Psychotherapeutic processes deal with psychological problems, ranging from mild ones like a depressed mood, to more subtle ones like interpretation of dreams to more controversial problems like dissociative identity disorder. Denied emotions (not admitting or voicing one's emotions to the therapist) is a root cause of many psychological problems as honest communication is the numero uno factor for the psychotherapeutic process to work. Emotional honesty can be a difficult task for the client or patient.
Psychotherapists make analysis of dreams a significant part of their work. It is tempting to wish petulantly that the unconscious would speak to us more clearly as significance of many dreams eludes us. But dreams that can be interpreted provide helpful information like warnings of personal pitfalls; solutions to problems; sources of necessary information and judgement; as direction-finders when we feel lost; as pointers to the way we proceed when we are floundering and the message always seems to be one designed to nurture spiritual growth.
The unconscious may communicate to us when we are awake with as much elegance and beneficence as when we are asleep, although in a slightly different form of 'idle thoughts' or even fragments of thought. As with dreams, we pay these idle thoughts no attention and cast them aside as insignificant. Hence patients in psychoanalysis are instructed to say everything, however insignificant, that comes in their minds. Idle thoughts provide us with insight into ourselves and others.
The seemingly alien and unwanted quality is characteristic of unconscious material and its manner of presentation to the conscious mind. This and the associated resistance of the conscious mind led Freud to perceive the unconscious as a repository of the primitive, the antisocial and the evil within us. He tended to assume that mental illness somehow resided in the unconscious as a demon in the subterranean depths of our mind. To Carl Jung fell the responsibility of correcting this which he did through his work The Wisdom of the Unconscious. As he concluded, mental illness is not a product of the unconscious but a phenomenon of consciousness or a disordered relationship between conscious and unconscious. Consider the matter of repression. Freud discovered in his patients sexual desires and hostile feelings of which they were unaware but which were making them ill. Because these desires and feelings resided in the unconscious, the notion arose that it was the unconscious that caused the mental illness. But why were these desires and feelings in the unconscious in the first place? Why were they repressed? The answer is that the conscious mind did not want them. And it is in this not wanting, this disowning, that the problem lies.
A major difference between the points of view expressed by Freud and Jung as discussed in the passage is:
Show Hint
- One considered ailments of the mind to be the result of conflict between the conscious and the unconscious, while the other considered them to be inherent in the unconscious.
- One considered that ailments of the mind are grounded in the conscious, while the other considered them to be triggered by the unconscious.
- One considered that the evil qualities of human beings resided in the unconscious mind, while the other considered that the unconscious mind repressed desired feelings.
- One considered that ailments of the mind are grounded in the unconscious, while the other considered them to be triggered by the conscious.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
- Freud: Viewed unconscious as a repository of primitive, antisocial, and evil → cause of illness
- Jung: Argued that illness came from conflict caused by conscious mind rejecting unconscious desires → conscious rejection triggers disorder
Thus: - Freud = unconscious causes disorder
- Jung = conscious rejection of unconscious causes disorder
Final Answer: \( \boxed{\text{D}} \)
Which of the following statements are logically consistent with the paragraph?
(I) Idle thoughts can sometimes illuminate the situation of the person as valuable messages from the unconscious.
(II) Emotionally dishonest clients are very poor communicators and suffer from psychological problems.
(III) Dissociative identity disorder is primarily due to denied emotions.
(IV) Dreams can help effect, in us, better understanding and development of the spirit.
(V) Honest communication and open interaction can positively influence a psychotherapeutic process.
(II) Emotionally dishonest clients are very poor communicators and suffer from psychological problems.
(III) Dissociative identity disorder is primarily due to denied emotions.
(IV) Dreams can help effect, in us, better understanding and development of the spirit.
(V) Honest communication and open interaction can positively influence a psychotherapeutic process.
Show Hint
- I, III, IV
- I, IV, V
- I, II, IV
- II, III, V
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
(II) × No direct link between dishonesty and poor communication is stated that strongly.
(III) × DID is mentioned, but no direct link to "denied emotions" alone.
(IV) \checkmark Paragraph 2: Dreams are solution guides, spiritual growth → Supported
(V) \checkmark Paragraph 1: Denied emotions → core problem; emotional honesty helps → Supported Final Answer: \( \boxed{\text{B}} \)
If a paragraph were to be inserted between the first and second paragraphs, it would most likely deal with which of the following?
Show Hint
- Dreams can be instrumental in gauging a person's emotional state.
- Emotions are, very often, the substance of a person's idle thoughts.
- It is very difficult to gauge emotional honesty.
- Dreams, often, are indicative of emotions that remain unexpressed.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Second paragraph starts with: "psychotherapists make analysis of dreams a significant part of their work."
