Psychoanalytical Theory and Cognitive Behavior Theory

What makes us who we are, what drives our personality? Is it driven by deep seeded sexual desires or is it something a bit more mundane, something that while we still have no control over, is easily studied?

In this essay I am going to explore two of the major approaches to Psychology, Cognitive theories and Behaviourist theories. I will discuss in some detail the two approaches, state how they compare and illustrate the similarities and the differences between them. John Watson, one of the founders of Behaviourism, based his theories on the principles of learning outlined by Pavlov who suggested the theory known as Classical Conditioning; he trained dogs to salivate whenever he rang a bell. Dogs have a natural reflex response to salivate when they see food, Pavlov rang a bell when the dogs were given food and after several repetitions of this action, the dogs began to salivate whenever they heard the bell, even when there was not

Psychoanalysis is also used in the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression. It states in the behavioral observations that this is evidenced by the shaking hands the tearing when fill out the intake forms. I would then use free association in

In life, humanity is on a journey much like walking through a forest full of trees that requires consistent observation while navigating the path traveled. Remaining on course is a very important part of arriving at the destination of achievement and success. There is no way to have complete certainty of always arriving on time, as all the variables come into the picture of that journey which psychology also does in relation to the mind. The psychodynamic theory in comparison to the cognitive behavior theory is somewhat well viewed in focus of examining the mental process of what one does based upon what one has thought of doing. To consider the contrast of

From the time of the advent of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and therapy until now, psychologists have searched for new and better ways to both understand and treat the human psyche. Many psychologists have spent their lives analyzing the complexities of human thought, behavior, and interactions with societal influences in order to find new ways to guide humans towards a more fulfilling human experience. Throughout time, various theories and models of therapy have emerged, each with their strengths and weaknesses in their efforts to help humanity live more fulfilling lives. Psychoanalytic, Adlerian, existential, person-centered, gestalt, behavior, cognitive, cognitive behavior (CBT), reality, feminist, postmodern, and family systems approaches have all made important contributions towards the evolution of psychological theory and therapy. One of the most widely accepted and practiced forms of theory and therapy in today’s world of psychology is CBT. Cognitive-Behavior Therapy has a rich and storied history, contains more inherent strengths than weaknesses, and provides effective treatment for a variety of psychological conditions.

Although, psychodynamic therapy seems legitimate when it states in depth that a person’s actions are based off his or her subconscious mind, a person’s free will or attitude towards change is always a factor. The psychodynamic therapy focuses on the patient’s past childhood experiences to discover the cause; yet, ultimately, the therapy will not discover the solution. Next, according to Scott M. Bea, PsyD, a Clinical associate, the biggest disadvantage of psychodynamic therapy is it “may be misapplied to patients whose symptoms are not based in unconscious conflict. It relies on hypothetical constructs that have not been evaluated empirically in systematic and controlled studies” (121). In addition, is it likely to even be able to scientifically and logically study conceptions such as the unconscious mind? As has been noted, Freud's theories are subjective and arbitrary; therefore, a clear disadvantage to psychodynamic therapy is the unscientific data and it’s impossible to test in the approach to human behavior through the unconscious mind. Clearly, in the midst of research, Freud grabbed hold of a genius idea which, in turn, created other therapies, but, unfortunately, lacked the diverse evidence for full proof.

CBT is a relatively young model and theory. What we know as CBT, began in the 1950's with Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavioral approach to therapy (Dobson, 2001). Later in the 1960's, Aaron Beck began using Cognitive Therapy in treating depression. (Barlow, 2001. 230) The origins of what we now know as cognitive behavioral theory is said to come from earlier theories and concepts. Credit can be given to early philosophers such as Kant (1782), theorists such as Alfred Adler (Individual Psychology), and behaviorists such as Joseph Wolpe and George Kelly . Frued can also be mentioned, albeit indirectly, for his theory was quite distressing to Adler who stated, “I am convinced that a person's behaviors springs from his ideas.” (pg 306. Milkman and Sunderwirth, 2010). Pavlov and Skinner can also be acknowledged, for their work in learned behavior and conditioning, which directly correlates to the concepts of cognitive behavioral therapy. More recently, A.

