Week 6: Gestalt Therapy

The main founder of Gestalt therapy is (a) Fritz Perls. (b) William Glasser. (c) Albert Ellis. (d) Carl Rogers.

(a) Fritz Perls.

Blocked energy can be considered a form of defensive behavior. (a) True (b) False

(a) True

Dreams contain existential messages, and each piece of dream work leads to assimilation of missing parts of the self. (a) True (b) False

(a) True

Gestalt therapy is well suited for group counseling, especially when there is a here-and-now emphasis within the group. (a) True (b) False

(a) True

Which of the following aspects of a client's use of language would a Gestalt therapist not focus on? (a) "it" talk (b) "you" talk (c) questions (d) language that denies power (e) semantics

(e) semantics

confluence

A disturbance in which the sense of the boundary between self and environment is lost.

field

A dynamic system of interrelationships.

empty-chair technique

A role-playing intervention in which clients play conflicting parts. This typically consists of clients engaging in an imaginary dialogue between different sides of themselves.

paradoxical theory of change

A theoretical position that authentic change occurs more from being who we are than from trying to be who we are not.

deflection

A way of avoiding contact and awareness by being vague and indirect.

organismic self-regulation

An individual's tendency to take actions and make contacts that will restore equilibrium or contribute to change.

confrontation

An invitation for the client to become aware of discrepancies between verbal and nonverbal expressions, between feelings and actions, or between thoughts and feelings.

holism

Attending to a client's thoughts, feelings, behaviors, body, and dreams.

figure-formation process

Describes how the individual organizes the environment from moment to moment and how the emerging focus of attention is on what is figural.

techniques

Exercises or interventions that are often used to bring about action or interaction, sometimes with a prescribed outcome in mind.

field theory

Paying attention to and exploring what is occurring at the boundary between the person and the environment.

blocks to energy

Paying attention to where energy is located, how it is used, and how it can be blocked.

experiments

Procedures aimed at encouraging spontaneity and inventiveness by bringing the possibilities for action directly into the therapy session. Experiments are designed to enhance here-and-now awareness. They are activities clients try out as a way of testing new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

exercises

Ready-made techniques that are sometimes used to make something happen in a therapy session or to achieve a goal.

Dream work

The Gestalt approach does not interpret and analyze dreams. Instead, the intent is to bring dreams back to life and relive them as though they were happening now.

retroflection

The act of turning back onto ourselves something we would like to do (or have done) to someone else.

projection

The process by which we disown certain aspects of ourselves by ascribing them to the environment; the opposite of introjection.

awareness

The process of attending to and observing one's own sensing, thinking, feelings, and actions; paying attention to the flowing nature of one's present-centered experience.

contact

The process of interacting with nature and with other people without losing one's sense of individuality. Contact is made by seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and moving.

impasse

The stuck point in a situation in which individuals believe they are unable to support themselves and thus seek external support.

figure

Those aspects of the individual's experience that are most salient at any moment.

phenomonelogical enquiry

Through a therapist asking "what" and "how" questions, clients are assisted in noticing what is occurring in the present moment.

unfinished business

Unexpressed feelings (such as resentment, guilt, anger, grief) dating back to childhood that now interfere with effective psychological functioning; needless emotional debris that clutters present-centered awareness.

One of the functions of the therapist is to pay attention to the client's body language. (a) True (b) False

(a) True

Resistances to contact refers to coping processes we develop that often end up preventing us from experiencing the present in a full and real way. (a) True (b) False

(a) True

The founder of Gestalt therapy contends that a frequent source of unfinished business is resentment. (a) True (b) False

(a) True

The basic goal of Gestalt therapy is: (a) attaining awareness, and with it greater choice. (b) to understand why we feel as we do. (c) to uncover repressed material. (d) all of these options (e) none of these options

(a) attaining awareness, and with it greater choice

According to the Gestalt view, awareness (a) is by itself therapeutic. (b) without specific behavioral change is useless. (c) consists of understanding the causes of one's problems. (d) is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for change.

(a) is by itself therapeutic.

The process of turning back to ourselves what we would like to do to someone else is (a) retroflection. (b) confluence. (c) introjection (d) projection

(a) retroflection.

A major function of the therapist is to make interpretations of clients' behavior so that they can begin to think about their patterns. (a) True (b) False

(b) False

Gestalt techniques are primarily aimed at teaching clients to think rationally. (a) True (b) False

(b) False

Recent trends in Gestalt practice include more emphasis on confrontation, more anonymity of the therapist, and increased reliance on techniques. (a) True (b) False

(b) False

The basic goal of Gestalt therapy is adjustment to society. (a) True (b) False

(b) False

A contribution of the Gestalt approach is that it (a) is primarily a cognitive perspective. (b) deals with the past in a lively manner by bringing relevant aspects into the present. (c) stresses talking about problems. (d) sheds light on transference.

(b) deals with the past in a lively manner by bringing relevant aspects into the present.