A good bridge paragraph would link emotions (first para) to dreams (second para) — ideally saying how dreams reflect emotional state.
Option (A) directly links dreams to emotional state — perfect fit.
(b) and
(d) repeat idea of dreams = emotions, but not as strongly transitional.
Final Answer: \( \boxed{\text{A}} \)
In saying "It is tempting to wish petulantly that the unconscious would speak to us more clearly..." the author intends to suggest:
Show Hint
- The inability to understand the unconscious can irritate psychotherapists when pursuing their objectives.
- The inability to understand the unconscious can puzzle psychotherapists in pursuit of their objectives.
- The inability to understand the unconscious can frustrate psychotherapists when pursuing their objectives.
- The inability to understand the unconscious can divert psychotherapists from their objectives.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
This aligns best with:
(c) frustration — psychotherapists expect more clarity from the unconscious but don't get it.
Other options:
(A) Irritation = too strong and misaligned tone
(b) Puzzle = not emotional enough
(d) Divert = unrelated to mood expressed
Final Answer: \( \boxed{\text{C}} \)
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
- Shown below are letters ‘e’ taken from four popular logos, arranged in a sequence. Which of the options is the correct sequence?
- UCEED - 2026
- English Language Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension
- Shown below are four options, each showing consecutive frames representing the movement of a pendulum of an old-style wall clock for an animation movie. Which is the correct option?
- UCEED - 2026
- English Language Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension
- Acrucial moderating factor in how people experience comparisons is self-esteem. Individuals with high self-esteem are more likely to interpret upward comparison as informative rather than threatening. They are more resilient in the face of others’ success and more likely to believe they can reach their own goals. In contrast, people with low self-esteem are more prone to interpret comparison as judgment, reinforcing negative self-views and triggering feelings of inadequacy.
This dynamic creates a self-reinforcing loop. People with high self-esteem are less vulnerable to upward comparison, which intensifies those doubts. Those with a secure sense of self are more likely to use comparison as a learning tool. The same external stimulus—a colleague’s achievements, a friend’s popularity—can have radically different effects depending on internal stability.
Self-esteem also influences how people choose their comparison targets. Research has found that individuals often engage in “selective comparison,” seeking out those who confirm their existing beliefs about themselves. This can become a subtle form of self-sabotage. Someone who feels unworthy may subconsciously seek out targets that reinforce that sense, perpetuating a narrative of inferiority. One of the most promising antidotes to social comparison is temporal comparison—evaluating oneself not against others, but against one’s own past. This method has been shown to increase motivation and satisfaction, especially when individuals can see concrete progress. Temporal comparison activates the same reward circuits as social comparison but avoids the threat systems associated with social ranking. It also reinforces agency: individuals focus on what they can control and improve rather than what others control. In therapeutic and coaching settings, temporal comparison is used to help clients build self-efficacy and track growth over time.
Moreover, people who focus on self-improvement rather than social dominance are less likely to fall into cycles of envy or self-pity. They can still use others as inspiration, but they do so without attaching their self-worth to the outcome. This is not to say they never compare—but that they focus on learning, rather than judgment. The most skilful approach to comparison may lie in eliminating it, but in reframing it as feedback. When we interpret comparison as information rather than a verdict, we can ask, “What can I learn from this?” This shift turns comparison into a growth tool. Teachers mentor their students, not as rivals. Psychologists emphasize that the key variable here is mindset.
A fixed mindset sees comparison as a threat. If someone else is better, it means we are worse. A growth mindset sees comparison as a map. If someone else has reached a certain level, it means the path exists. This reframing is not just a cognitive trick. It changes the emotional tone of comparison, making it more likely to inspire than to wound. Reframing also requires emotional regulation—the ability to notice an initial pang of envy or shame without reacting impulsively. With practice, individuals can learn to pause, reflect, and reinterpret their emotional responses. Over time, this builds resilience and self-trust, allowing comparison to become a learning tool rather than a cage.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
When people who are talking don’t share the same culture, knowledge, values, and assumptions, mutual understanding can be especially difficult. Such understanding is possible through the negotiation of meaning. To negotiate meaning with someone, you have to become aware of and respect both the differences in your backgrounds and when these differences are important. You need enough diversity of cultural and personal experience to be aware that divergent world views exist and what they might be like. You also need the flexibility in world view, and a generous tolerance for mistakes, as well as a talent for finding the right metaphor to communicate the relevant parts of unshared experiences or to highlight the shared experiences while demphasizing the others. Metaphorical imagination is a crucial skill in creating rapport and in communicating the nature of unshared experience. This skill consists, in large measure, of the ability to bend your world view and adjust the way you categorize your experiences. Problems of mutual understanding are not exotic; they arise in all extended conversations where understanding is important.
