Preview

Psychodynamic Approach: A Psychological Study

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
988 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Psychodynamic Approach: A Psychological Study
Psychodynamic approach
Assumes the importance of;
- childhood experiences have a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our personalities. childhood events can remain in the unconscious + cause problems as adults Freud – all children go through 5 x psychosexual stages of development;
- relationships Particularly family members and especially parent and child, used as a template for adult relationships.
-the unconscious mind influences our behaviour. Often the conscious mind is unaware of thoughts and emotions that occur in the unconscious, -that can have an effect on our conscious mind.

-small amount of activity that we know about

-things we could be aware of if we wanted to be

-unaware of and can’t become aware of …show more content…
-how a child is treated at each stage is crucial
-excessive gratification + extreme frustration = fixation at a stage
-physical and sexual maturation complete = complete personality development

Application to anorexia
Anorexia may be a response to early childhood experiences
Carter et al - 48% anorexics reported childhood sexual abuse (small sample)
Freud – problems during oral stage substitute for sexual expression
- Fear of adult sexuality, eating symbolic of sexual penetration
- Not eating symbolic of repressing sexual …show more content…
X- No responsible to the individual, as hidden from them in the unconscious.

Treatment, psychoanalysis
Free association
-client expresses anything that comes to mind leading to other thoughts, censoring nothing
-ego defences may be lowered, accessing repressed material
-therapist encourages reflection on particular experiences, analyses
Dream analysis
-lifts barriers to the unconscious
-symbolic imagery of dreams reflect unconscious material
-analysis of content enables therapist to identify significant conflicts repressed into the unconscious
-Feud assumed dreams have an obvious content, recall visible content, beneath this lies dream meaning that can be revealed through therapist interpretation.
--------
Therapist interprets symbolism in dreams
Putting together themes from free association= regular anxieties and conflicts
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Sigmund Freud: Understanding The Mystery And Meaning Of Dreams
    • 160 Words
    • 1 Page

    Sigmund Freud: Understanding The Mystery And Meaning Of Dreams

    Although the exact meaning behind dreams has not been proven, there has been great progress in the psychological understanding of why they occur. Sigmund Freud’s dream theory was one of the first and most detailed theories, and continues…

    • 160 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Evaluate the Methods Used by the Psychodynamic Approach
    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Evaluate the Methods Used by the Psychodynamic Approach

    One of the methods used by the psychodynamic approach is case studies. Case studies are used to practice their therapy on to see if it actually works. The therapy created by Sigmund Freud, is called psychoanalysis. An example of one of the case studies would be the case study of Little Hans. Hans was at the age where he noticed he had a penis and therefore played with it a lot. His mother noticed this and told him to stop it otherwise she would call the doctor and get him to cut it off. Hans later on developed a phobia of horses, so his father got in touch with Freud and told him about Hans’ strange behaviour and he suggested that he was scared of horses because of the large penis. Later on, Freud and Hans’ father discovered that he had a phobia of horses because he saw his father as a rival and he apparently had a large penis. He saw his father as a rival because he acquired the Oedipus complex which meant that he had a sexual desire for his mother and therefore wanted to get rid of the father. Freud interpreted that the horses in the phobia were symbolic of the father, and that Hans feared that the horse (father) would bite (castrate) him as punishment for the incestuous desires towards his mother. With Hans feeling threatened by his dad, Freud thinks that he comes up with a defence mechanism known as 'identification with the aggressor '. This is where Hans would bond with his father by adopting his mannerisms and actions, this way; he will not feel hostile towards him.…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Psychodynamic Approach To Health And Social Care Study
    • 77 Words
    • 1 Page

    Psychodynamic Approach To Health And Social Care Study

    Psychologist is studying the human behavior and emotion of a person. They have skills that can applied to wide variety of fields such as health education and management. The diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses across the lifespan is help by the Clinical Psychologist. On the other side, Counseling is focused on the client concern and difficulties including understanding people’s patterns of thoughts, behaviours, feelings and the ways in which these may be problematic in their lives.…

    • 77 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Psychodynamic Therapies
    • 1991 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Psychodynamic Therapies

    Cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic approaches to therapy seem to offer contrasting modes of treatment for psychological difficulties, largely due to the fact that they originate from very different theoretical and philosophical frameworks. It seems likely, therefore, that treatment for a woman experiencing depression, anxiety and feelings of inadequacy will proceed along very different lines according to each approach. There do appear to be some features, however, which are common to all effective ‘talking’ therapies, notably rooted in the therapeutic relationship itself and in the qualities and skills of the therapist, whatever their persuasion.…

    • 1991 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    7 main approaches in psychology
    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages

    7 main approaches in psychology

    Belief that the unconscious mind---a part of our mind that we do not have conscious control over or access to---controls much of our thought and action. Unconscious motives and experiences in early childhood govern personality and mental disorders.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Biodynamic And Psychodynamic Methods: A Psychological Analysis
    • 204 Words
    • 1 Page

