Reticence as a composite of behaviors appears similar to a number of neurotic disorders. Reticence can be diagnosed by clinical observation and interview; other measures have failed to produce a truly reticent population. Those persons who are clinically diagnosed appear to respond best to a directive therapy‐teaching treatment program, in which the setting of behavioral goals represents the keystone of the treatment. There appears to be close association between reticent behavior and the inability to specify the details of behavior classified either as desirable or undesirable. Thus, forcing subjects to concentrate on specific phrasing provides a test of success or failure for them, and builds rewards and punishments into the training program. While clinicians have reported considerable success, more precise measures of effectiveness of treatment are needed.
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Phillips et al. (1973) studied this question.