The Psychoanalytic Approach
And Some of the Influential
People Behind It
Diane L. Williams
Clatsop Community College The Psychoanalytic Approach And Some of the Influential
People Behind It
There are different theoretical approaches to psychology; behaviorist, humanistic, psychoanalytic, and biological. I will be discussing the psychoanalytic approach to psychology and some of the pioneers of this theory.
What is the psychoanalytic approach? Psychoanalysis is a form of psychotherapy that aids an individual in determining the underlying cause of deep rooted psychological troubles when other approaches have not been successful in alleviating those troubles. This approach is better suited for those issues that have been plaguing an
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Freud based his theory of psychoanalysis on unconscious forces, sexual & aggressive instincts, and early childhood experiences as what shapes who we are as adults. Even though his approaches may not be favored completely today research has shown that the self-examination used in his psychoanalytic process can contribute to one’s long-term emotional growth (Cherry, K. 2016b). Health professionals were enlightened by psychoanalysis to the inner workings of the human mind, which were previously inexplicable (Beystehner, K.M., n.d.). Sigmund Freud’s research indicated that our behavior is influenced by id, ego and superego, or what he termed “structure of personality” (nthdimension, 2010). The id is present at birth and is the most basic and primitive part of our personality. Id’s drive is instinctual and can be described as having the life instinct named Eros and the death instinct named Thanatos. Id is responsible for the basic, instinctual needs of survival like hunger and thirst. Ego is developed to compromise between the instinctual desire driven Id and the external expectations of parents and society. Superego is developed when a child is about 5 years old and is the internalization of the expectations of parents and society that aides them to evaluate their behaviors for what’s acceptable or not acceptable.
Erik Erikson Erik Erikson was a psychoanalyst that expanded on Freud’s theories with the ideas that growth happens
Psychoanalysis created by Sigmund Freud is much like Individual therapy in the sense that it will explore the past and how any past circumstances are effecting the now adult. This therapy will last as long as the client needs the support of the counselor and relies on the client’s full participation. In this form of therapy the counselor will participate in guiding the client thru the unconscious mind to and find how it may be contributing to thoughts and behaviors that are causing the client distress. Like analytical therapy psychoanalysis will cover a variety of issues including psychosexual, compulsive, and depressive disorders. According to Haggerty, J. (2006) “The essence of Freud’s theory is that sexual and aggressive energies originating in the id (or unconscious) are modulated by the ego, which is a set of functions that moderates between the id and external reality. Defense mechanisms are constructions of the ego that operate to minimize pain and to maintain psychic equilibrium. The superego, formed during latency (between age 5 and puberty), operates to control id drives
Freud proposed the psychological structure of personality to include three systems called the id, the ego, and the superego. At birth, the id is the original system of personality and is ruled by the pleasure principle. It is driven towards satisfying instinctual needs. The ego can be described as a mediator between ones instincts and their surrounding environment. The ego is ruled by the reality principle, using realistic and logical thinking to formulate action plans for satisfying needs. The superego includes a person’s moral code and strives for perfection, not pleasure. Psychic energy is distributed between these three systems creating dynamics of personality. This psychic energy is what determines behavior (Day, 2008).
Psychoanalysis is a therapy of psychological theory that aims to treat mental illnesses based on the concepts of Sigmund Freud, who emphasized the importance of free association and dream analysis. The model of psychoanalysis aim is to release repressed emotion and experiences, by making unconscious thoughts, conscious. The fundamental principles of psychoanalysis are practiced by putting an emphasis on the patient to gain insight into the origins of their respective problems like a patient presenting symptoms of anxiety would be encouraged by a licensed professional to explore their past, in hopes of discovering problems that manifested the anxiety. The anxiety created may be a defense mechanism directed towards displacement in their world.
