The idea, sometimes expressed, that we now have a special knowledge of personality that should radically change the confessional and confessional practice is at present without adequate support from research findings in counseling and psychotherapy. Rogers and others have repeatedly stressed the need for more counseling and psychotlierapeutic research and new A distinguished psychologist methods of such research. The sees some contributions which report of the conference on Research in Psychotherapy, counseling therapy might sponsored by the Division of make to confessional Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Aspractice. sociation comments that: " ... Much research has been done + . . . but there has been relaCHARLES A. CURRAN tively little progress in establishing a firm and sub+ stantial body of evidence to support very many research hypotheses" ("Epilogue" in Research in Psychotherapy, edited by E. A. Rubinstein and M. B. Parlofl, Washington: American Psychological Association, 1959, p. 292). So the suggestion that methods from counseling and psychotherapy should entirely supplant the traditional methods in the administration of sacramental confession seems unfounded. Some changes will and should be made. But anything tliat has been in existence for a long time usually has had valid reasons for existing and perhaps for continuing to exist.
Coundetng
and
Sacramenta/ Con/eddion
163