    Biodynamic And Psychodynamic Methods: A Psychological Analysis

    Although she claimed that both these models of illness and treatment are correct and equally effective, still she stated that with “the available evidence we have suggests that for most patients and for most disorders, psychopharmacology and psychotherapy work best in combination. Patients improve more quickly and stay out of the hospital for longer when the two approaches are used in tandem” (Luhrmann, page 23). However, she can also see biomedical and psychodynamic methods as mismatched due to the differences when they are understood as “ideals”. This is shown through a quote on page 158, “These two ideals embody different moral sensibilities, different fundamental commitments, different bottom lines. In some ways the differences are subtle;…

    • 204 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Psychodynamic Approaches To Human Behavior
    • 3821 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Psychodynamic Approaches To Human Behavior

    This is one of the very early approaches to understanding human behaviour; this was developed internally by Thorndike, Watson and Pavlov in the 19th century (Nicolson, Bayne 1990). Behaviourists are concerned with the questions relating to the conditions and events surrounding the behaviour, looking at the gaps in learnt behaviour, environment aspects, watching how they react. (Nicolson, Bayne 1990) This theory can be applied to John in the case study; he displays aggressive behaviour towards his wife Mary and son Anthony. From a behaviourist point of view, the behaviour would be looked at as followed; they would be concerned with what actually happened before John hits his son or wife, and what events took place in response.…

    • 3821 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Psychodynamic Viewpoint
    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Psychodynamic Viewpoint

    When it came to choosing just one viewpoint that I thought I agreed most with I found it to be a difficult task. I would have to say that psychodynamic and sociocultural viewpoints are the ones that I just could not choose one over the other. The reason I had such a difficult time choosing, I believe is because substance abuse there are so many different factors that make the subject at hand so extensive.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Psychodynamic Theory
    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Psychodynamic Theory

    This paper will explore two different theories and explanation of factors that influence behavior according to theory as it relates to anxiety disorder. According, to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America “Anxiety disorders, are the most common psychiatric illnesses affecting children and adults. An estimated 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety disorders. Only about one-third of those suffering from an anxiety disorder receive treatment, even though the disorders are highly treatable.”(https://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety) The first theory explored was psychodynamic theory and the second was behavior theory.…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Consciousness Free Response
    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Consciousness Free Response

    1. a) The topic of dreams is certainly a complex and interesting subject to further investigate, having many different aspects and meanings to it. There are many theories and ideologies regarding why dreams occur in the first place, such as wish fulfillment theory, activation synthesis theory, as well as cognitive development, information processing, and physiological function. Freud suggested wish fulfillment theory, and it refers to the belief that dreams provide a sort of psychic protection gate to dismiss unacceptable feelings that one may feel. Dreams have manifest content as well, that also have symbolic feelings, (latent content) which further signify unacceptable feelings. (For example, if one dreams about an accident at sea, that would potentially symbolize a fear of a relationship break-up.) Activation synthesis theory proposes that the brain engages itself in a lot of random neural activity, and dreams make sense of these actions. Cognitive development, which is a theory argued by many researchers, which saids that we dream in order to further mature our brain and cognitive abilities. Information processing assumes that dreams sift through our daily recollections and occurrences in order to put it in our memories. Lastly, physiological functions states that dreams supply the brain with periodic stimulation to instigate and preserve neural pathways, as a result of the neural systems quickly developing and requiring more sleep in conclusion.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Psychodynamic Theory
    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Psychodynamic Theory

    The psychodynamic theorist such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung suggest that psychological, emotional, and motivational forces occur in an unconscious level. Given the diverse cultural backgrounds that exist it is pivotal that professionals in the field develop an understanding of the ethnocentric limitations of the psychodynamic theory. Understanding the psychodynamic theory and multicultural elements coincide, but given the ethnocentric limitations discussed in this paper one can conclude that psychodynamic theory is not necessarily a universal concept (Cervone & Pervin, 2010). This paper will provide a definition of psychodynamic theory in addition to discussing the ethnocentric limitations and culturally diverse interactions.…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Freud's Dream Analysis. a Case Study
    • 2156 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Freud's Dream Analysis. a Case Study

    Freud hypothesised that the human mind is divided into three main parts: the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious (Strickland, 2001). According to Krapp (2005), the conscious part of the mind contains thoughts and feelings of which one is aware, and plays a crucial role in the development of adaptive functioning. The preconscious functions as a transitional part of the mind between the conscious and the unconscious (Strickland, 2001). It contains content of which an individual is aware of, but not necessarily paying attention to at that precise moment (Straker, 2007). The unconscious mind is described by Sharf (2004), as a container which houses memories, thoughts and emotions that have been pushed away (repressed) by the preconscious mind, due to being too distressful for the conscious (for example, childhood trauma or abuse).…

    • 2156 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Psychodynamic Approach Notes A2
    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Psychodynamic Approach Notes A2

    * Assumes that a large part of out mental life operates at an unconscious level…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Unconscious Mind
    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Unconscious Mind

    The unconscious mind also holds the guide to the everyday life. It is comprised of the presuppositions that allow people to normally carry out the daily functions in the world. The unconscious mind constantly supporting the conscious mind and allows one to function…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Unconscious Mind
    • 2214 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Unconscious Mind

    Do you believe that people have an unconscious mind? If so, how does it affect thoughts, feelings, and behavior?…

    • 2214 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics