Psychology2016

624 CHAPTER 15

Chapter Summary

Treatment of Psychological Disorders:
Past to Present

15.1 Describe how the treatment of psychological
disorders has changed throughout history.

• Mentally ill people began to be confined to institutions called
  asylums in the mid-1500s. Treatments were harsh and often
  damaging.


• Philippe Pinel became famous for demanding that the mentally
  ill be treated with kindness, personally unlocking the chains of
  inmates at Bicêtre Asylum in Paris, France.


• Psychotherapy involves a person talking to a psychological pro-
  fessional about the person’s problems.


• Psychotherapy for the purpose of gaining understanding into
  one’s motives and actions is called insight therapy, whereas psy-
  chotherapy aimed at changing disordered behavior directly is
  called action therapy.


• Biomedical therapy uses a medical procedure to bring about
  changes in behavior.

Insight Therapies: Psychodynamic and Humanistic
Approaches

15.2 Describe the basic elements of Freud’s
psychoanalysis and psychodynamic approaches today.

• Sigmund Freud developed a treatment called psychoanalysis
  that focused on releasing a person’s hidden, repressed urges and
  concerns from the unconscious mind.
  
  
  • Psychoanalysis uses interpretation of dreams, free associa-
    tion, positive and negative transference, and resistance to help
    patients reveal their unconscious concerns.
  
  
  • Freud’s original therapy technique is criticized for its lack of sci-
    entific research and his own personal biases that caused him to
    misinterpret much of what his patients revealed.
  
  
  • Modern psychodynamic therapists have modified the technique
    so that it takes less time and is much more direct, and they do
    not focus on the id and sexuality as Freud did.
    15.3 Identify the basic elements of the humanistic
    therapies known as person-centered therapy and Gestalt
    therapy.
  
  
  • Humanistic therapies focus on the conscious mind and subjec-
    tive experiences to help clients gain insights.
  
  
  • Person-centered therapy is very nondirective, allowing the cli-
    ent to talk through problems and concerns while the therapist
    provides a supportive background.
  
  
  • The three basic elements of person-centered therapy are authen-
    ticity of the therapist in the client’s perception, unconditional
    positive regard given to the client by the therapist, and the
    empathy of the therapist for the client.
  
  
  • Gestalt therapy is more directive, helping clients become aware
    of their feelings and take responsibility for their choices in life.
  
  
  • Gestalt therapists try to help clients deal with things in their past
    that they have denied and will use body language and other
    nonverbal cues to understand what clients are really saying.
  
  
  • Humanistic therapies are also not based in experimental
    research and work best with intelligent, highly verbal persons.
  
  
  
  

e t a l. , 2 0 1 2 ; M o t ra g h i e t a l. ,

2015). Another advantage is the

more vivid and realistic imag-

ery possible with VR, especially

for patients who are asked to

“imagine” the scenarios that dis-

turb them who may not be highly

skilled in visualization. Think also

of the portability of VR: There are

currently handheld VR devices

that eventually could be used

to deliver therapy for PTSD, for

example, to survivors of earth-

quakes, tsunamis, hurricanes,

and other massive disasters around the world.

Questions for Further Discussion

1. What other disorders can you think of that might benefit from virtual reality
   psychotherapy?


2. Can you think of any disadvantages to this method of therapy?

VR psychotherapy has been effective for many soldiers

experiencing symptoms of PTSD.