mirroring

(noun)

A therapeutic technique in which the therapist reflects a client's words, feelings, or thoughts back to the client.

Related Terms

Examples of mirroring in the following topics:

  • Self-Knowledge and Evaluating the Personality Perspective

    • It is as though an individual is looking in a mirror, and what they see is what they assume that others see as well.

  • Body-Oriented Psychotherapies

    • A wide variety of techniques are used in body-oriented therapies, including sound, touch, mirroring, movement, and breath.

  • Other Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

    • The preoccupation with imagined physical flaws drives the person to engage in repetitive and ritualistic behavioral and mental acts, such as constantly looking in the mirror, trying to hide the offending body part, comparisons with others, and, in some extreme cases, cosmetic surgery (Phillips, 2005).
    • They must also engage in repetitive, often compulsive, behaviors (such as checking in the mirror) or mental acts (such as comparing themselves to others) in relation to their perceived defect(s).

  • Sexual Orientation

    • This mirrors other oppressive systems in modern culture, especially those surrounding gender and race (black versus white, male versus female, etc).

  • Humanistic Psychology

    • Instead, the therapist uses the skills of active listening and mirroring to help patients explore and understand their feelings for themselves.