© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION Sixth Edition by Karen Huffman PowerPoint  Lecture Notes Presentation Chapter 15 Therapy Paul J. Wellman Texas A&M University

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Lecture Overview Elements of Psychotherapy Psychoanalysis Cognitive Therapies Humanistic Therapies Behavior Therapies Group and Family Therapies Biomedical Therapies Issues of Therapy

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Psychotherapy Goals Psychotherapy can provide relief to a client for issues relating to:

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Myths of Psychotherapy There is one best therapy Therapy simply does not work Therapists can “read minds” People who go to therapists are crazy or just weak Only the rich can afford therapy

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis, as devised by Freud, involves techniques that move issues from the unconscious to the conscious level for resolution Therapy assumes that some issues may relate to childhood experiences –The ego serves to keep these issues below the level of consciousness (defense mechanisms) –Catharsis is an emotional energy that is released when early conflicts are relived

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Psychoanalytic Techniques Moving issues from the unconscious to the conscious can be achieved through –Free association: patient says whatever comes to mind –Dream analysis: Dreams express unconscious issues Manifest content: the actual content of a dream Latent content: Freud argued that dreams contain symbols that are disguised unconscious issues or motives

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E –Resistance: Therapist looks for evidence that the patient is avoiding an issue –Transference: Does the patient treat the therapist in ways that are similar to their parents? –Interpretation: Therapist provides analysis of the meaning of the thoughts, behaviors, and dreams of the patient Interpretation leads to understanding and resolution of unconscious issues

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Cognitive Therapies Cognitive Therapy –Assumes that problem behaviors and emotions result from faulty thought processes and beliefs –Analyzes a person’s thought processes –Attempts to restructure thought processes Changing thought patterns will in turn alter problem behaviors and emotions

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Cognitive Therapy: Depression Beck argues that depression reflects maladaptive thought processes –Selective perception: Depressed person focuses on negative events, while ignoring positive life events –Overgeneralization: Depressed persons draw negative conclusions about their self-worth, based on minimal data –Magnification: Person magnifies the significance of a negative event –All-or-none thinking: Everything is good or bad

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Humanistic Therapy Rogers’s Client-Centered Approach –Treats people as clients rather than patients –Creates an atmosphere that emphasizes the clients’ tendency toward health –Therapeutic techniques include: Empathy Unconditional positive regard Genuineness Active listening

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Behavior Therapies The focus of behavior therapies is the use of learning techniques to change behaviors –Therapist determines frequency of maladaptive and adaptive behaviors –Learning techniques are used to alter behaviors; these techniques include: Classical conditioning Operant conditioning Modeling

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Systematic Desensitization

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Behavior Therapy Techniques Classical conditioning: –Aversion therapy pairs an aversive stimulus with the unwanted behavior Operant Conditioning: –Shaping new behaviors –Punishment: making an aversive stimulus contingent on the unwanted behavior –Extinction: removing all rewards Modeling: client observes and imitates appropriate behaviors

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Group Therapy Some approaches offer treatment to a group of persons rather than to one client Advantages of group therapy: –Economy: group therapy is less expensive –Group support: there is comfort in knowing that others have similar problems –Feedback: group members learn from each other –Behavioral rehearsal: group members can role-play the activities of the key persons in a member’s life

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Drug Therapy Biomedical therapy may administer drugs to improve abnormal behavior Drug classes include: –Antianxiety drugs relieve muscle tension –Antipsychotic drugs improve thought processes Act by blocking dopamine receptors Can have major adverse side effects –Antidepressant drugs can reverse depression Tricyclics (block reuptake of serotonin) MAO inhibitors (prevent degradation of serotonin)

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Electroconvulsive Therapy Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can alleviate profound depression –Electrodes are used to pass electrical current through one of the brain hemispheres, thereby provoking a brain seizure Anesthesia is given to minimize trauma –ECT can lift depression –How ECT lifts depression is unknown

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Psychosurgery Physicians have long recognized that the brain is key to the control of behavior –Trephining: the opening of the skull to release evil spirits –Roman times: sword wound of the head was noted to relieve insanity –1940s: Moniz argued that the frontal lobes could be changed to alleviate mental illness Lobotomy procedure cut fibers in the frontal lobes Problem: patients were calm after the procedure but also had changed personality and drive

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Length of Therapy Matters From Seligman, M.E.P. (1995) Effectiveness of psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 50, Reprinted by permission. Copyright American Psychological Association.

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Therapy Cultural Universals Naming the problem Qualities of the therapist Establishing credibility Placing the problem in a familiar framework Applying techniques to bring relief A special time and place

© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E Copyright Copyright 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the copyright owner.