Psychotherapy (comparison with psychoanalysis)

Features in common:-

• assumption that the patient's childhood development was marred by some painful emotional experience.
• assumption that in adult life these painful experiences have given rise to fears of which the patient cannot be aware.
• assumption that the difficulties in relationships and neurotic symptoms may have resulted from these fears.
• assumption that if the patient is able to explore and experience his feelings within a safe environment then he may be able to understand and modify his relationships with other people.

Differences between psychotherapy and psychoanalysis;

• Psychotherapy:-
• occurs less frequently (once or twice a week)
• patient and therapist usually sit in chairs (the patient usually sits in a couch in psychoanalysis)
• emotional problems are explored by means of normal conversation(emotional problems are explored by free association in psychoanalysis).