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Therapeutic Approaches – Class 12 Psychology notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 12 Psychology, chapter 5. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

Psychotherapy is a voluntary relationship between a client and a trained therapist aimed at solving psychological problems. All psychotherapies share features such as a therapeutic relationship, systematic application of principles, and confidentiality. Major approaches include psychodynamic, behaviour, cognitive, humanistic-existential and biomedical therapies, along with alternative therapies such as yoga and meditation. Rehabilitation helps people with severe disorders return to everyday life.

Nature and types of therapy

Goals include reinforcing the client's resolve for betterment, reducing emotional pressure, unfolding potential, changing habits, increasing self-awareness and improving relationships; the therapeutic alliance involves trust, empathy, acceptance and confidentiality.
Psychodynamic therapy (Freud) uses free association, dream interpretation, transference and interpretation to bring unconscious conflicts to awareness and achieve insight.
Behaviour therapy changes maladaptive behaviour using learning principles: systematic desensitisation (Wolpe) for phobias, aversive conditioning, token economy, modelling and positive reinforcement.

Cognitive, humanistic and other therapies

Cognitive therapies change irrational thoughts: Albert Ellis's rational emotive therapy (ABC model: activating event, belief, consequence) and Aaron Beck's cognitive therapy; cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) combines both approaches.
Humanistic-existential therapies: Carl Rogers's client-centred therapy (unconditional positive regard, empathy, genuineness), Frankl's logotherapy (finding meaning) and Gestalt therapy (awareness of feelings).
Biomedical therapy uses medicines prescribed by psychiatrists; alternative therapies include yoga, meditation and Sudarshan Kriya Yoga; rehabilitation includes occupational therapy, social skills training and vocational training. Ethics require informed consent, confidentiality and professional competence.

Key terms

Psychotherapy: a voluntary relationship between client and therapist to solve psychological problems
Free association: saying whatever comes to mind without censoring, used in psychoanalysis
Systematic desensitisation: gradual exposure to feared situations while relaxed
Unconditional positive regard: complete acceptance of the client without judgement
Rational emotive therapy: Ellis's therapy that replaces irrational beliefs with rational ones

Important questions with answers

What is systematic desensitisation?2 marks

Systematic desensitisation, developed by Joseph Wolpe, is a behaviour therapy for phobias and anxiety. The client learns relaxation, builds a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations, and is gradually exposed to them while relaxed, until the fear is extinguished.

Explain the ABC model of rational emotive therapy.3 marks

In Albert Ellis's model, A is the activating event, B is the belief about the event, and C is the emotional and behavioural consequence. Distress (C) is caused not by A but by irrational beliefs (B), such as 'I must always succeed'. The therapist disputes these beliefs and replaces them with rational ones.

Describe the factors that contribute to healing in psychotherapy and the ethics involved.5 marks

Several factors contribute to healing in psychotherapy. The techniques used, such as exposure in behaviour therapy or disputing beliefs in cognitive therapy, help change behaviour and thought. The therapeutic alliance, a relationship of trust, warmth, empathy and acceptance between therapist and client, is one of the most important factors across all therapies. Catharsis, the release of emotional tension when the client talks about problems, provides relief. Non-specific factors also help: the client's motivation for change and expectation of improvement (patient variables), and the therapist's warmth, competence and enthusiasm (therapist variables). Insight into one's problems and learning new ways of coping lead to lasting change. Psychotherapy must follow ethical standards. The therapist must obtain informed consent from the client after explaining the nature of therapy; maintain confidentiality of the client's information, except where there is serious danger; relieve personal distress and avoid causing harm; maintain the integrity of the therapist-client relationship without exploiting the client; respect human rights and dignity; and have professional competence and skills, working only within the limits of their training. Psychotherapy should be provided by qualified professionals.

Quick revision

Nature and goals of psychotherapy; therapeutic relationship.
Psychodynamic and behaviour therapies.
Cognitive and humanistic therapies.
Biomedical, alternative therapies, rehabilitation and ethics.

Exam tips

Match each therapy to its founder: Freud, Wolpe, Ellis, Beck, Rogers, Frankl.
Learn the ABC model of rational emotive therapy.

Practice MCQs

Client-centred therapy was developed by
1. Freud
2. Wolpe
3. Albert Ellis
4. Carl Rogers
Show answer
Answer: (d) Carl Rogers. It is a humanistic therapy.
Saying whatever comes to mind without censoring is called
1. transference
2. modelling
3. free association
4. desensitisation
Show answer
Answer: (c) free association. It is a psychoanalytic technique.
Gradual exposure to feared objects while relaxed is
1. aversive conditioning
2. systematic desensitisation
3. token economy
4. logotherapy
Show answer
Answer: (b) systematic desensitisation. Wolpe developed it for phobias.
The ABC model belongs to
1. client-centred therapy
2. rational emotive therapy
3. psychoanalysis
4. Gestalt therapy
Show answer
Answer: (b) rational emotive therapy. A is the event, B the belief, C the consequence.
Rewarding desired behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for rewards is
1. modelling
2. free association
3. token economy
4. logotherapy
Show answer
Answer: (c) token economy. It is used in institutions.
Logotherapy, which helps people find meaning in life, was developed by
1. Viktor Frankl
2. Aaron Beck
3. Freud
4. Skinner
Show answer
Answer: (a) Viktor Frankl. He survived concentration camps.
Transference in psychoanalysis refers to
1. transferring the client to another therapist
2. the client directing feelings about important people onto the therapist
3. moving the client to hospital
4. giving medicine
Show answer
Answer: (b) the client directing feelings about important people onto the therapist. It is analysed to gain insight.
Unconditional positive regard means the therapist
1. interprets dreams
2. rewards only good behaviour
3. gives advice and orders
4. accepts the client fully without judging
Show answer
Answer: (d) accepts the client fully without judging. It creates a safe climate for growth.

All chapters of Class 12 Psychology

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.