Question 1

Q1: Describe the nature and scope of psychotherapy. Highlight the importance of therapeutic relationship in psychotherapy.

Accepted Answer

Nature and Scope of Psychotherapy Nature: Psychotherapy is a voluntary, professional, and confidential relationship between a therapist and a client seeking help for psychological problems. Its purpose is to change maladaptive behaviours, decrease personal distress, and help the client adapt better...

Question 2

Q10: 1. In school at times you get good points (or gold points or stars) when you do well and bad or black points when you do something wrong. This is an e...

Accepted Answer

This activity demonstrates the principles of a token economy, a behavioural technique where desired behaviours are reinforced with tokens (points, stars) that can be exchanged for rewards, and undesired behaviours are discouraged. Activities for which we are Rewarded/Praised:    Academic Performance...

Question 3

Q11: 2. Describe a person in your past or present who has consistently demonstrated unconditional positive regard towards you. What effect, if any, did (or...

Accepted Answer

This activity asks for a personal reflection on the experience of unconditional positive regard, a key concept from Carl Rogers' Client-Centred Therapy. Personal Description: A person who has consistently demonstrated unconditional positive regard towards me is my grandmother. She has always been a...

Question 4

Q2: What are the different types of psychotherapy? On what basis are they classified?

Accepted Answer

According to the chapter, psychotherapies can be classified into three broad groups: Psychodynamic, Behaviour, and Humanistic-Existential therapies. They are classified based on the following parameters: 1.  What is the cause of the problem?        Psychodynamic: Intrapsychic conflicts (conflicts wi...

Question 5

Q3: Discuss the various techniques used in behaviour therapy.

Accepted Answer

Behaviour therapy uses a range of techniques based on learning principles to change faulty behaviour and thought patterns. The key techniques discussed in the chapter are:    Negative Reinforcement and Aversive Conditioning:        Negative Reinforcement: This involves learning to avoid or escape pa...

Question 6

Q4: Explain with the help of an example how cognitive distortions take place.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive distortions are explained in the chapter through Aaron Beck's cognitive therapy model. They are patterns of thinking that are general in nature but distort reality in a negative way, leading to psychological distress like anxiety and depression. The process of how they take place is as fol...

Question 7

Q5: Which therapy encourages the client to seek personal growth and actualise their potential? Write about the therapies which are based on this principle...

Accepted Answer

The Humanistic-Existential therapy encourages the client to seek personal growth and actualise their potential. This approach postulates that human beings are motivated by an innate desire for personal growth and self-actualisation. Psychological distress arises when these needs are curbed by societ...

Question 8

Q6: What are the factors that contribute to healing in psychotherapy? Enumerate some of the alternative therapies.

Accepted Answer

Several factors contribute to the healing process in psychotherapy. These can be categorized as follows: Factors Contributing to Healing 1.  Therapeutic Techniques: The specific techniques used by the therapist, such as relaxation procedures in behaviour therapy or cognitive restructuring in CBT, ar...

Question 9

Q7: What are the techniques used in the rehabilitation of the mentally ill?

Accepted Answer

Rehabilitation is required for patients with severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, where a reduction of symptoms may not automatically lead to an improved quality of life. The aim of rehabilitation is to empower the patient to become a productive member of society to the extent possible. T...

Question 10

Q8: How would a social learning theorist account for a phobic fear of lizards/ cockroaches? How would a psychoanalyst account for the same phobia?

Accepted Answer

Social Learning Theorist's Account: A social learning theorist, whose principles are applied in behaviour therapy, would account for a phobic fear of lizards or cockroaches through the process of vicarious learning or modelling. According to this view, phobias are faulty learned behaviours.    Model...

Question 11

Q9: What kind of problems is cognitive behaviour therapy best suited for?

Accepted Answer

According to the chapter, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is considered a short and efficacious treatment that is best suited for a wide range of psychological disorders. The text explicitly mentions that research has conclusively established its effectiveness for problems such as:    Anxiety diso...

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