Psychologist: Some have argued that Freudian psychotherapy is the most effective kind because it is so difficult and time consuming. But surely this does not follow. Similar reasoning—e.g., concluding that a car-repair chain has the most effective technique for repairing cars because the cars it services receive so much work and spend so much time in the shop—would never be accepted.
The reasoning technique employed by the psychologist is that of attempting to undermine an argument by
(A) introducing a principle that contradicts the one on which the argument is based
(B) questioning the truth of its premises
(C) presenting an analogous argument whose conclusion is thought to be obviously false
(D) claiming that the argument is based on a false analogy
(E) suggesting that a supposed cause of a phenomenon is actually an effect of that phenomenon
A. The author doesn’t use this method.
Example: Claiming psychotherapy is valuable because it’s difficult, then rejecting that by saying difficulty doesn’t make something worthwhile.
B. The author doesn’t do this either.
Example: Responding to the claim that psychotherapy is hard by denying that it’s hard at all.
C. Correct. The author draws an analogy to car repair shops, assuming most people will accept the conclusion in that case. The goal is to transfer that reasoning to psychotherapy by making the two seem comparable.
D. This method isn’t used.
Example: Supporting psychotherapy with an analogy to language learning, then attacking the analogy because language learning has proven results and psychotherapy doesn’t.
E. This isn’t what the author does.
