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A Psychodynamic Therapist May Also Be Willing To Help Steven

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A psychodynamic therapist may also be willing to help Steven explore these dynamic, internal forces that have determine the trajectories of his life, thus far, since coming into contact with, or being influenced by, his past experiences. Taken together, the overarching goal of a psychodynamic therapist is to listen attentively to what the client is sharing, looking for abnormalities that the individual finds hard to cope with, which give rise to the stated conflict amongst these forces, subsequently leading to the presenting negative effects. In Steven’s situation, we know that his childhood was spent looking out for his two younger brothers because his parents were alcoholics and “disinterested in us kids.” Thus, Steven’s chronic worry…show more content…
Considering some common features and characteristics of psychodynamic psychotherapies, we can also encompass a focus on Steven’s affect and emotional expression, self-experience and relatedness, maladaptive relationship patterns, transference and countertransference, exploration of unconscious motives and fantasies, and relate his current experiences to his past experiences (Friederich, Zeeck & Herzog, 2015).
Altogether, Steven’s ego defense mechanism has failed to control his unacceptable id impulses, which lead to his chronic worry and negative ruminations. Insofar, his childhood experiences coupled with both his parents being alcoholics, has conflicted with Steven’s unconscious forces, since becoming aware that he is expecting his first child. Or perhaps, his fixation on the actions of his parents could have impacted him. Irrespective of both, they are all important in helping us to understand Steven’s presenting concerns and allowing him to gain a deepened understanding of self and others, recognize his strengths and challenges and develop or increase his capacities to cope more effectively (Borden, 2000; Cortina, 2010).
Sociocultural Model of Abnormality According to the sociocultural model, abnormal behavior is best understood in light of the broad forces that influence an individual (Comer, 2015), examining the
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