Deck 4: Existential Theory and Therapy

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true about Kierkegaard and Nietzsche and their attitude toward religion and God?

A) Their differing beliefs were based on the empirical research they each conducted on religion.
B) They agreed that belief in God is irrational and maladaptive.
C) They agreed that belief in God requires faith and can be adaptive.
D) Their differing beliefs can be seen as representing an interesting existential dialectic.
E) Kierkegaard's atheism is more rationally based than Nietzsche's Christianity.

Answer 1

Their differing beliefs can be seen as representing an interesting existential dialectic.

Question 2

Existential therapy is based on existential philosophy. Which of the following is the most literal translation of the word philosophy?

A) A love for consciousness.
B) Be here now.
C) Loving wisdom.
D) Meaning and wisdom.
E) Charitable giving.

Answer 2

Loving wisdom.

Question 3

Which of the following processes involves: (a) a concept or idea is developed that (b) fuels the generation of the opposite idea, (c) causing conflict, but eventually (d) resulting in a new synthesized and higher level of truth?

A) Interpersonal dynamic process.
B) The integrative counseling process.
C) Therapy research process and outcomes.
D) Dialectical process.
E) A diabolical procedure.

Answer 3

Dialectical process.

Question 4

Sartre's famous statement "Man's essence is his existence" refers to which of the following?

A) Nihilism.
B) Humans contain no permanent elements.
C) The search for meaning begins with a single step toward meaning.
D) The purpose of Sartre's statement was to present individuals with a riddle that they could ponder, rather than succumbing to depression.
E) The Gestalt view regarding humans and polarities.

Question 5

Sartre's statement "I am my choices" includes which of the following meanings?

A) Humans react to life in a predetermined, fateful manner.
B) Humans are capable of self-reinvention through choice.
C) Behavior is not owned by or the responsibility of individuals.
D) Humans construct their own selves.
E) Only b and d.

Question 6

Rollo May coined the term daimonic, which is defined as:

A) A tendency for humans to become possessed.
B) The same as demonic.
C) Any natural function that has the power to take over the whole person.
D) A peaceful way of being.
E) The dialectic between inner peace and inner rage.

Question 7

What are the four existential "ways of being"?

A) Death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness.
B) Umwelt, Mitwelt, Eigenwelt, and Uberwelt.
C) Dialectic, paradox, meaning-centered, and here-now.
D) Mindful, doubtful, shameful, and restful.
E) None of the above: Existentialists don't categorize anything-including ways of being.

Question 8

According to existential philosophy, freedom is:

A) Always a positive.
B) An inevitable burden.
C) A choice; one may choose to not have freedom.
D) The opposite of responsibility.
E) Infused with spirituality.

Question 9

When anxiety is a focus of treatment, the goal of existential therapy is not to do away with anxiety, but to:

A) Work through the process of individuation.
B) Reduce neurotic anxiety.
C) Exorcize irrational thoughts.
D) Increase self-efficacy.
E) None of the above.

Question 10

Which of the following is true of anxiety according to the existential perspective?

A) Normal anxiety can be used creatively.
B) Normal anxiety is disproportionate to the situation, and is never a good thing.
C) The goal of existential treatment is to do away with all anxiety.
D) Anxiety is always linked to psychopathology.
E) None of the above.

Question 11

One goal of existential treatment is NOT to do away with guilt, but to:

A) Become individuated.
B) Exorcize irrational guilty thoughts.
C) Increase self-efficacy, thereby reducing guilt.
D) None of the above.
E) Only a and b.

Question 12

For existentialists, neurotic or maladaptive behavior is often linked to:

A) Irrational thoughts.
B) The presence of an I-Thou relationship.
C) Avoidance.
D) Introjection.
E) None of the above.

Question 13

What are the four existential psychodynamics or ultimate concerns?

A) Death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness.
B) Umwelt, Mitwelt, Eigenwelt, and Uberwelt.
C) Dialectic, paradox, meaning-centered, and here-now.
D) Mindful, doubtful, shameful, and restful.
E) None of the above: Existentialists don't categorize anything-including psychodynamics or ultimate concerns.