Which of the following is not a key concept of Gestalt therapy? (a) acceptance of personal responsibility (b) intellectual understanding of one's problems (c) awareness of the present moment (d) unfinished business

(b) intellectual understanding of one's problems

The basic goal of Gestalt therapy is to help clients (a) uncover unconscious motivations. (b) move from environmental support to self-support. (c) work through the transference relationship with the therapist. (d) recognize which ego state they are functioning in.

(b) move from environmental support to self-support.

A critical difference between early Gestalt therapy and relational Gestalt therapy is: (a) the emphasis on contact. (b) the approach to confrontation. (c) the use of techniques. (d) the focus on the figure formation process. (e) none of these options.

(b) the approach to confrontation.

Which of the following is a shortcoming of Gestalt therapy as it is applied to working with culturally diverse populations? (a) Focusing on gestures, facial expressions, and experiences within the body helps clients whose cultural norm is indirect and limited speech. (b) Gestalt therapists remain receptive to how clients' realities differ from their own. (c) Gestalt methods can lead to a high level of intense feelings would be used with clients who have been culturally conditioned to be emotionally reserved and to avoid openly expressing feelings. (d) Drawing on Gestalt experiments they can be tailored to fit the unique way in which an individual perceives and interpret his or her culture.

(c) Gestalt methods can lead to a high level of intense feelings would be used with clients who have been culturally conditioned to be emotionally reserved and to avoid openly expressing feelings.

The major focus of Gestalt therapy is on (a) understanding why we feel as we do. (b) free associating to the client's dreams in order to find out the specific issues the client is experiencing. (c) assisting the client to become aware of how behaviors that were once part of creatively adjusting to past environments may be interfering with effective functioning and living in the present. (d) the relationship between client and counselor and how well they get along.

(c) assisting the client to become aware of how behaviors that were once part of creatively adjusting to past environments may be interfering with effective functioning and living in the present.

The process of distraction, which makes it difficult to maintain sustained contact, is (a) projection. (b) retroflection. (c) deflection. (d) introjection.

(c) deflection.

Field theory suggests that: (a) the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. (b) human beings have a innate capacity to self regulate. (c) everything in human experience is relational and in constant flux. (d) phenomenological inquiry is the key to behavior change. (e) the "how" of behavior is more important than the "why" of behavior.

(c) everything in human experience is relational and in constant flux.

The tendency to uncritically accept others' beliefs and standards without assimilating them to make them congruent with who we are is (a) projection. (b) confluence. (c) introjection. (d) retroflection

(c) introjection.

Empirical support for Gestalt therapy is: (a) weak. (b) well-developed. (c) is becoming stronger. (d) is unavailable.

(c) is becoming stronger.

Which is not true of Gestalt therapy? (a) The focus is on integrating fragmented parts of the personality (b) The focus is on the here and now. (c) The focus is on the "what" and "how" of behavior. (d) The focus is on the "why" of behavior.

(d) The focus is on the "why" of behavior.

Contemporary Gestalt therapists view client resistance as: (a) a way that clients avoid confrontation. (b) a sign of poor motivation for therapeutic work. (c) a therapy interfering force that needs to be overcome. (d) an element of therapy that needs to be respected.

(d) an element of therapy that needs to be respected.

Gestalt therapy can best be characterized as (a) an empirically-validated treatment. (b) an insight therapy. (c) an action-oriented therapy. (d) an experiential therapy.

(d) an experiential therapy.

Because of his need to be liked, Jose makes careful efforts to get along with everyone and minimize interpersonal conflicts. Which boundary disturbance is Jose exhibiting? (a) introjection. (b) projection. (c) retroflection. (d) confluence.

(d) confluence.

The process of blurring the differentiation between the self and the environment is (a) projection. (b) retroflection. (c) introjection. (d) confluence.

(d) confluence.

The impasse is the point in therapy at which clients (a) experience a sense of becoming "unstuck." (b) are expected to accept their frustrations. (c) have external support available to them. (d) experience a sense of "being stuck."

(d) experience a sense of "being stuck."

Gestalt therapy encourages clients to do all of the following except (a) resolve inconsistencies and dichotomies (b) experience internal conflicts. (c) work through the impasse. (d) not pay attention to their own nonverbal messages.

(d) not pay attention to their own nonverbal messages.

The paradoxical theory of behavior change suggests: (a) we change by setting future-oriented goals. (b) clients should pay particular attention to becoming the person they wish to be. (c) careful attention should devoted to changing behavior in the moment it is happening. (d) we change through becoming aware of who we currently are. (e) all of these options

(d) we change through becoming aware of who we currently are.

Accurate empathic understanding helps clients to: (a) notice and value their experiences. (b) reconceptualize earlier experiences (c) modify their perceptions of themselves, others, and the world. (d) increase their confidence in making choices and in pursuing a course of action. (e) all of these options

(e) all of these options

In Gestalt therapy, the relationship between client and counselor is seen as: (a) a joint venture. (b) an existential encounter. (c) an I/Thou interaction. (d) both (a joint venture) and (an existential encounter) (e) all of these options

(e) all of these options

introjection

The uncritical acceptance of others' beliefs and standards without assimilating them into one's own personality.

ground

Those aspects of the individual's experience that tend to be out of awareness or in the background.