exam 2 Flashcards
What is the primary goal of psychodynamic therapy?
To make the unconscious conscious
What is insight (psychodynamic)
Looking inside oneself and noticing something previously unseen
What is resistance in psychodynamic therapy?
Creation of distractions that impede the exploration of the unconscious due to anxiety and vulnerability laying out unconscious thoughts too quickly
What is reaction formation?
Reaction formation is a defense mechanism where an individual unconsciously replaces an unacceptable impulse with its opposite; for example, a person who has negative feelings towards someone might act overly friendly or kind to them
What is displacement?
A defense mechanism where negative emotions or impulses are redirected from a perceived threatening source to a less threatening target; for example, someone’s boss pisses them off, so they go home and kick their dog
What is sublimation?
sublimation is a defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or emotions are channeled into socially acceptable and productive outlets; for example, a person with anger issues might sublimate their aggression by taking up a competitive sport or engaging in a physically demanding hobby
What is transference?
When a client transfers their thoughts, feelings, and expectations from early relationships onto their therapists
What is the “blank screen role” of a psychotherapist, and what does it help with?
It means being a completely blank screen in psychodynamic therapy- therapists reveal little to no info about their personal lives or their judgments/opinions on individual matters.
What is brief psychodynamic therapy? When is it successful?
A common approach to psychodynamic therapy in recent years, typically lasts fewer than 24 sessions; successful when problems are mild and narrowly defined, the therapist is active, and focus is on the present rather than solely the past
What is interpersonal therapy?
A form of psychodynamic therapy created to treat depression based on the assumption depression happens in the context of relationships; tends to last between 14-20 sessions
How well does psychodynamic therapy work?
It’s unclear, but most support is for interpersonal therapy and other brief psychodynamic therapies
What are some contemporary forms of psychodynamic therapy? How do they differ from standard psychodynamic therapy?
Ego psychology, object relations, self-psychology; usually different in the sense that they deemphasize the biological and sexual elements
What is the “Dodo Bird Verdict?” What are some common factors across all forms of psychotherapy?
Research shows that therapies work equally well, likely as a result of common factors across all forms of psychotherapy, such as: therapeutic alliance, positive expectations, hawthorne effect (ppl modify behavior when observed), skills training, confronting a problem
What is the most crucial single aspect of therapy/ the best predictor of therapy outcome?
Strong therapeutic alliance
What’s become the most endorsed approach to psychotherapy in recent years?
cognitive
Per humanism, psychological problems are byproducts of what?
A stifled growth process that has lead to an incongruence of real self and ideal self
3 essential elements of humanistic therapy
Empathy, unconditional positive regard, genuineness
What is reflection in humanistic therapy
(an attitude not skill) when a therapist responds to a client
by rephrasing or restating the client’s statements in
a way that highlights the client’s feelings/emotions
Goal of humanistic therapy?
foster self-actualization by creating congruence between real self and ideal self
What is insight in psychodynamic therapy?
Looking inside oneself and noticing things previously unseen
Who are the 4 big names in behavioral conditioning, and what did each of them do?
Pavlov- classical conditioning, associating an involuntary response with a stimulus
Watson- classical conditioning in humans
Thorndike- Law of effect, people are less likely to do things again if negatively reinforced and vice versa
Skinner- operant conditioning, associating a voluntary response with a stimulus
Describe the classical conditioning behavioral therapy techniques
Exposure therapy, systematic desensitization, assertiveness training
Describe systematic desensitization
Behavioral technique that involves re-pairing an anxiety with a response that is incompatable with anxiety. Therapist will give client relaxation training so their body is physically relaxed then exposed. This trains the brain and pairs the relaxed state with the original fear
Describe types of exposures in exposure therapy
- imaginal exposure
- in vivo exposure, or being actually exposed to the things that cause anxiety
- Graded exposure, or when a client and therapist create an anxiety hierarchy
- Flooding/implosion- exposure happens all at once rather than gradually
Describe assertiveness training
Behavioral technique that targets social anxiety. Involves the modeling of effective assertive behaviors
What is shaping?
Behavioral technique that involves reinforcing successive approximations of each behavior. For example, if you want to train your dog to roll over, you need to give it a treat when it gets close to rolling over
What is the 2-step model of behavioral therapy? According to cognitive therapy, why is it flawed, and what is a better model?
2 step model is Event -> Feeling
This model ignores our interpretation of the event
Alternative is the 3 step model, which goes Event -> Cognition -> Feeling
Describe cognitive restructuring
Identify illogical cognitions, challenge them, and replace them with logical cognitions
Describe cognitive therapy
Therapy that is focused on cognitions, it is brief, structured, and focused- focusing on client’s current problems
Describe Ellis’ approach to cognitive therapy (ABCDE)
Activating event
Belief
emotional Consequence
Dispute
Effective new belief
What is Beck’s cognitive triad?
Describes a triangle, where each point represents our thoughts about ourselves, the world, and our future. These thoughts influence each other, and are negative in people with depression
Beck’s cognitive distortions?
All-or-nothing, catastrophizing, personalization, overgeneralization, mental filtering, mind reading
What are some alternatives to cognitive therapy?
DBT, mindfulness-based therapies, (FEAR) acceptance-based therapies
According to Yalom (group therapy guy), where do all psychological problems stem from?
Flawed interpersonal relationships
What is the focus of group therapy?
strengthening interpersonal relationship skills
Out of all Yalom’s therapeutic factors, what is the main one we focused on?
Group cohesiveness, or feelings of interconnectedness among group members
What are the therapist’s responsibilities in a group therapy setting?
Maintain trusting, collaborative relationship with client
Foster a group in which clients develop trusting, collaborative relationships with one another