When it really counts, meaning is almost never communicated according to the CONDUIT metaphor, that is, where one person transmits a fixed, clear proposition to another by means of expressions in a common language, where both parties have all the relevant common knowledge, assumptions, values, etc. When the chips are down, meaning is negotiated: you slowly figure out what you have in common, what it is safe to talk about, how you can communicate unshared experience or create a shared vision. With enough flexibility in bending your world view and with luck and charity, you may achieve some mutual understanding.
Communication theories based on the CONDUIT metaphor turn from the pathetic to the evil when they are applied indiscriminately on a large scale, say, in government surveillance or computerized files. There, what is most crucial for real understanding is almost never included, and it is assumed that the words in the file have meaning in themselves—disembodied, objective, understandable meaning. When a society lives by the CONDUITmetaphor on a large scale, misunderstanding, persecution, and much worse are the likely products.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
Later, I realized that reviewing the history of nuclear physics served another purpose as well: It gave the lie to the naive belief that the physicists could have come together when nuclear fission was discovered (in Nazi Germany!) and agreed to keep the discovery a secret, thereby sparing humanity such a burden. No. Given the development of nuclear physics up to 1938, development that physicists throughout the world pursued in all innocence of any intention of finding the engine of a new weapon of mass destruction—only one of them, the remarkable Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, took that possibility seriously—the discovery of nuclear fission was inevitable. To stop it, you would have had to stop physics. If German scientists hadn’t made the discovery when they did, French, American, Russian, Italian, or Danish scientists would have done so, almost certainly within days or weeks. They were all working at the same cutting edge, trying to understand the strange results of a simple experiment bombarding uranium with neutrons. Here was no Faustian bargain, as movie directors and other naifs still find it intellectually challenging to imagine. Here was no evil machinery that the noble scientists might hide from the problems and the generals. To the contrary, there was a high insight into how the world works, an energetic reaction, older than the earth, that science had finally devised the instruments and arrangements to coart forth. “Make it seem inevitable,” Louis Pasteur used to advise his students when they prepared to write up their discoveries. But it was. To wish that it might have been ignored or suppressed is barbarous. “Knowledge,” Niels Bohr once noted, “is itself the basis for civilization.” You cannot have the one without the other; the one depends upon the other. Nor can you have only benevolent knowledge; the scientific method doesn’t filter for benevolence. Knowledge has consequences, not always intended, not always comfortable, but always welcome. The earth revolves around the sun, not the sun around the earth. “It is a profound and necessary truth,” Robert Oppenheimer would say, “that the deep things in science are not found because they are useful; they are found because it was possible to find them.”
...Bohr proposed once that the goal of science is not universal truth. Rather, he argued, the modest but relentless goal of science is “the gradual removal of prejudices.” The discovery that the earth revolves around the sun has gradually removed the prejudice that the earth is the center of the universe. The discovery of microbes is gradually removing the prejudice that disease is a punishment from God. The discovery of evolution is gradually removing the prejudice that Homo sapiens is a separate and special creation.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
Questions Asked in CAT exam
- The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
In the dynamic realm of creativity, artists often find themselves at the crossroads between drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and inadvertently crossing into the territory of cultural appropriation. Inspiration is the lifeblood of creativity, driving artists to create works that resonate across borders. In a globalized era of the modern world, artists draw from a vast array of cultural influences. When approached respectfully, inspiration becomes a bridge, fostering understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. However, the line between inspiration and cultural appropriation can be thin and easily blurred.
Cultural appropriation occurs when elements from a particular culture are borrowed without proper understanding, respect, or acknowledgment. This leads to the commodification of sacred symbols, the reinforcement of stereotypes, and the erasure of the cultural context from which these elements originated. It is essential to recognize that the impact of cultural appropriation extends beyond the realm of artistic expression, influencing societal perceptions and perpetuating power imbalances.- CAT - 2025
- Para Summary
- The number of distinct integers $n$ for which $\log_{\left(\frac14\right)}(n^2 - 7n + 11)>0$ is:
- CAT - 2025
- Linear Inequalities
- In the set of consecutive odd numbers $\{1, 3, 5, \ldots, 57\}$, there is a number $k$ such that the sum of all the elements less than $k$ is equal to the sum of all the elements greater than $k$. Then, $k$ equals?
- CAT - 2025
- Number Systems
- The number of distinct pairs of integers $(x, y)$ satisfying the inequalities $x>y \ge 3$ and $x + y<14$ is:
- CAT - 2025
- Number Systems
For any natural number $k$, let $a_k = 3^k$. The smallest natural number $m$ for which \[ (a_1)^1 \times (a_2)^2 \times \dots \times (a_{20})^{20} \;<\; a_{21} \times a_{22} \times \dots \times a_{20+m} \] is:
- CAT - 2025
- Linear Inequalities