Table of Contents
What is the concept of resistance in therapy?
As the dominant theoretical framework of the early 1900s, psychoanalysis was the first approach to include the term resistance. In psychoanalytic terms, resistance is the client’s attempt to block or repress anxiety-provoking memories and insights from entering conscious awareness. Sigmund Freud originally described psychological resistance as a phenomenon wherein patients unconsciously “cling to their disease” through “tenacious” and “critical objections” in order to repress distressing thoughts, emotions and experiences as they are raised by the therapist (Freud, 1904; 1920; 1940). Resistance in psychology refers to any opposition to the therapeutic process. Resistance is a way of pushing back against suggestions, even those that could help you solve mental or emotional health concerns. Sometimes a person tells themselves that they aren’t ready. Resistance to change is common and can come in many forms. It can be subtle or overt, and it can be seen in both individuals or groups of people. Some examples might be missed meetings, sarcastic remarks, criticism, nitpicking, or even sabotage.
What causes resistance in therapy?
Issues contributing to client resistance may include fears of failure or the fear of terminating therapy. One question a therapist can use to address these types of fears is, “What would happen if you were successful?” or something else along those lines. Resistance is a normal part of the therapeutic process and therapists should be prepared to deal with it. By establishing a positive relationship, using paradoxical interventions, and working toward mutually created goals, you can tear down the walls of resistance and help your client make the progress they desire. Examples of psychological resistance may include perfectionism, criticizing, disrespectful attitude, being self-critical, preoccupation with appearance, social withdrawal, need to be seen as independent and invulnerable, or an inability to accept compliments or constructive criticism. Examples of psychological resistance may include perfectionism, criticizing, disrespectful attitude, being self-critical, preoccupation with appearance, social withdrawal, need to be seen as independent and invulnerable, or an inability to accept compliments or constructive criticism. Although the term resistance as it is known today in psychotherapy is largely associated with Sigmund Freud, the idea that some patients cling to their disease was a popular one in medicine in the nineteenth century, and referred to patients whose maladies were presumed to persist due to the secondary gains of social … Sigmund Freud originally described psychological resistance as a phenomenon wherein patients unconsciously “cling to their disease” through “tenacious” and “critical objections” in order to repress distressing thoughts, emotions and experiences as they are raised by the therapist (Freud, 1904; 1920; 1940).
How does resistance affect the therapeutic process?
Resistance is a normal part of the therapeutic process and therapists should be prepared to deal with it. By establishing a positive relationship, using paradoxical interventions, and working toward mutually created goals, you can tear down the walls of resistance and help your client make the progress they desire. First and foremost, resistance is a psychological reaction to change. It’s like a self-protection mechanism where we oppose the change or struggle against our desired behavior modification. Resistance means that, despite being highly motivated with the best intentions, we fight that change at a psychological level. As the dominant theoretical framework of the early 1900s, psychoanalysis was the first approach to include the term resistance. In psychoanalytic terms, resistance is the client’s attempt to block or repress anxiety-provoking memories and insights from entering conscious awareness. Behavioral resistance can be defined as the extent to which people perceive the behaviors or actions they need to perform in order to reach their goal as unpleasant, and feel a literal sense of resistance with regards to that behavior.
What is the full meaning of resistance?
the act of fighting against something that is attacking you, or refusing to accept something: resistance to disease. Government troops offered no resistance (to the rebels). Nonviolent resistance has been shown empirically to be twice as effective as armed struggle in achieving major political goals. Defense and resistance are closely allied concepts. Defense refers to the means by which the mind unconsciously protects itself from danger from within and without. Resistance refers to the operation of defense within the analytic situation. There are three types of resistance, Logical/Rational, Psychological/Emotional, and Sociological.
What is an example of resistance in psychology?
Examples of psychological resistance may include perfectionism, criticizing, disrespectful attitude, being self-critical, preoccupation with appearance, social withdrawal, need to be seen as independent and invulnerable, or an inability to accept compliments or constructive criticism. Individual resistance occurs whens employees resist change based on their unique perceptions, personalities, and needs. Things like job security, habit, and economic factors have a massive influence on individual resistance. Regarded by Freud as the cornerstone of defense mechanisms, the process of repression involves unconsciously censoring ideas or memories deemed unacceptable. Resistance refers to a patient’s unconscious opposition to the unveiling and exploration of painful memories during psychoanalysis. Four clusters of resistance strategies are defined (avoidance, contesting, biased processing, and empowerment), and these clusters are related to different motivations for resisting persuasion (threat to freedom, reluctance to change, and concerns of deception). An easier way to explain resistance is to consider an example of a person in a crowded market struggling to go from one shop to another. This situation is certainly similar to an electron trying to make its way through a wire.