Question 14

This particular ultimate concern is "whirring or rumbling continuously beneath the membrane of life."

A) Freedom.
B) Umwelt.
C) Isolation.
D) Meaninglessness.
E) None of the above.

Question 15

When individuals ask themselves: "What will come from what I am doing now, and may do tomorrow? What will come from my whole life?" (or otherwise stated: "Why should I live? Why should I wish for anything? Why should I do anything?"), existentialists would say they are concerned with:

A) Death.
B) Freedom.
C) Meaninglessness.
D) Isolation.
E) Personal responsibility.

Question 16

One of the four ultimate concerns for the existentialist is freedom. A primary burden of freedom is:

A) Freedom is controlled by the unconscious; therefore people have no control over it.
B) An individual can point the blame for one's choices on every other person except for oneself because they too are free.
C) Individuals have no meaning in life and are free to do whatever they want.
D) The burden of responsibility.
E) Both a and d.

Question 17

Sartre claimed life has no inherent meaning. Frankl believed:

A) The same as Sartre.
B) That maintaining a pessimistic attitude is a good goal in life.
C) That humans have no will or desire for meaning.
D) That meaning exists, but it's up to us to find or discover it.
E) That meaning always has a spiritual dimension.

Question 18

Existentialism strongly emphasizes:

A) Personal choice.
B) Personal responsibility.
C) Personal trainers.
D) All of the above.
E) Only a and b.

Question 19

According to Yalom (1980) and Frankl (1967), humans can resolve existential neuroses through which of the following?

A) Creativity.
B) Free association.
C) Daimonic analysis.
D) Embracing realism or pessimism.
E) All of the above.

Question 20

What does Yalom mean by the statement "Existence cannot be postponed"?

A) One can really live only in the present.
B) One must anticipate and focus on the future.
C) One must find the meaning of life.
D) One will surely enjoy his or her existence.
E) Unfinished business must be finished before life has meaning.

Question 21

According to Keshen, if people don't find or fulfill authentic meaning in life:

A) They will become daimonic.
B) They will never be successful in life.
C) They will become sociopathic and violent.
D) They won't live as long.
E) They will engage in an unfulfilling "purpose substitute."

Question 22

According to Rollo May, existentialism is radically different in that the main aim of therapy is not to "patch the person up," but to:

A) Break the person down.
B) Educate the person about death (or the inevitable ending).
C) Help the person become more sensitive to life.
D) Improve relationships.
E) Eliminate daimonic tendencies.

Question 23

A potential liability for therapists in an existential therapeutic relationship is:

A) Self-deception may cause them to address their own issues instead of their clients' issues.
B) Clients are more tempted and more successful at deceiving therapists in an existential relationship.
C) With the constant focus on existential psychodynamics (or ultimate concerns), therapists can start freaking out about their own inevitable death.
D) Client increased risk of suicide.
E) All of the above are common liabilities for existential therapists.

Question 24

Kirk Schneider described _____________ as a critical component in the experiential liberation portion of his existential integrative approach.

A) Countertransference.
B) Informed consent.
C) Self-disclosure.
D) Therapist presence.
E) Only a and c.

Question 25

A therapist says to her client: "You say you're feeling fine, but your face is showing me an angry expression." Which strategy is the therapist using?

A) Confrontation of a content-process discrepancy.
B) Paradoxical intention.
C) Self-disclosure.
D) Topical focus.
E) Cognitive (meaning) reframing.

Question 26

As a client is talking about a particular issue, the therapist says things like: "Tell me more" and "You look like you could say more about that." Which strategy is being employed?

A) Confrontation of a content-process discrepancy.
B) Paradoxical intention.
C) Topical focus.
D) Topical expansion.
E) None of the above.

Question 27

_____________ emphasizes acceptance of one's thoughts and of challenging life situations.

A) Rational disputation.
B) Mindfulness.
C) Confrontation.
D) Surrendering.
E) Radical respect.