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a major area of interest within the field of counselling. The cognitive behavioural approach has made significant contributions towards counselling over the years. As a result of this the cognitive behavioural approach has become more widely practiced (Dobson and Dobson, 2009). Despite these contributions, cognitive behavioural therapy has experienced a few limited cons as well as effective pros. In spite of this, previous studies have provided evidence, which confirms the effectiveness of the cognitive behavioural approach, to be higher than any other approach (McLeod, 2013). This essay, will examine and critically discuss the various pros and cons that exist within the cognitive behavioural approach. The objective of this essay is to, demonstrate an in depth exploration of the cognitive behavioural approach to the treatment of anxiety. The essay will be organised in the following way. The first section will give a brief overview of the cognitive behavioural approach. The next sections will then go on to critically discuss and compare the limited and ineffective contributions to the effective contributions cognitive behavioural therapy has made towards counselling anxiety. With particular reference to how cognitive behavioural therapy for women with anxiety during and after pregnancy. For the purpose of this essay the abbreviation CBT will be used, as it represents Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

The psychodynamic perspective focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality. Freud believed that the personality develops in a series of five stages that develop the three divisions of personality. In the oral stage, the fixation is in the mouth, and would be the cause of his introverted nature; likewise, in the anal stage, Roberto would discover his reserved nature, while the phallic stage, he would further refine his reserved nature as a sense of humility in his actions, also defining his mild mannered portion of his personality. In the latency stage, his social skills would refined and he would become introverted. Freud would think that Roberto’s mild-mannered, reserved, and invertedness is caused by intense suppressing of the id by the ego, having Roberto adopt the personality that he does; however, Karen Horney would classify Roberto’s personality in respect to her theory of neurotic personalities- personalities typified by maladaptive ways of dealing with relationships- with moving away from people by withdrawing from personal relationships.

Sometimes they also need to use some techniques and skills from behavioural therapy such as systematic desensitization to help the client cope with their unwanted behaviour, sometime the therapist also requires the client to do some homework after the meeting, so the therapist also needs to know how to design the homework. And psychoanalysis doesn’t need to, they just need to use their specific techniques such as projective techniques and free association to explore client’s past experience, but it would take more time than CBT, because we are really difficult to find out all of the client’s past experience to complete a

Human beings are unique and individual in one way or another with different personality theories. Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Alder psychoanalytic theories about the human mind were very similar and different at the same time. To this day, attempts to prove the theories of these men are still taking place. All three of these men agreed that human behavior, as an adult, was a direct result of the individual's childhood experiences that would paint a lasting impression on the world around them. Freud, Jung, and Adler believed parenting and childhood development was the significant impact for shaping the personality. Dreaming and daydreaming played a major role in shaping character as well.

The psychoanalytic perspective, is the outlook that behavior and personality are effected by the conflict between one’s inner dreams n and expectation of society. Most of this conflict occurs in unconscious, which is outside the knowledge of an individual. Renowned psychologist, Freud established the psychoanalytic theory as an explanation for perplexed phenomena such as the meaning behind dreams, slips of the tongue, and behavioral reflex reactions to stressful situations. The unconscious is a primary focus in psychoanalytic theory due to its typical development in childhood and the ways in which it influences nearly every detail of an individual’s life. The unconscious mind also holds unvented memories and unexpressed urges that make their process into the conscious mind through a variety of different means. However, topographical theory of the mind states that conscious, preconscious, and unconscious serve as motivating forces in human behavior. Corsin & Wedding (2011) define the conscious as mental activity which individuals are fully aware of, preconscious as thoughts and feelings that could be easily brought to mind and unconscious as thoughts, feelings, and desires of which one is unaware of.

It is inevitable that in psychotherapy there are numerous theories. Theories arise out of scholarly investigations of ideas on human behavior. Human behavior is an extraordinarily interesting subject and therefore produces a plethora of ideas from a variety of theorists. These theorists are influenced by their education, culture, and time period. One influential theorist is Carl Rogers. His contributions to human behavior have changed many of the theories that preceded him, and his theory contributed to many theories that followed.

Until and through the 1960’s, psychotherapy was dominated by Freud’s psychoanalysis, with client-centered therapy following at a distant second. Cognitive Theory was first introduced by Alfred Adler, who originally worked with Freud, but departed from Freud’s theory that human behavior was motivated by id/ego/super ego and sexual drivers, in favor of believing it was driven by their “lifestyle” - ideas and beliefs about themselves and their world. Although Adler has been referred to as the first cognitive theorist and therapist, cognitive theory has developed and evolved over time, through the theories and practices of many other

According to Seligman and Reichenburg (2014), “cognitive-behavioral therapy is not one approach, but a term applied to a coherent model that is open to and integrates new empirical findings about a pathological disorder into a new model of treatment for that disorder (344)”. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is structured and directive, relying heavily on the cognitive tools of psychoeducation, Socratic questioning, and inductive method. CBT interprets personality development as a process of combining introspectively reflective cognizance with learned response (CBT, 2010). It can occur through the interaction between the thoughts regarding one’s