Final answer:
The goal of psychotherapy research by the 1980s was to empirically validate the effectiveness of therapeutic approaches and to understand the factors influencing mental health and recovery, informed by the work of Freud and Rogers as well as the cognitive and behaviorist movements.
Step-by-step explanation:
By the 1980s, the goal of psychotherapy research had evolved to empirically validate the effectiveness of various therapeutic approaches and to better understand the mechanisms that contribute to mental health and recovery. The decades preceding the 80s saw significant developments in psychotherapy, including the influence of Freud's psychoanalysis and Carl Rogers's client-centered therapy. These and other approaches, such as behaviorism and the cognitive revolution, informed the evolving landscape of psychotherapy research.Research increasingly focused on evidence-based practice, aiming to ground therapeutic interventions in rigorous scientific evidence. Psychoanalytic therapy, cognitive therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy are examples of therapeutic approaches that benefited from a push towards empirical validation during this period. This research also contributed to reforms in the mental health systems, with an emphasis on group dynamics, action research, and social change.