Clinical Psychology Vocabulary Practice Test

Unconscious processes and childhood experiences shaping current problems are at the heart of this approach. In psychoanalysis, the aim is to bring unconscious material into awareness by interpreting thoughts, feelings, and fantasies that arise through free association, dream analysis, and patterns like slips of the tongue. The belief is that unresolved conflicts from early development influence present behavior and symptoms, and careful interpretation helps reveal these hidden motives, bringing insight and lasting change. This contrasts with cognitive therapy, which centers on current thoughts and beliefs and uses strategies to restructure them; humanistic therapy emphasizes growth and present experience with regard to the self; and existential therapy focuses on meaning and choices in a broader life context rather than uncovering unconscious childhood conflicts.