What is the primary goal of psychoanalytic therapy in the psychodynamic approach?

• A. To uncover unconscious conflicts and reduce anxiety through insight.
• B. To reform behavior through reinforcement.
• C. To test cognitive hypotheses with experiments.
• D. To alter genetics by psychotherapy.

Answer: (A)

Uncovering unconscious conflicts and reducing anxiety through insight. In psychoanalytic therapy, the aim is to bring repressed wishes, memories, and conflicts into conscious awareness so the person can understand and resolve them. Through techniques like free association, dream analysis, and interpreting defenses and transference, hidden material surfaces. As insight grows, defenses loosen and anxiety diminishes, leading to symptom relief. This focus on unconscious processes and insight differentiates it from approaches that aim to change behavior through reinforcement, test cognitive hypotheses, or alter genetics.