Deck 5: Insight-Oriented Approaches

Question 1

According to Freud, our defense mechanisms serve to:

A) repress our internal defenses.
B) guard the ego and manage anxiety.
C) protect the integrity of the superego.
D) mobilize counterattacks against frontal assaults.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to Alfred Adler, the purpose of counseling is to:

A) resolve infantile wishes and desires.
B) restore faith in self and to overcome feelings of inferiority.
C) satisfy basic psychological needs while creating a life script.
D) to optimize the innate tendency toward self-actualization.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

All of the following relationship skills are key in person-centered counseling EXCEPT:

A) interpretation.
B) empathy.
C) respect.
D) genuineness.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

"It doesn't matter if I study or not; I'll probably fail the class anyway." This statement is an example of which of the following defense mechanisms?

A) Regression
B) Projection
C) Denial
D) Rationalization

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of active listening?

A) It encourages self-exploration.
B) It helps the client to feel understood.
C) It encourages and clarifies exploration of feelings.
D) It resolves emotional tension.

Question 6

The definition of Gestalt theory includes the ability to:

A) define human development.
B) describe human existence in terms of awareness.
C) eliminate personal anguish.
D) none of the above.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a distinguishing feature of the existential approach?

A) Confrontation of fear of death, alienation, and aloneness
B) Challenge to discover the meaning behind one's choices
C) A search for personal philosophy in one's daily life
D) A greater appreciation for the random, unpredictable, destructive aspects of life that must be owned and accepted

Question 8

Person-centered counselors believe the focus of counseling should be on:

A) cognition.
B) behavior.
C) affect.
D) interpretation.

Question 9

Postmodernism posits that:

A) advances in brain-imaging technology have revolutionized the way we understand human behavior.
B) the counseling profession has moved through its premodern and modern phases, and is now entering its postmodern era.
C) the field of philosophy is gradually becoming a legitimate counseling theory in its own right.
D) it is a mistaken belief that we can understand human beings by searching for objective truths.

Question 10

In adopting a feminist approach to counseling theory, it would be important to:

A) realize that most theories were influenced and developed by the dominant male culture.
B) emphasize that women are superior to men in their emotional functioning.
C) emphasize how clients' gender within their culture shaped their expectations and decision making.
D) minimize gender roles since they are a distraction.

Question 11

Which of the following best describes the main goal of the existential approach?

A) Focusing on the problem behavior and finding a solution
B) Finding personal meaning in people's lives, actions, and suffering
C) Exploring unconscious dreams, thoughts, and drives
D) Finding the ultimate truth of human existence and teaching it to others

Question 12

Gestalt therapy tends to focus on:

A) resolving early childhood traumas.
B) discussing decision-making techniques and strategies.
C) past unfinished emotional business interfering with the present.
D) holistic views of repressed sexual desire.

Question 13

One difference between person-centered counseling and traditional counseling is:

A) its directive and prescriptive nature.
B) the emphasis on the responsibility of the counselor to effect a cure.
C) its emphasis on the client's autonomy and responsibility.
D) the way in which it provides so much structure and clear boundaries.

Question 14

The main difference between existential and psychoanalytic counseling is:

A) existential has more techniques than psychoanalytic counseling.
B) existential focuses on the present; psychoanalytic focuses on the past.
C) psychoanalytic is commonly much more directive.
D) psychoanalytic treatment is brief; existential counseling is a 3- to 5-year process.

Question 15

Person-centered counseling emphasizes communicating from a posture of:

A) non-verbal interpretation.
B) empathic understanding.
C) passive acceptance.
D) directive involvement.

Question 16

According to person-centered counseling theory, constructive growth occurs through:

A) transference.
B) traumatic experiences.
C) meaningful helping relationships.
D) action-oriented psychotherapy.

Question 17

Adler, in contrast to Freud, emphasized the _____ determinants of personality.

A) sexual
B) instinctual
C) social
D) affective

Question 18

Counseling theory is helpful because:

A) it provides a blueprint for action.
B) it organizes knowledge and information in ways that allow for easy retrieval.
C) it develops rules to explain, predict, and guide behaviors.
D) all of the above.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a norm for counseling, based on Adlerian theory?

A) All human problems are socially embedded.
B) All human behavior is goal-directed.
C) Human beings are self-determining and creative.
D) Reality is objective and absolute.

Question 20

One of Freud's major contributions to the field of therapeutic counseling was:

A) the idea of levels of awareness, including the unconscious.
B) the power of the medical model for curing patients.
C) the free association interview technique.
D) his dedication to theoretical purity.

Question 21

"Catharsis", "the unconscious", "defense mechanisms", and "the ego" are all terms that have crept into our common language from _____ theory.

A) person-centered
B) psychoanalytic
C) Gestalt
D) existential

Question 22

The notion that human beings are growth-oriented and motivated toward self-actualization would most aptly characterize:

A) person-centered theory.
B) narrative theory.
C) EMDR theory.
D) Gestalt theory.

Question 23

Which theory helps clients to change their reality by retelling their story, using circular questioning, and externalizing the problem?

A) Narrative therapy
B) Cognitive therapy
C) Circular therapy
D) Systemic therapy

Question 24

A counselor who repeatedly encourages the client to work in the "here and now" would most likely be working from which of the following theories?

A) Person-centered
B) Psychodynamic
C) Gestalt
D) Narrative

Question 25

The primary difference between person-centered and existential counseling is:

A) existential is more action-oriented.
B) person-centered is more focused on reflecting feelings.
C) person-centered is more focused on the present.
D) person-centered is more action-oriented.

Question 26

The primary difference between psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy is:

A) psychoanalysis has been shown to be more effective.
B) psychodynamic concentrates on family dynamics.
C) psychoanalysis is more flexible in methods.
D) psychodynamic therapy is a briefer treatment.

Question 27

The primary difference between the Gestalt and existential approach is:

A) Gestalt counseling is more focused on cognitive change.
B) Gestalt counselors are more active and directive.
C) existential counseling is more effective for children.
D) existential counseling is more focused on the here and now.

Question 28

Which defense mechanism involves placing feelings, behaviors, or characteristics onto another person?

A) Fixation
B) Sublimation
C) Denial
D) Projection

Question 29

Increasingly, theories are evaluated from a multicultural perspective, encouraging practitioners to:

A) critically examine biases inherent in counseling theories.
B) adapt their methods to fit the needs of diverse clientele.
C) consider cultural factors beyond their clients' ethnicity and race.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.