Question 28

The goal of cognitive reframing is to help clients find ________in their suffering.

A) Humor.
B) Irony.
C) Meaning.
D) Closure.
E) An ending.

Question 29

Yalom discussed hedonism as a path toward meaning that is defined as:

A) Relying of God to find meaning.
B) Dedicating oneself to self-improvement.
C) Choosing to live life to the fullest each moment.
D) Choosing to create something beautiful, powerful, and meaningful.
E) None of the above.

Question 30

In regard to recognizing and navigating the constrictive and expansive potentialities associated with existential therapy, the goal is to help clients:

A) Become aware of which potential is more consistent with their true self.
B) Move toward a centering experience.
C) Develop deeper and more meaningful relationships.
D) Learn to refrain from these two potentialities.
E) Understand that expansiveness is always preferred and consequently move toward greater personal growth.

Question 31

Unlike psychoanalysis, existential philosophy and therapy are about more than isolated sexual and aggressive impulses. Existential and Gestalt therapy approaches are about:

A) Drug abuse.
B) Intellectualism.
C) Being and somethingness.
D) Life.
E) None of the above.

Question 32

Which of the following does V. Frankl consider to be an underlying therapeutic force in paradoxical intention?

A) Reframing.
B) Responsibility.
C) Humor.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 33

Frankl uses a technique originally employed by Alfred Adler that uses humor as its underlying mechanism for success. The technique is:

A) Patch Adams humor-based theory.
B) Paradoxical intention.
C) Frankl's Funnybone Function.
D) Perl's Pearls of Wisdom.
E) None of the above.

Question 34

All of the following are true about existential therapy EXCEPT:

A) It focuses on moment-to-moment experiences.
B) It focuses on mindfulness, awareness, and acceptance.
C) Generally speaking, therapists are not keen on treatment planning.
D) It fits well with a medical model.
E) None of the above.

Question 35

Which of the following is a reasonable description of psychopathology from the existential perspective?

A) Emotional numbness or automaton living.
B) Embracing anxiety and guilt.
C) Failure to acknowledge and reconcile life's ultimate concerns.
D) All of the above.
E) Only a and c.

Question 36

Jamal came to therapy complaining of anxiety. His therapist explained that she wanted to focus primarily on symptom reduction. Which existential technique was the therapist using?

A) Topical expansion.
B) Topical focus.
C) Paradoxical intention.
D) Symptom confrontation.
E) Jamal's therapist is not using an existential approach.

Question 37

A therapist practicing individual psychology consulted her friend, an existential therapist, for advice on a technique to use with her depressed client. Her friend's advice was:

A) "You should use the push-button technique."
B) "You should be with your client as he or she explores the depths of his or her depression."
C) "You should use the peeling the onion technique."
D) "You should stay nondirective and avoid confronting your client about what is meaningful in his or her life."
E) None of the above.

Question 38

Regarding outcome research that focuses on existential therapy, which of the following statements is true?

A) There is a significant amount of research supporting existential therapy outcomes.
B) There is a small amount of research supporting existential group therapy outcomes for individuals facing life-threatening illnesses.
C) There is research attesting to the importance of meaning in psychological well-being.
D) No research has been done on existential therapy outcomes.
E) Only b and c are true.

Question 39

Which statement is the most accurate about research on the efficacy of paradoxical intention?

A) Paradoxical intention is rarely effective.
B) Paradoxical intention is primarily associated with negative outcomes.
C) Meta-analyses of paradoxical intention research have shown a large and significant effect size, but it's still considered a somewhat risky approach.
D) There hasn't been any research conducted on paradoxical intention.
E) Paradoxical intention is always unethical.

Question 40

Feminists and multiculturalists frequently complain that existential therapy is:

A) Completely insensitive to diversity.
B) A theory promoted by wealthy, dead, white European men.
C) Extremely sexist.
D) A surface-focused and superficial approach.
E) None of the above.