Weakness in Sigmound Freud’s Theories

In this essay I will describe key elements of Psychodynamic theory, Person-Centred theory and Cognitive-Behavioural theory. I will also identify the key differences between the above theories. I shall also describe how counselling theory underpins the use of counselling skills in practise. I will then end with my conclusion.

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.

The ego is the mediator between the id and the circumstances of the external world to aid their interaction. The ego represents reason in contrast to the id. Freud called the ego ich, which translates to English as “I”. The ego follows the reality principal. The ego does not exist independently of the id. The ego exists to help the id, and is constantly striving to bring about satisfaction of the id’s instincts. If the ego fails to keep a balance with the id and superego, a person may have difficulty

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

Ego was symbolized as a “Man’s self mind or the conceptual faculty of reasoning” (Ayn Rand). The conceptual faculty of reason was what lead to a man's emotions. In seeing one’s own actions it gave motivation and goals to the individual. However, “Egoism should be distinguished from egotism, which means a psychological overvaluation of one’s own importance, or of one’s own activities”(Alexander Moseley).

The ego develops from the ‘id’ in the first few months. Babies might learn that by smiling in some situations they are more likely to get their needs met whilst in other situations it may be better to cry. In some situations the ego may make the id wait for its demands to be met. For example, a child may learn that if they snatch a cake from a tray they may have it taken away from them, but by waiting to be offered they will eventually get it. The term ’deferred gratification’ is used when this happens. The ego is often thought of as being the common sense part of our personalities.

In this approach it is mainly based on Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis which was the original psychodynamic theory; however many psychologists based their theories from his theory.

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 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.

The aim of psychodynamic counselling is to increase the client’s capacity to use and accept more aspects of themselves; to free their process of thought and feeling and to remove existent damaging restrictions on them. New, better possibilities for dealing with internal and external remain after counselling ends.

Ego: In this second developmental stage, compromises in instinctive responses to environmental circumstances begin to develop. The ego mediates with the id by considering the rules of the real world and the consequences of actions taken in that world.

The third and final element in the Freudian mind is the ego. The ego is our conception of ourself in relation to others. This is in contrast with the self-centered id. If one has a "strong ego" that person feels confident in dealing with others and can accept criticism. To have a "weak ego" is to need continual approval from others. The ego is very similar to the self-esteem concept. This is the part of the mind that develops from an awareness of social standards and is modified by contact with the social world. The ego is like the mature adult. When the id is saying, "I want that" and the superego is questioning what is right and wrong, the ego enters the equation and decides what to do. A mature ego will deny immediate pleasure in order to avoid any consequences.

are. Sigmund Freud is the most well known theorist of this type with the basis of his

Freud said that the Ego is the mediator between the Id and Superego and the outside world. For the Ego to do its job, it has to delay the desires of the Id until it is socially acceptable to give the Id the needs. So our conscious-driven Ego is a balance of the Id and Superego, evening out our primal needs