Freud strategized that the personality was composed of three elements; the id, ego, and superego. The id is the component of personality that is present from birth, and is exclusively unconscious. “According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality” (Cherry,1). On the other hand, the ego is the element of the personality that is responsible with reality. “According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world” (Cherry, 1). It
“It is a type of psychotherapy, also known as insight-oriented therapy, that draws on psychoanalytic theory to help people understand the roots of emotional distress, often by exploring unconscious motives, needs, and defences.The goals of psychodynamic therapy are a client’s self-awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior.”(Haggerty, J. (2013). Psychodynamic Therapy. Psych Central. Retrieved on August 3, 2015),
Freud attempted to explain how the unconscious functions by dividing it into three structures, the id, ego, and superego. The id holds our primitive instincts that demand immediate gratification, because it operates on the pleasure principle (McLeod, 2010). Similarly, the ego also seeks pleasure. However, instead of seeking immediate gratification, the ego acts realistically in order to avoid potentially negative consequences that may arise. On the other hand, our superego represents our conscious. It encompasses the morals and values we learn by society and our parents as we go through the stages of
Freud believed that the human personality consisted of three interworking parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id, the largest part of the mind, is related to desires and impulses and is the main source of basic biological needs. The ego is related to reasoning and is the conscious, rational part of the personality; it monitors behavior in order to satisfy basic desires without suffering negative consequences (Boundless.com). The superego, or conscience, develops through interactions with others (mainly parents) who want the child to conform to the norms of society (Boundless.com). Freud believed that our adult lives were shaped by childhood experiences, meaning that if children did not receive the proper nurturing, that the child would be stuck in that stage or behaviors
Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, fabricated a theory of personality in which personality is composed of three elements, the id, superego, and the ego, that work together to create complex human behaviors. First, the id describes a concept of one's impulse and drive for satisfaction and gratification. Next, the superego describes the concept of one’s conscience and internalized moral standards. It tries to control the immoral actions which the id strives for. Lastly, the ego is the combination of the id and the superego whose role is to maintain a healthy personality by expressing the id’s desires in an acceptable manner.
1. Describe the different way of defining abnormality from the perspectives of deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. When one of these four features impairs a person’s ability to function within social norms, the behavior becomes viewed as a psychological abnormality. While deviant behavior is, a broad, deviant, or unusual behavior alone does not constitute abnormality.
Freud’s structural and topographical model of personality, revolves around the id, ego and superego (McLeod, 2008). As a newborn, I was born with my id which allowed me to get my basic needs met. As an infant, I would cry if I was hungry or tired or just wanted to be held, I did not think of anyone else. The second part of my personality started around when I was three years old, and according to Freud this is when I began to develop my ego. An example of this would be if I was hungry I would want to satisfy my id, but at the
Freud is credited for developing the structural model in which he describes the three parts of the psyche as the id, ego, and super-ego. The id is the unconscious personality structure that contains the basic drives of individuals (self-gratification). The ego is the organized and realistic part of the personality. The super-ego acts as the conscience that maintains the sense of morality.
Psychoanalytic theory- refers to the definition of personality organization and the dynamics of personality development that underlie and guide the psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy, called psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology. First laid out by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century, psychoanalytic theory has undergone many refinements since his work. Psychoanalytic theory came to full prominence in the last third of the twentieth century as part of the flow of critical discourse regarding psychological treatments after the 1960s, long after Freud 's death in 1939. Freud had ceased his analysis of the brain and his physiological studies and shifted his focus to the study of the mind and the related psychological attributes making up the mind, and on treatment using free association and the phenomena of transference. His
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is responsible for developing the Psychoanalytic Theoretical Perspective; Freud argued that our early life experiences are essentially the base to our subconscious mind and in turn heavily influence our current behavior. Freud believed that people could be treated and healed by articulating their dreams and childhood memories allowing an individual to gain insight into these unconscious thoughts and ultimately motivate them to resolve the repressed conflicts within. This technique was developed into a therapy used today known as Psychoanalysis, similar to hypnosis, it was founded in 1896 (“Freud's Psychoanalytic Theories.”). Just like any other psychological theory, there are many interesting concepts to Freud's Psychoanalytic Theoretical Perspective. The theory says that your personality is determined by the manner in which your behaviors have been depicted to the unconscious mind, this theory tells us that our behavior is completely
In the field of Psychology, there are many theories and techniques that can be utilized. Some counselors might choose to use one or more of these theories and techniques, but some will choose to use only one. After learning about the different theories and techniques, I have chosen the Psychoanalytic Theory as my personal theoretical orientation. The reason I chose Psychoanalysis is because I feel that it best suits me. What seems to be most intriguing to me about Psychoanalysis is that its main focus is on your conscious and unconscious mind. I enjoy using techniques in order to find out what information lies within your conscious and unconscious and for this reason, I feel Psychoanalysis best fits my personality.
Psychoanalysis is a form of therapy founded by the Austrian psychologist, Sigmund Freud. He believed that a person’s actions are motivated by 2 impulses – sex and aggression and that it could be made consciously or unconsciously. His theory also focuses on the time of which a person is born, to the age of 6 as he believed that later personality issues are often stemmed from repressed events that happened in early childhood. (Corey, 2013)