The assumption that therapeutic or homework directives enhance therapy has received little research attention. To explore compliance with homework directives in a behavioral self-control treatment of weight loss, the comparative importance of social support (S), support plus directives with no rationale (SD), support plus directives with rationale (SDR), and support plus directives with rationale and involving a written contract (SDRC) was investigated using student volunteers (N=42) and a waiting list control group (N=5). Analyses of variance of the weight loss of all groups showed that participants in all conditions except the SD lost more weight than controls. Analyses of compliance with directives to call in, monitor calories and exercise, reduce calories, and increase exercise for the self control groups showed weight loss was correlated with call-in frequency and calorie reduction. Compliance was improved by providing rationales for directions but not by written contracts. A second study involving insurance company employees (N=22) investigated the potential causes of the failure of contracts to improve compliance by testing the hypothesis that systematic attention to compliance or noncompliance with behavioral homework would increase compliance. Attention to homework was found to effectively increase client compliance with directives. These experiments suggest that the relationship between compliance with directives and positive therapeutic outcome is not simple and deserves increased attention from researchers. (MCF)