Famous Psychotherapists Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sigmund Freud

Freud originated the method of psychoanalysis, which has had an enormous influence on subsequent theories of psychotherapy, either directly through those who modified his ideas, or indirectly through those who rejected them and developed alternatives. Freud proposed that mental disorders were caused by unconscious conflicts involving socially unacceptable sexual and aggressive wishes. Psychoanalysis was intended to bring these unconscious conflicts to light through such methods as free association, dream analysis, and more.

Answer: Carl Jung

Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, was at one time Freud's designated successor as the leader of the psychoanalytic movement, but Jung broke with Freud and developed his own theories, which are referred to as analytical psychology. In particular, he developed the idea of a collective unconscious that is a repository of archetypal images common to all humanity. Like Freudian psychoanalysis, dream interpretation is considered an important component of therapy, although Jung had quite different ideas about how this should be done.

He also developed the method of active imagination as a way of exploring the unconscious through guided fantasy.

Answer: Alfred Adler

Alfred Adler was a Viennese psychiatrist who studied with Freud for a while but also broke away to develop his own ideas. He called his theory Individual Psychology to emphasize a holistic approach in which a person is considered an indivisible whole. One of his more famous contributions is the idea of the "inferiority complex," in which a person feels inadequate at dealing with life's challenges. Adler's approach to therapy anticipated later developments in cognitive-behavioral therapy, as he encouraged clients to challenge mistaken assumptions and beliefs that they might have about the world, and to understand how one's thoughts influence one's emotions.

Adler's approach particularly emphasizes developing the client's sense of "social interest," i.e. recognition of the importance of one's connections with other people as a component of mental health.

Answer: Albert Ellis

Albert Ellis, an American psychologist, developed Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy based on the idea that people become emotionally disturbed because they have irrational ideas with which they upset themselves, For example, not getting what one wants is unbearably awful, or that one must be liked and approved by everyone that one meets, and many more.

He drew inspiration from the ancient Greek Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, who stated that, "Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them." His method involved actively disputing client's irrational beliefs and encouraging them to take action to solve their problems through "homework" assignments. Ellis was particularly noted for his no-nonsense, argumentative demeanor and coined a number of cute neologisms to embody his ideas, such as "awfulizing" (having an exaggerated view of how terrible things are) and the all-time classic "musturbation" (insisting that one MUST have things a certain way or one cannot be happy).

Answer: Aaron T. Beck

Aaron T. Beck is an American psychiatrist who is noted for his pioneering work in the treatment of clinical depression and anxiety disorders. In his work with depressed patients he noticed that they often experienced a stream of spontaneous negative thoughts that he called "automatic thoughts." He particularly identified what he called the "cognitive triad" of depression that involved negative ideas about oneself, the world, and the future. Additionally, he found that particular symptoms of anxiety and depression were related to distorted and unrealistic appraisals of events.

His method of cognitive therapy focuses on helping patients to identify these automatic thoughts and think about them more realistically, which can help them feel better about their lives. Beck's methods have a number of similarities with those pioneered by Albert Ellis, although Beck's approach tended to be less intensely confrontational and abrasive than that of Ellis.

Answer: Carl Rogers

Carl Rogers, an American psychologist, developed an approach to treating clients that he originally termed "non-directive counseling," later "client-centered therapy," and finally "person-centered therapy." His approach emphasized developing a warm, empathic, and accepting relationship with a client so that the person can experience a sense of psychological safety that can encourage them to be more accepting of themselves. Rogers argued that clients are capable of working out their own solutions to their problems and therefore it is not the therapist's job to direct the client but instead to offer them genuine understanding. Rogers expounded his ideas in several books, the most famous of which has the rather charming title of "On Becoming a Person."

Answer: Fritz Perls

Fritz Perls was a German psychiatrist who was originally trained in psychoanalysis but became dissatisfied with this approach. He developed Gestalt therapy with his wife Laura Perls, who was a psychologist. Gestalt therapy is a humanistic therapy that focuses on awareness of what one is experiencing at the present moment. One of its several theoretical influences is Gestalt psychology, which examines how people perceive overall patterns in stimuli rather than the individual components that make up the pattern.

As such, Gestalt therapy focuses on understanding a person in terms of their holistic and unified experience. Gestalt therapy is very eclectic and makes use of many techniques to enhance awareness of one's ongoing experience such as role playing events as if they are happening in the present moment rather than talking about them in the past tense.

He also developed the famous empty chair technique in which a person is asked to pretend that they are talking directly to a person with whom they have issues, rather than talking about them, by imagining the person is present and sitting in the chair.

This can then be alternated with role-playing by being that person talking to oneself. In Gestalt therapy, the therapist tends to be highly directive, in stark contrast to person-centered therapy, for example, and the therapy process tends to evoke intense emotional reactions.

Answer: Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist, like Freud and Adler, and he even referred to his approach of logotherapy as "the third Viennese School of Psychotherapy." Logotherapy is a variety of existential psychotherapy in that it focuses on the human condition.

In particular, Frankl proposed that having a sense of meaning in life is important to mental health and that a lack of meaning creates an "existential vacuum" in which one's life seems pointless and empty. Frankl wrote many books, and arguably his most famous is "Man's Search for Meaning," which contains a gripping account of his experiences of being a prisoner in a Nazi extermination camp during the Jewish holocaust. During this time, he noted that prisoners who maintained a sense of hope for the future were better able to endure the terrible conditions.

This influenced his ideas about the importance of meaning in life, which he incorporated into logotherapy, in which clients are encouraged to actively search for sources of meaning in their lives and to avoid excessive self-preoccupation by focusing on concerns outside their own problems.

Answer: Steve de Shazer & Insoo Kim Berg

Solution-Focused (or Brief) Therapy was developed by two social workers, Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, at The Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, USA. Solution-Focused Therapy, as the name suggests encourages clients to identify areas of their lives in which they are functioning well to help them quickly develop solutions to their presenting problems. de Shazer argued that even if the causes of a person's problems are highly complex, solutions to such problems need not be.

Hence, rather than focusing in detail on personal history or in-depth discussion of the problem, the therapist will focus on identifying the client's goals, and encourage them to develop a rich description of what their life would be like if they did not have their current problem. One of the techniques used to facilitate this process is the "miracle question," in which the therapist asks the client to imagine that a miracle has happened that solves their problem and then asks them what would be different in their life as a result.

Another technique is that of asking about exceptions to the problem, that is, times and situations in which the problem does not occur and the person is functioning well. Through exploring exceptions, the client may be able to identify behaviors that can help improve their life, and the therapist may encourage the person to do more of these. A major influence on Solution-Focused therapy was the work of the American psychiatrist, Milton H Erickson, who developed highly innovative approaches to therapy that emphasized considering each client as a unique individual.

Answer: Gerald Klerman & Myrna Weissman

Interpersonal psychotherapy, a brief, attachment-focused modality that focuses on resolving interpersonal problems and symptomatic recovery, was developed by two American psychiatrists, Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman. Interpersonal psychotherapy was originally developed in the 1970s as a treatment for major depression and was later adapted for other mental disorders.

It is based on the theory that many psychological problems are rooted in difficulties in one's close relationships, and that resolving such difficulties can improve one's mental symptoms. One of its main influences was the work of the psychoanalyst Harry Stack Sullivan, who stressed that examining a patient's interpersonal problems, which may be reflected in the way they relate to the therapist, can provide important insights into their psychological difficulties.

Interpersonal psychotherapy takes a structured and time-limited approach that aims to resolve the client's problems within a few months of treatment.