MC Master of Counseling: Psychological Theories and Therapeutic Approaches 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept central to Adlerian therapy refers to the fictional goals that guide a person's behavior toward an idealized future?
- Inferiority complex
- Fictional finalism (Correct answer)
- Social interest
- Birth order
Correct answer: Fictional finalism
Fictional finalism, coined by Adler, describes the self-created, subjective goals that orient an individual's striving toward a perceived ideal end state.
Question 2: In Gestalt therapy, the concept of 'confluence' refers to which of the following?
- Awareness of present-moment sensations
- Loss of boundaries between self and environment (Correct answer)
- Unfinished business from the past
- Exaggerating a feeling to gain insight
Correct answer: Loss of boundaries between self and environment
Confluence is a contact boundary disturbance in Gestalt therapy where the individual merges with the environment, losing a clear sense of self.
Question 3: A counselor using Motivational Interviewing reflects a client's ambivalence by using 'double-sided reflection.' What does this technique do?
- Argues both sides of the client's change dilemma in a debate format
- Acknowledges both the client's desire to change and reasons to stay the same (Correct answer)
- Reflects the content of the client's statement and then the emotion
- Summarizes two different clients' perspectives for comparison
Correct answer: Acknowledges both the client's desire to change and reasons to stay the same
Double-sided reflection mirrors both sides of the client's ambivalence, validating their mixed feelings while gently evoking motivation for change.
Question 4: In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), which category of irrational belief involves demanding that life conditions must be comfortable and easy?
- Demandingness about self
- Demandingness about others
- Demandingness about the world/life conditions (Correct answer)
- Awfulizing
Correct answer: Demandingness about the world/life conditions
REBT identifies three core demands; the third targets life conditions and leads to low frustration tolerance when comfort or fairness is not achieved.
Question 5: Which therapeutic approach uses the 'miracle question' as a primary technique to help clients envision a preferred future?
- Narrative therapy
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (Correct answer)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Cognitive therapy
Correct answer: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy uses the miracle question to bypass problem-saturated thinking and direct clients toward constructing a concrete, desired future.
Question 6: In the context of family systems theory, Murray Bowen's concept of 'differentiation of self' refers to:
- The ability to separate one's intellectual and emotional functioning (Correct answer)
- The process of leaving one's family of origin permanently
- Resolving intergenerational trauma through expressive arts
- Establishing clear hierarchies within the family unit
Correct answer: The ability to separate one's intellectual and emotional functioning
Differentiation of self describes the capacity to maintain a separate identity while staying emotionally connected, balancing thinking and feeling systems.
Question 7: Which existential therapy concept describes the client's experience of becoming fully aware of their freedom and the responsibility that accompanies it?
- Bad faith
- Existential anxiety (Correct answer)
- Throwness
- Authentic existence
Correct answer: Existential anxiety
Existential anxiety (or existential guilt) arises when individuals confront the weight of their freedom, choices, and ultimate responsibility for their lives.
MC Master of Counseling: Psychological Theories and Therapeutic Approaches 2
Which concept central to Adlerian therapy refers to the fictional goals that guide a person's behavior toward an idealized future?