Passage Based Questions: Therapeutic Approaches | Psychology Class 12 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Passage - 1

I. Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Passage: Billy, a 6-year-old first grader, was brought to a psychological clinic by his parents because he hated school and because his teacher had told them that his showing off was disrupting the class and making him unpopular. It became apparent in observing Billy and his parents during the initial interview that both his mother and his father were non-critical and approving of everything Billy did. After further assessment, a three-page program of therapy was undertaken:

1. Billy’s parents were helped to distinguish between showing-off behaviour and appropriate behaviour on Billy’s part.
2. They were instructed to ignore Billy when he engaged in showing-off behaviour while continuing to show approval of appropriate behaviour.
3. Billy’s teacher was also instructed to ignore Billy, insofar as it was feasible when he engaged in showing-off behaviour, and to devote her attention at those times to children who were behaving more appropriately.

Although Billy’s showing off in class increased during the first few days of this behaviour therapy program, it diminished markedly after his parents and teacher no longer reinforced it. As his maladaptive behaviour diminished, he was better accepted by his classmates. This helped reinforce more appropriate behaviour patterns and changed Billy’s negative attitude toward school.

Q1: What type of behaviour therapy was implemented in Billy’s case?
Ans: Differential reinforcement was used on Billy while ignoring unwanted behaviour.

Q2: How did Billy’s parents reinforce his showing-off behaviour?
Ans: Billy’s parents positively reinforced Billy’s behaviour of showing off by not correcting him when needed.

Q3: Can you explain the concepts of positive and negative reinforcement?
Ans: Positive reinforcement - If an adaptive behaviour occurs rarely, positive reinforcement is given to increase the deficit.
Negative reinforcement - It refers to following an undesired response with an outcome that is painful or not liked. In other words, responses that lead organisms to get rid of painful stimuli or avoid and escape from them constitute negative reinforcement.

Q4: What are some other behaviour therapies that can be used to modify behaviour?
Ans: Some of the other therapies are Aversive Conditioning, Token Economy, Systematic Desensitization, Modeling, and Vicarious Learning.

Passage - 2

II. Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Passage: The humanistic-existential therapies postulate that psychological distress arises from feelings of loneliness, alienation, and an inability to find meaning and genuine fulfilment in life. Human beings are motivated by the desire for personal growth and self-actualisation, and an innate need to grow emotionally. When these needs are curbed by society and family, human beings experience psychological distress. Self-actualisation is defined as an innate or inborn force that moves the person to become more complex, balanced, and integrated, i.e., achieving the complexity and balance without being fragmented. Integrated means a sense of the whole, being a complete person, being in essence the same person in spite of the variety of experiences that one is subjected to. Just as lack of food or water causes distress, the frustration with self-actualisation also causes distress. Healing occurs when the client is able to perceive the obstacles to self-actualisation in her/his life and is able to remove them. Self-actualisation requires free emotional expression. The family and society curb emotional expression, as it is feared that a free expression of emotions can harm society by unleashing destructive forces. This curb leads to destructive behaviour and negative emotions by thwarting the process of emotional integration. Therefore, the therapy creates a permissive, nonjudgmental, and accepting atmosphere in which the client’s emotions can be freely expressed, and the complexity, balance, and integration could be achieved. The fundamental assumption is that the client has the freedom and responsibility to control her/his own behaviour. The therapist is merely a facilitator and guide. It is the client who is responsible for the success of therapy. The chief aim of the therapy is to expand the client’s awareness. Healing takes place by a process of understanding the unique personal experience of the client by herself/himself. The client initiates the process of self-growth through which healing takes place.

Q1: What are humanistic-existential therapies?
Ans: Humanistic-Existential therapy creates a permissive, non-judgmental, and accepting atmosphere in which the client’s emotions can be freely expressed, and the complexity, balance, and integration could be achieved. It postulates that psychological distress arises from feelings of loneliness, alienation, and an inability to find meaning and genuine fulfilment in life.

Q2: Can you list the types of humanistic-existential therapies?
Ans: Logotherapy, Client-centered Therapy, Gestalt Therapy.

Q3: Explain the concepts of client-centered therapy and gestalt therapy.
Ans: Client-centered therapy provides a warm relationship in which the client can reconnect with her/his disintegrated feelings. The therapist shows empathy and unconditional positive regard to the client.
Gestalt therapy’s goal is to increase an individual’s self-awareness and self-acceptance. The client is taught to recognise the bodily processes and the emotions that are being blocked out from awareness. The therapist does this by encouraging the client to act out fantasies about feelings and conflicts.