Study Guide: Chapter 15
Introduction: Psychotherapy and Biomedical
Therapy
1. Explain the basic differences between
psychotherapy and the biomedical therapies.
2. Identify the different types of mental health
professionals, and discuss the current status of
prescription privileges for licensed psychologists.
Psychoanalytic Therapy
3. Discuss the basic assumptions and techniques of
traditional psychoanalysis.
4. Explain how short-term dynamic therapies differ
from traditional psychoanalysis, and describe the
assumptions and basic approach of interpersonal
therapy.
Humanistic Therapy
5. Contrast the views of Carl Rogers and Sigmund
Freud on the sources of psychological problems and
the therapist’s proper role.
6. Describe the basic assumptions and techniques of
client-centered therapy, listing the therapeutic
qualities needed for positive change to occur.
Behavior Therapy
7. Contrast the basic assumptions and goals of
behavior therapy with those of psychodynamic and
humanistic therapies.
8. Identify Mary Cover Jones, and describe the
techniques she developed to treat a child’s fear of
animals.
9. Discuss therapy techniques that are based on
classical conditioning principles, including
systematic desensitization, virtual reality therapy, the
bell and pad treatment, and aversive conditioning.
10. Describe the use of operant conditioning
principles in therapy, including shaping,
reinforcement, extinction, shaping, token economies,
and contingency management interventions.
11. (In Focus) Describe virtual reality (VR) therapy,
and explain how it is used to treat phobias and other
anxiety disorders.
Cognitive Therapies
12. Contrast the basic assumptions and goals of
behavior therapy and cognitive therapies.
13. Explain the ABC model in Albert Ellis’s rationalemotive therapy (RET), identify common irrational
beliefs, and describe the techniques used to produce
therapeutic change.
14. Discuss the basic assumptions of Aaron Beck’s
cognitive therapy, identify common cognitive biases,
and describe the techniques used to produce
therapeutic changes.
15. Explain the basic assumptions of cognitivebehavioral therapy, stating how it differs from the
other cognitive therapies, and describe the techniques
used to produce therapeutic change.
Group and Family Therapy
16. Describe the basic assumptions and approach of
group therapy, and list some of the advantages of
group therapy as compared to individual therapy.
17. Identify the assumptions and goals of group
therapy, family therapy, and
couple therapy, and describe the treatment strategies
that are used.
18. (In Focus) Explain how various self-help groups
work, identify what they have in common and how
they differ, and discuss the effectiveness of self-help
groups.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy
19. Summarize the research findings on the
effectiveness of psychotherapy.
20. (Science Versus Pseudoscience) Describe eye
movement desensitization therapy
(EMDR), summarize the research findings on its
effectiveness, and discuss conditions that should be
met before new psychotherapy techniques are widely
adopted.
21. Explain the common factors that contribute to
effective psychotherapies, and discuss the meaning of
eclecticism.
22. (Culture and Human Behavior) Identify the
cultural values that are inherent in Western
psychotherapy, and explain how they can clash with
the values of other cultures.
Biomedical Therapies
23. Discuss the evolution of medical treatments for
psychological disorders.
24. Discuss how antipsychotic medications work, and
compare and contrast the effects of the early
antipsychotic medications and the newer atypical
antipsychotic medications.
25. Explain how antianxiety medications typically
work, and note their potential dangers.
26. Discuss the use of lithium as a treatment of
bipolar disorder, including itsunderlying mechanism
of action.
27. Identify the five categories of antidepressant
medications, explain how they work, and list some of
the potential side effects associated with their use.
28. (Focus on Neuroscience) Describe the findings of
a study using PET scans to compare the effects of
antidepressants and psychotherapy on brain
functioning in depression.
29. Describe the procedure of electroconvulsive
therapy (ECT) and the controversy surrounding its
use.
Application: What to Expect in Psychotherapy
30. List and explain the eight guidelines to help
promote realistic expectations about psychotherapy
and the therapist–client relationship.