Never one to shy away from provocation, Hans Eysenck is often regarded as an iconoclast in the field of psychotherapy. In 1952, he penned a very controversial paper in which he famously argued that psychoanalytic psychotherapy had not been shown to be more effective in facilitating recovery from “neurotic disorder” than no treatment at all. He faced further ire from psychoanalysts when he introduced behavior therapy at the Royal Psychomedical Association in 1959.
In this interview, Eysenck makes a compelling case for these groundbreaking ideas, and exemplifies his ability to be an intrepid agent of change against the dogmatic elements of the field.
In conversation with Dr. Philip Kendall, Eysenck shares his frank assessment on the modern developments in psychotherapy. Taking issue with integrative approaches to psychotherapy, Eysenck suggests that due to the theories’ divergent ideas on the origin of pathology, they are irreconcilable in practice. With specific regard to cognitive-behavioral therapy, Eysenck offers the paradoxical view that “cognitive behavior therapy, it’s either an oxymoron– they’re different things, they don’t really mean the same– or it’s a redundancy,” explaining that even early behaviorism took cognition into account. He adds that so far the combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy has not been shown to be superior to behavior therapy alone. Expressing concern that psychotherapists do not keep up with advances in the science of the field, he proposes changes in the way research is conducted and disseminated. Eysenck’s careful consideration and irreverent manner lead to appraisals of the field that are at once deeply thought provoking, and impossible to ignore.
