Final answer:
The tension between conflicting thoughts or emotions is best explained by the Cognitive Approach, which includes the theory of cognitive dissonance that addresses psychological discomfort from inconsistent beliefs or behaviors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The continual tension between conflicting thoughts, images, or emotions among individuals who are at risk of psychopathology is best addressed by the Cognitive Approach. This approach is interested in understanding how people think, understand, and know about the world. The cognitive approach assumes that disorders like depression emanate from incorrect thoughts, which can lead to distortions in the way one sees reality.
Psychologist Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance is a particularly relevant concept in cognitive psychology. It suggests that there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (beliefs, opinions). When there is an inconsistency (dissonance) between attitudes or behaviors, people will seek to resolve the discomfort.
Behaviorism, on the other hand, focuses solely on observable behaviors and doesn't account for inner conflicts of thoughts and emotions, thereby making it less applicable to the student's question.