Leena goes to a therapist who conveys through her words and behavior…

Leena goes to a therapist who conveys through her words and behavior that she is not judging her and will continue to show the same positive feelings towards the client even if she is rude. The therapist is demonstrating:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → unconditional positive regard

Option (1) habit modification — Incorrect. Modifying habits is one of the goals of psychotherapy, the change the therapy tries to bring about in the client. The question asks about the attitude the therapist shows towards Leena, not a goal of treatment.

Option (2) self awareness — Incorrect. Increasing self-awareness is another goal of psychotherapy, and it belongs to the client: it means the client coming to know her/his own feelings and processes better. Here it is the therapist who is showing something to the client.

Option (3) sympathy — Incorrect. In sympathy, one has compassion and pity towards the suffering of another but is not able to feel like the other person. The therapist here is not pitying Leena; she accepts her without judging, whatever Leena says or does.

Option (4) unconditional positive regard — Correct. The therapist conveys by words and behaviour that s/he is not judging the client and will continue to show the same positive feelings even if the client is rude or confides all the ‘wrong’ things. This is the unconditional positive regard which the therapist has for the client.

Note 1: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 02-06-2023 (Slot 1).

Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 31-05-2026 (Slot 1).

NCERT (2025-26): “Nature and Process of Psychotherapy … All psychotherapies aim at a few or all of the following goals :

(i) Reinforcing client’s resolve for betterment.
(ii) Lessening emotional pressure.
(iii) Unfolding the potential for positive growth.
(iv) Modifying habits.
(v) Changing thinking patterns.
(vi) Increasing self-awareness.
(vii) Improving interpersonal relations and communication.”

“Therapeutic Relationship … The therapist encourages this by being accepting, empathic, genuine and warm to the client. The therapist conveys by her/his words and behaviours that s/he is not judging the client and will continue to show the same positive feelings towards the client even if the client is rude or confides all the ‘wrong’ things that s/he may have done or thought about. This is the unconditional positive regard which the therapist has for the client. The therapist has empathy for the client. Empathy is different from sympathy and intellectual understanding of another person’s situation. In sympathy, one has compassion and pity towards the suffering of another but is not able to feel like the other person.…”