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The clinical use of humour in counselling: A multicultural perspective
Author(s)
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Hong Kong: Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Description
Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.) -- Hong Kong Shue Yan University, 2013.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-167).
xi, 175 p.
Type
Thesis
Programme
Master of Social Sciences in Counselling Psychology
Abstract
Objectives: A number of studies report cultural difference in humour styles. The objective of
this study is to evaluate whether differing styles of humour may have effects on counselling processes. This paper addresses the styles of humour of counsellors who practice multicultural counselling. It aims to reveal the empirical relationship between humour styles
and empathy. Further, this study investigates the effectiveness of using humour in counselling with clients of different presenting concerns.
Method: This study includes qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The participants of the mixed-methods study included clinical psychologists, educational psychologists, counselling psychologists, organizational psychologists and counsellors who practiced multicultural counselling in Hong Kong. The qualitative study comprised two focus groups of 14 participants in total, who were counselling psychologists or counsellors, to discuss the importance of humour in their multicultural counselling. The data were analyzed by thematic analysis. The quantitative study involved a total of 70 randomly chosen participants, who completed a questionnaire, which combined with two standardized instruments namely, the Humour Styles Questionnaire (Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray & Weir, 2003) and the Davis' Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Frias-Navarro, 2009).
Results: Humour is effective in counselling. Participants in the focus groups reflect humor usage leading to a lightened mood, positive climate and relaxed atmosphere in counselling. In addition, affiliative humour and self-enhancing humour styles are more effective than self- defeating and aggressive humour in multicultural counselling. Lastly, those with empathic concern were more likely to use affiliative and self-enhancing humour and less likely to use aggressive humour. Those with personal distress tended to use self-defeating humour.
Conclusion: This study validated the view that the use of humour in counselling is effective. In multicultural counselling, one uses specific humour styles depending on the multicultural factors or background the client presents. Besides, humour is also used differently depending on the presenting concerns clients bring into counselling. Clients and counsellors both use humour in varying manners. The effectiveness of humour application is determined by whether humour is understood and received well by the other individual involved. As such, the appropriateness of the application of humour in multicultural counselling needs to be gauged prior to using it.
Method: This study includes qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The participants of the mixed-methods study included clinical psychologists, educational psychologists, counselling psychologists, organizational psychologists and counsellors who practiced multicultural counselling in Hong Kong. The qualitative study comprised two focus groups of 14 participants in total, who were counselling psychologists or counsellors, to discuss the importance of humour in their multicultural counselling. The data were analyzed by thematic analysis. The quantitative study involved a total of 70 randomly chosen participants, who completed a questionnaire, which combined with two standardized instruments namely, the Humour Styles Questionnaire (Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray & Weir, 2003) and the Davis' Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Frias-Navarro, 2009).
Results: Humour is effective in counselling. Participants in the focus groups reflect humor usage leading to a lightened mood, positive climate and relaxed atmosphere in counselling. In addition, affiliative humour and self-enhancing humour styles are more effective than self- defeating and aggressive humour in multicultural counselling. Lastly, those with empathic concern were more likely to use affiliative and self-enhancing humour and less likely to use aggressive humour. Those with personal distress tended to use self-defeating humour.
Conclusion: This study validated the view that the use of humour in counselling is effective. In multicultural counselling, one uses specific humour styles depending on the multicultural factors or background the client presents. Besides, humour is also used differently depending on the presenting concerns clients bring into counselling. Clients and counsellors both use humour in varying manners. The effectiveness of humour application is determined by whether humour is understood and received well by the other individual involved. As such, the appropriateness of the application of humour in multicultural counselling needs to be gauged prior to using it.
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