Interviewer and Client Behaviors in Supportive and Defensive Interviews

Abstract

At the core of the process by which social services are delivered is the interview between providers and low-income clients. These interviews, while crucial to the continuation of the interviewer-interviewee relationship, are inhibited by forces such as the apparent defensive nature of the communication environment. Gibb's (1961) supportive-defensive paradigm was used as the conceptual basis for an investigation of the pattern of verbal and nonverbal behaviors manifest in such interviews. Communicative behaviors were examined to identify situations rated as defensive, supportive, or intermediate.Interview behaviors were analyzed using videotape in the field settings, and interview climates were characterized. The results suggest the validity of the supportive-defensive paradigm and further indicate that individual behaviors may be less important in identifying interview climate than are behavioral repertoires.

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