therapeutic factors
factors in group therapy that bring about therapeutic change. These include altruism, catharsis, cohesion, family reenactment, feedback, hope, identification, interpersonal learning, reality testing, role flexibility, universality, and vicarious learning. Therapeutic factors are often confused with common factors because both delineate effective change factors across theoretical models and techniques of therapy; however, common factors refer to individual psychotherapy, whereas therapeutic factors refer to group psychotherapy. Formerly called curative factors. [identified by U.S. psychologist Irwin Yalom (1931– )]