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Humor An Essential Communication Tool in Therapy
Humor An Essential Communication Tool in Therapy
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International Journal of Mental Health, Vol. 32, No. 3, Fall 2003, pp. 74–90.
© 2004 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved.
ISSN 0020–7411/2004 $9.50 + 0.00.
SOPHIA F. DZIEGIELEWSKI,
GEORGE A. JACINTO, ANGELA LAUDADIO,
AND LOLOMA LEGG-RODRIGUEZ
Humor
An Essential Communication Tool
in Therapy
74
FALL 2003 75
Humor in therapy
Maslow [27], Rogers [28], and Kush [29] have each conceded
that humor is one attribute revealed by a fully functioning person. It
is a sign of a healthy psyche that a person is able to laugh at un-
eventful occurrences throughout their lives and move forward. Freud
[12] stressed that there is a distinct connection between humor and
a client’s healthy adjustment; and according to Falk and Hill [30]
and Prerost [31], many theorists, regardless of theoretical orienta-
tion, find humor useful. Specifically, Sands states that “humorous
content can give clients permission to relax and express tabooed
emotions in a socially acceptable way, rendering counselors less
formidable” [32: 40]. Falk and Hill [30], similarly to Haig [33],
state that counselor “humor can be constructive in forming and
furthering the therapeutic alliance . . . breaking through resistive
defenses . . . aiding in catharsis, but also can enable clients to avoid
conflicted areas” [30: 40]. Finally, humor can also be used as a cop-
ing mechanism to avoid conflict, allowing people to remain safe
until they are ready to deal with the painful events in life.
In the therapeutic environment, humor can promote a compe-
tent therapeutic relationship, improve self-esteem, stimulate creative
thinking, and broaden perspectives. Therapists can helpa client to
convert upsetting experiences into comical situations in order to
regulate unsatisfactory responses. Granick [24] describes a ses-
sion in which a client was tense and irritated with himself because
he lost his temper with his children. At the moment the client
expressed his anger, Granick utilized a prop to elicit humor, and
thus reduced the client’s tension. This anecdote illustrates one
feature of humor in the therapeutic process: it allows the client to
experience an upsetting situation as comical and benign. Humor
can help reorient perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, which can
lead to more balanced interactions. Freud [12] pioneered research
on the systematic exploration of the nature of humor and laughter
and how it is integrated in the human personality. In Wit and Its
Relation to the Unconscious, he observed that jokes and comical
expressions enable individuals to defend against anxieties, fear,
anger, and other disturbing emotions. Freud presented humor as
liberating and capable of providing comfort in relieving the pain
80 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH
Conclusion
just because one client accepted it . . . the next person may not receive
it the same way. [11: 13]
In summary, humor, like any other communication tool, should
be utilized to create a nonthreatening environment, facilitate com-
munication, and ensure the development of a trusting, relationship
between client and therapist, or among any persons involved [24].
Humor is an important coping skill for dealing with life stresses.
In the classroom setting, affording students an opportunity to
release tension through nonthreatening humor may open their
minds to more complicated subjects. Within the therapy session,
humor can be utilized to decrease tension and build rapport. Within
teams humor is utilized to increase teambuilding and bonding
among members. After all, as Kush notes, humor adds a “colorful
dimension to our personality . . . and . . . is a desirable characteris-
tic of a healthy personality” [29: 22]. Overall, of the tools that can
benefit interpersonal communication, humor seems to be one of
the most overlooked.
In the future, more research is needed to determine when as
well as how to best encourage the use of humor not only in the
therapy setting but also in any realm of life where stress may be-
come overwhelming or tensions are high [2, 52]. Humor is clearly
a factor to be considered in diminishing the effects of stress with
performance, and more research is needed to determine the level
at which stress actually degrades or improves performance. Laugh-
ter has been cited as a form of communication, but little is known
about exactly how much humorous communication is necessary
for a group to be productive.
As stated by Strean [53], research in the area of laughter as a
form of humor is still in its infancy. Laughter research is a re-
minder that not all science concerns arcane or narrow problems.
We should resist neglecting or trivializing the commonplace.
There are rewards for approaching nature with a naive curiosity
and attempting to see the familiar in new ways. As with any of
the other communication tools available to us, humor’s positive
or negative effect upon treatment, education, and in-groups or
88 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH
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