Final answer:
The primary goals of therapy include resolving conflicts and breaking out of maladaptive behaviors, which are destructive habits that hinder development and can lead to alienation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary goals of therapy often include the resolution of conflicts and the breaking out of destructive habits. These destructive habits are known as maladaptive behaviors. Maladaptive behaviors are actions or tendencies that may provide short-term relief from stress or anxiety but ultimately hinder development, growth, and functioning, and can be rigid, compulsive, and alienating. Therapy aims to address these behaviors to promote healing and change. It involves understanding cognitive processes and behaviors, as well as implementing coping strategies and intervention strategies that help manage or alter the problem causing one to experience stress. Defense mechanisms, which are unconscious protective behaviors that reduce anxiety, can sometimes overlap with maladaptive behaviors when overused.