During a group therapy session, a woman who has hidden her gambling addiction for years hears another member describe identical shame and secrecy. She experiences profound relief at discovering she is not uniquely defective. According to Yalom's therapeutic factors, this is an example of:

• A Universality ✓
• B Altruism
• C Group cohesiveness
• D Instillation of hope

Explanation

Universality is Yalom's term for the discovery that one's problems and feelings are shared by others, which dissolves the sense of isolation and shame; it is unique to the group format. Altruism refers to gaining self-worth by helping other members, cohesiveness describes the group's mutual bonding and acceptance, and instillation of hope comes from observing members further along in recovery. The discriminating feature here is relief from feeling uniquely flawed.

Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.