Adlerian Therapy is often described as which type of therapy?

• A. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• B. Insight-oriented therapy
• C. Psychoanalytic therapy
• D. Humanistic therapy

Answer: (B)

Insight into a person’s motivation and lifestyle is what Adlerian Therapy emphasizes. It views behavior as purposeful and guided by goals within a social context, so therapy aims to reveal the private logic, early memories, and mistaken beliefs that shape a person’s way of life. The counselor and client work collaboratively to uncover these patterns through guided discovery and exploration of goals, with the aim of gaining insight and choosing more constructive paths. Because the emphasis is on understanding why a person acts the way they do and helping them adopt new, valued goals, this approach is described as insight-oriented therapy. In contrast, cognitive-behavioral therapy centers on changing thoughts and behaviors through skills and homework; psychoanalytic therapy focuses on unconscious conflicts and long-term interpretation; and humanistic therapy stresses self-actualization and the therapeutic relationship, rather than specific uncovering of lifestyle logic.