The early years of the Dodo: The development of common factors from Rosenzweig to Frank's contextual model

Abstract

In 1936 Rosenzweig referred to the Dodo verdict when pointing out the common characteristics of different psychotherapy modalities and the possibility of their integration. With the development of psychotherapy science his idea of common factors evolved into the empirically validated common factors theory and contextual model, which is becoming in the mental health field increasingly attractive as the alternative to the medical model. But at the same time research looking to confirm the medical model, which is based on the premise that for the best psychotherapy outcomes specific methods for specific mental disorders should be applied, intensified greatly. Besides the scientific and philosophic polarization among researchers political battles over the financing of psychotherapy services, for normative regulation of psychotherapy and for the integration of psychotherapy in academic institutions burst into flames and is ongoing today. The purpose of this article is to show both the rich history of the research and the theory of common factors and in this way to contribute to the deescalation of the conflict between the advocates of therapeutic methods on the one side and advocates of therapeutic relationship on the other. I propose that the Dodo could be accepted within the psychotherapy community not only as the symbol for the theory of common factors, but also as the harbinger of dialogical pluralism and interdisciplinary integration of different psychotherapy and research approaches. In two articles the history, the present position and the future perspectives of the common factors theory will be presented. This first article covers the period from Rosenzweig to Frank's contextual model in the 1960's.