Read the passage and answer the following question:
The humanistic-existential therapies propose that psychological distress originates from feelings of alienation, loneliness and inability to find meaning in life. Individuals have needs for personal growth and self-actualisation. When these needs are not met it creates psychological distress.
The therapy creates a permissive, non-judgmental and accepting atmosphere in which the client's emotions can be freely expressed and balance achieved.
Gestalt Therapy is one of the therapies under this category which was given by Freiderick Perls and Laura Perls. This therapy works with a goal to increase an individual's self-awareness and self-acceptance. Similarly, client can reconnect with his/her disintegrated feelings. The therapist shows empathy and unconditional positive regard towards the client. This therapy also believes that client has the resources and potential to deal with the distress. In conclusion, it can be said that these therapies help a client to become his/her real self with the therapist working as facilitator.
When the therapist understands the client's experiences from the client's perspective, the therapist is said to possess:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Empathy
Option (1) Unconditional positive regard — Incorrect. Unconditional positive regard is total acceptance of the client as s/he is; the therapist’s warmth does not depend on what the client reveals or does. It is about accepting the client, not about seeing things through the client’s eyes.
Option (2) Transference — Incorrect. Transference belongs to psychodynamic therapy: the client starts identifying the therapist with the authority figures of the past, usually of childhood, and acts out the feelings s/he could not express then. It is something the client does, not a quality of the therapist.
Option (3) Resistance — Incorrect. Resistance is the client’s opposition to the progress of therapy, to protect herself/himself from recalling painful unconscious memories, as when the client becomes silent or misses appointments. It is again the client’s reaction, not the therapist’s understanding.
Option (4) Empathy — Correct. Empathy is understanding the client’s experience as if it were her/his own, that is, understanding things from the other person’s perspective, putting oneself in the other person’s shoes. It sets up an emotional resonance between the therapist and the client.
NCERT (2025-26): “Therapeutic Relationship … 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. Intellectual understanding is cold in the sense that the person is unable to feel like the other person and does not feel sympathy either. On the other hand, empathy is present when one is able to understand the plight of another person, and feel like the other person. It means understanding things from the other person’s perspective, i.e. putting oneself in the other person’s shoes. Empathy enriches the therapeutic relationship and transforms it into a healing relationship.…” “Client-centred Therapy … The therapist shows empathy, i.e. understanding the client’s experience as if it were her/his own, is warm and has unconditional positive regard, i.e. total acceptance of the client as s/he is. Empathy sets up an emotional resonance between the therapist and the client.…” |