Francoise is depressed. Her therapist asks about daily experiences, focusing on how often people say nice things to her. This orientation is most consistent with

Francoise is depressed. Her therapist asks about daily experiences, focusing on how often people say nice things to her. This orientation is most consistent with

• A. Psychodynamic
• B. Biological
• C. Biochemical
• D. Cognitive-behavioral

Answer: (D)

Focusing on present experiences and how interpretations of daily social interactions affect mood is typical of the cognitive-behavioral approach. In CBT, the therapist attends to current thoughts and beliefs about everyday events and how those thoughts shape feelings and behavior. Asking about how often people say nice things provides concrete data on social feedback, which helps identify cognitive patterns like discounting positive input or overgeneralizing from a few negative comments. This information then guides targeted strategies to adjust both thinking and behavior, such as challenging distorted beliefs and increasing adaptive activities. It isn’t the psychodynamic orientation, which would emphasize unconscious processes and early life experiences rather than present-day experiences and their immediate impact on mood. It also isn’t focused on brain chemistry or biology, which would look at physiological factors underlying depression rather than the way daily experiences and interpretations influence emotional state.

Focusing on present experiences and how interpretations of daily social interactions affect mood is typical of the cognitive-behavioral approach. In CBT, the therapist attends to current thoughts and beliefs about everyday events and how those thoughts shape feelings and behavior. Asking about how often people say nice things provides concrete data on social feedback, which helps identify cognitive patterns like discounting positive input or overgeneralizing from a few negative comments. This information then guides targeted strategies to adjust both thinking and behavior, such as challenging distorted beliefs and increasing adaptive activities.

It isn’t the psychodynamic orientation, which would emphasize unconscious processes and early life experiences rather than present-day experiences and their immediate impact on mood. It also isn’t focused on brain chemistry or biology, which would look at physiological factors underlying depression rather than the way daily experiences and interpretations influence emotional state.