As videotaping, one-way screens, and other audiovisual aids are used
more frequently for teaching and research purposes in psychiatry, it
becomes increasingly important to define how the fact of observation
changes the traditionally private psychiatric interview. The author defines
the difference between the public and private interview, reviews the
pertinent literature, and describes personal experiences with a variety of
observational situations. He focuses on how observation affects the
concentration of the therapist, how it changes the social uniqueness of the
therapy situation, and how, with the addition of a potential audience, the
one-to-one situation may become more like a group situation, in which
different psychological mechanisms may be employed.Abstract Teaser