Which therapy aims to integrate different and sometimes opposing aspects of personality into a unified sense of self?

Which therapy aims to integrate different and sometimes opposing aspects of personality into a unified sense of self?

• A. Gestalt therapy
• B. Psychoanalysis
• C. Cognitive therapy
• D. Behavioral therapy

Answer: (A)

Gestalt therapy centers on achieving wholeness by bringing together the different parts of the self that may be in conflict. It treats distress as arising when thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations aren’t integrated into a cohesive experience. The aim is for the person to become fully aware of these parts in the present moment and to give them voice so they can be reconciled into a unified sense of self. Techniques like the empty-chair exercise help parts that clash—letting them “talk” to each other and be acknowledged—so internal splits can heal through experiential awareness. This present-moment focus and emphasis on integration distinguish Gestalt therapy from approaches that concentrate more on uncovering unconscious motives, changing distorted beliefs, or altering behavior without the same focus on unifying conflicting aspects of the self.

Gestalt therapy centers on achieving wholeness by bringing together the different parts of the self that may be in conflict. It treats distress as arising when thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations aren’t integrated into a cohesive experience. The aim is for the person to become fully aware of these parts in the present moment and to give them voice so they can be reconciled into a unified sense of self. Techniques like the empty-chair exercise help parts that clash—letting them “talk” to each other and be acknowledged—so internal splits can heal through experiential awareness. This present-moment focus and emphasis on integration distinguish Gestalt therapy from approaches that concentrate more on uncovering unconscious motives, changing distorted beliefs, or altering behavior without the same focus on unifying conflicting aspects of the self.