Which paradoxical technique did Adler use, requiring a client to exaggerate a feared behavior?

Which paradoxical technique did Adler use, requiring a client to exaggerate a feared behavior?

• A. Free Association
• B. Paradox
• C. Dream Analysis
• D. Exposure Therapy

Answer: (B)

Paradoxical intention is the technique at play. It involves telling the client to deliberately perform or exaggerate the very behavior or symptom they fear. The idea is that by choosing to act out or amplify the feared response, the person confronts the fear in a controlled way and discovers that the consequence isn’t as terrible as imagined. This reduces anticipatory anxiety and avoidance, making the fear easier to tolerate over time. For example, if someone is afraid of embarrassing themselves in social situations, they might be asked to intentionally seek out opportunities to be social and, in a way, exaggerate the possibility of embarrassment. The shift comes from recognizing that the feared outcome is not as dangerous or unavoidable as the fear suggests, which diminishes the power of the fear and the urge to avoid. This approach is distinct from free association or dream analysis, which are analytic methods to uncover unconscious content, and from exposure therapy, which gradually confronts the feared stimulus to reduce the fear response. Here the emphasis is on turning the fear into an action, exposing the client to the reaction in a deliberately controlled, sometimes humorous way, to undermine its paralyzing grip.

Paradoxical intention is the technique at play. It involves telling the client to deliberately perform or exaggerate the very behavior or symptom they fear. The idea is that by choosing to act out or amplify the feared response, the person confronts the fear in a controlled way and discovers that the consequence isn’t as terrible as imagined. This reduces anticipatory anxiety and avoidance, making the fear easier to tolerate over time.

For example, if someone is afraid of embarrassing themselves in social situations, they might be asked to intentionally seek out opportunities to be social and, in a way, exaggerate the possibility of embarrassment. The shift comes from recognizing that the feared outcome is not as dangerous or unavoidable as the fear suggests, which diminishes the power of the fear and the urge to avoid.

This approach is distinct from free association or dream analysis, which are analytic methods to uncover unconscious content, and from exposure therapy, which gradually confronts the feared stimulus to reduce the fear response. Here the emphasis is on turning the fear into an action, exposing the client to the reaction in a deliberately controlled, sometimes humorous way, to undermine its paralyzing grip.