In Gestalt therapy, what term describes the discrepancy between a person's self-concept and their ideal self-concept, often accompanied by anxiety?

In Gestalt therapy, what term describes the discrepancy between a person's self-concept and their ideal self-concept, often accompanied by anxiety?

• A. Incongruence
• B. Denial
• C. Transference
• D. Fixation

Answer: (A)

Discrepancy between how a person sees themselves and the ideal they aspire to be creates internal tension and anxiety. In Gestalt therapy, this incongruence shows up as a gap between the self-concept and authentic experience, and the work is to bring awareness to what the person is actually feeling in the present moment so they can begin to align their inner experience with their self-image. By noticing bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts and expressing them in the here-and-now, the client can bridge that gap and reduce anxiety. Denial, transference, and fixation describe other processes that don’t capture this specific mismatch between self-image and ideal self.

Discrepancy between how a person sees themselves and the ideal they aspire to be creates internal tension and anxiety. In Gestalt therapy, this incongruence shows up as a gap between the self-concept and authentic experience, and the work is to bring awareness to what the person is actually feeling in the present moment so they can begin to align their inner experience with their self-image. By noticing bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts and expressing them in the here-and-now, the client can bridge that gap and reduce anxiety. Denial, transference, and fixation describe other processes that don’t capture this specific mismatch between self-image and ideal self.