KINGSTON, JAMAICA
JULY 05, 2011
Psychodynamics is the theory and systematic study of the psychological forces that underlie human behavior, especially the dynamic relations between conscious motivation and unconscious motivation. Psychodynamics also describe the processes of the mind as flows of psychological energy (Libido) in an organically complex brain.
The words ‘psychodynamic’ and ‘psychoanalytic’ are often confused. Sigmund Freud’s theories were psychoanalytic, whereas the term ‘psychodynamic’ refers to both his theories and those of his followers. Freud’s psychoanalysis is both a theory and a therapy. His theory had the main focus that: * Children pass thru a series of age-dependent stages during development * Each
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There are no accidents and nothing happens by chance this is called Psychic Determinism. * Pleasure Principle is where there is a constant drive to reduce tension through expression of instinctual urges. * Mind is a dynamic is the changing and active process which is based on the pleasure principle. * The libidinal is an energy of the sexual drive however in children it is not purely sexual it is pleasure through sensations example the oral and anal gratification * The cathartic method is where therapy benefits through the release of pent up tension so there is some inherent value in the “talking cure” (eg) being able to “unload”, or “get stuff off the mind. * Primary vrs Secondary Gain * Primary Gain is where symptoms serve a purpose: they function to decrease intra-psychic conflict and distress by keeping such unpleasantries from conscious awareness. * Secondary Gain is where the actual or external advantages that patients gain from their symptoms, or from being ill; relief from duties, responsibilities (work) prescription drugs (ex. Opiates) manipulation in relationships, deferring of legal proceedings, exam, food, shelter, money (financial gain) * Transference occurs where there is a displacement (false attribution) of feelings, attitudes, behavioral expectations and attributes from important childhood relationships to current ones. This traditionally refers to what the patient projects onto the therapist, but applies
The history of Psychodynamic psychology originated with Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century. Freud proposed a psychodynamic theory to which personality consists of the id. The Id is present at birth and it resides in the world of unconsciousness. Freud also said that the unconscious is also a place where human instinctual biological drives reside. The drives direct our behaviour towards choices that promise to satisfy our basic human needs. The drives ensure our survival like drinking water and eating food, the desire for reproduction and the necessity for aggression.
ID, ego and superego. He said you were born with ID which was in your
To begin, the psychodynamic theory is based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and primarily focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality. The psychodynamic theory includes the idea that people have defense mechanisms. Psychological defense mechanisms are ways of dealing with anxiety through unconsciously distorting one’s perception of reality, such as denial and repression. In addition, sexual impulses play a large role in the psychodynamic theory. According to Freud, part of personality is outside of awareness, unconscious. The unconscious has difficulty retrieving material and is well below the surface of awareness. Also, the past is important in the psychodynamic theory. There are some advantages and disadvantages to this theory. For instance, the advantages are: psychodynamic theory recognizes the importance of childhood; other theorists after Freud have revised the approach to be less controversial, and this theory has been
In this approach we see the theories of psychology that see the human mind function based upon the interaction of forces and drives within the mind, normally this means unconscious thoughts, but it also includes looking at the different structures of the personality.
Behaviour determined by irrational forces, unconscious motivations 0biological/instinctual drives, evolve through key psycho sexual stages in first 6 years of life
Psychology, due to its complexity can be approached in a variety of ways. To help us understand the human mind, behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches have helped us understand the alternative outlooks in the science of mind and behaviour. Both approaches can be examined by the means of theoretical assumptions and methodology.
The psychodynamic perspective was originally theorised by Sigmund Freud. Psychodynamic theory suggests that much of human motivation, action, and thought, are governed by unconscious mental processes. These processes can conflict with one another causing compromises between the contending motives. Freud argued that these mental processes and motivations are determined by two biological drives: aggression and sex. These drives, Freud suggests, are internal states of tension that augment in pressure until satisfied (Burton et al., 2009).
This perspective involves examining the physical aspects that affect a living thing’s behavior such as the brain, nervous system, and genetics.
The psychodynamic approach founded by Sigmund Freud was a lot of our behavior, is determined by unconscious thoughts, memories. Freud developed the first complete theory of mind and is the founder of a series of techniques called psychoanalysis. This aims to explore the unconscious mind by using techniques, such as free association, dream interpretation etc. and then and be used treat abnormal behavior. Psychodynamic psychology ignores the aspects of science and instead focuses on trying to get inside the head of individuals to make logic of their relationships, experiences and how they see the world. (McLeod, 2007). Freud’s theories
The psychodynamic approach to psychology is the study of human behaviour from the point of view of motivation and drives. The original beliefs of this approach were created by Sigmund Freud in the 1800s. Although it is now generally seen negatively in the common view, sometimes comically, it has provided the inspiration for a few of the current leading approaches to psychology.
My practice is driven by and laden with traces of the values of capacity for change and growth, the voice of the individual, and curiosity. The belief in the capacity for change and growth motivates me to sit with some clients that others consider difficult and attempt to assist them in seeing the prospect of change while maintaining a respect for their decision. The value of the voice of the individual drives me to open myself to the many possibilities that the client considers and hear things from their perspective. This value causes me to be invested in the client voicing whatever they deem necessary and working through what they voice to build the solutions they have created. The value of the voice of the individual also inspires me to
Freud argued that an individual’s instinctual drive was sexually orientated. In the same way that “hunger seeks nutrition,
In any film, there is always a deep mental process through the behavior of its characters. Why they do the things they do and how to give a detailed explanation on their behavior. The Imitation Game shows many examples of psychology perspectives to analyze and break down.
Psychology is not just philosophical speculation and reasoning over the years it has evolved and it is now also recognised as a science, to understand what psychology is all about it is necessary to know it’s origins and the theorist who brought it out of obscurity, Sigmund Freud. He developed the Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytical perspective to enable better understanding of human behaviour these concepts will be discussed further later in this study. After Freud opened the gateway other perspectives and approaches have been developed, now with five main areas of psychology - Cognitive, Behaviourist, Biopsychology and Humanist approaches. For a comparison with the Psychodynamic theory, Behaviourist Theory will be discussed.
It is difficult to summarize psychodynamic theory without a brief discussion of Freud. Sigmund Freud is the father of psychoanalysis, the father of psychodynamic theory, and in effect the father of modern psychotherapy. Freud's notions retain quite a bit of popularity, especially his ideas that things are not what they seem on the surface. Because of his understanding of the mind and behavior, Freud considered that overt behaviors were not always self-explanatory (or perhaps "not often explanatory" would be the better term). Instead, these overt or manifest behaviors represent some hidden motive. Sigmund Freud was trained as a neurologist and specialized in the treatment of nervous disorders. His early training involved using hypnosis with the French neurologist Jean Charcot in the treatment of hysteria, the presentation of baffling physical symptoms (mostly in young women) that appeared to have no physical origin (Hall, Lindzey, & Campbell, 1998). Freud also partnered with the Viennese physician Josef Breuer who practiced a revolutionary "talking cure" to reduce patients' symptoms by talking with them about how they felt as well as using hypnosis to remove emotional barriers to their feelings. He eventually abandoned the use of hypnosis in favor of a process he termed "free association" in which he had patients talk about what was on their minds without censoring their train of thought. This led Freud to develop his theory of the human mind as a complex system that is