteem and to examine whether aha-experiences are superior to other clarification processes in bringing about therapeutic change.