Download Psycho-Dynamic Theory and more Study notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity!
4. PSYCHODYNAMICS
4 .1 PSYCHODYNAMICS: Psychodynamics , also known as dynamic psychology , in its broadest sense, is an approach to psychology that emphasizes systematic study of the psychological forces that underlie human behavior, feelings, and emotions and how they might relate to early experience. It is especially interested in the dynamic relations between conscious motivation unconscious motivation.
The term psychodynamics is also used by some to refer specifically to the psychoanalytical approach developed by Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) and his followers. Freud was inspired by the theory of thermodynamics and used the term psychodynamics to describe the processes of the mind as flows of psychological energy (libido) in an organically complex brain.
In the treatment of psychological distress, psychodynamic psychotherapy tends to be a less intensive, once- or twice-weekly modality than the classical Freudian psychoanalysis treatment of 3-5 sessions per week. Psychodynamic therapies depend upon a theory of inner conflict, wherein repressed behaviors and emotions surface into the patient’s consciousness; generally, one conflict is subconscious.
In general, psychodynamics is the study of the interrelationship of various parts of the mind, personality, or psyche as they relate to mental, emotional, or motivational forces especially at the unconscious level. The mental forces involved in psychodynamics are often divided into two parts: (a) the interaction of the emotional and motivational forces that affect behavior and mental states, especially on a subconscious level; (b) inner forces affecting behavior: the study of the emotional and motivational forces that affect behavior and states of mind.
Freud proposed that psychological energy was constant (hence, emotional changes consisted only in displacements) and that it tended to rest (point attractor) through discharge (catharsis).
In mate selection psychology, psychodynamics is defined as the study of the forces, motives, and energy generated by the deepest of human needs.
In general, psychodynamics studies the transformations and exchanges of "psychic energy" within the personality. A focus in psychodynamics is the connection between the energetics of emotional states in the id, ego, and superego as they relate to early childhood developments and processes. At the heart of psychological processes, according to Freud, is the ego, which he envisions as battling with three forces: the id, the super-ego, and the outside world. The id is the unconscious reservoir of libido, the psychic energy that fuels instincts and psychic
processes. The ego serves as the general manager of personality, making decisions regarding the pleasures that will be pursued at the id's demand, the person's safety requirements, and the moral dictates of the superego that will be followed. The superego refers to the repository of an individual's moral values, divided into the conscience - the internalization of a society's rules and regulations - and the ego- ideal - the internalization of one's goals. Hence, the basic psychodynamic model focuses on the dynamic interactions between the id, ego, and superego. Psychodynamics, subsequently, attempts to explain or interpret behavior or mental states in terms of innate emotional forces or processes.
Psychodynamic Approach If you know very little about psychology, and you have heard of just one psychologist, the chances are that this is Sigmund Freud, the founder of the psychodynamic approach to psychology, orpsychoanalysis. If Freud represents your layperson's idea of psychology then you probably have an image of a patient lying on a couch talking about their deepest and darkest secrets.
In deliberate contrast to behavioral psychology, psychodynamic psychology ignores the trappings of science and instead focuses on trying to get ' inside the head ' of individuals in order to make sense of their relationships, experiences and how they see the world.
The psychodynamic approach includes all the theories in psychology that see human functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, particularly unconscious, and between the different structures of the personality.
Freud’s psychoanalysis was the original psychodynamic theory, but the psychodynamic approach as a whole includes all theories that were based on his ideas, e.g. Jung (1964), Adler (1927) and Erikson (1950).
The words psychodynamic and psychoanalytic are often confused. Remember that 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.
Sigmund Freud (writing between the 1890s and the 1930s) developed a collection of theories which have formed the basis of the psychodynamic approach to
Psychosexual development
After Freud personality development goes through the following four stages: oral, anal, phallic and genital. The latency period is a stage of psychosexual development. Freud thought that in the process of psychosexual development the unresolved conflicts lead to fixation and formation of certain types of character. For example, adults with a fixation on anal retention stage become inflexible, boring and forcibly accurate.
Defense mechanisms
Freud distinguished three types of anxiety: a realistic, neurotic and emotional. He believed that anxiety plays the role of warning signal ego about the impending danger from instinctual impulses. In response, the ego uses a number of safeguards, including the repression, projection, displacement, rationalization, reaction formation, regression, sublimation, and denial. Defense mechanisms are unconscious and distort the perception of reality by the individual. Freud’s theory is based on certain assumptions about the nature of man.
Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Today
Many psychoanalytic concepts still need rigorous empirical testing. Freud argued the empirical validity of his theory on the basis of clinical observations during therapy, and he also objected the experimental research in laboratory. However, there were some attempts to establish the validity of certain concepts of psychoanalysis. The most typical research was focused on an experimental evaluation of displacement and subliminal psychodynamic activation of unconscious conflict, as well as their impact on the pathological behavior. These studies have provided empirical support for certain key psychoanalytic hypotheses. However, the results of each study should be regarded carefully and critically.
The concept of psychoanalysis have very many applications in everyday life. One of the most significant – is psychoanalytic therapy – using fairly well-tested methods like: the method of free association, interpretation of resistance and transference analysis. All are aimed to study the unconscious, which enables a better understanding of patient’s personality. This new knowledge about themselves are then transferred into everyday life by using the emotional relearning. Recent changes in the practice of psychoanalysis led to the emergence of so-called psychoanalytic therapy. In psychoanalytic therapy there may be restrictions in the duration of therapy, it is focused on a group or family therapy
and prescribed medication in combination with traditional methods of psychoanalysis.
4.3 CARL JUNG: Analytical psychology (or Jungian psychology ) is a school of psychology that originated from the ideas of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Analytical psychology is fundamentally distinct from the psychoanalytic school of Sigmund Freud. Its aim is a meaningful life with particular focus on personality development during the second half of life and substantive contributions to society. This is achieved via a continuous cyclical process of self- awareness, transformation, and self-actualization. These are products of constructive re-conceptualization of conscious and unconscious conflicts in an individual's life.
The effort of examining the two opposing views yields a new view, new understanding, and a new helpful attitude. These new attitudes empower the individual for self-care; in turn, self-care enables an individual to contribute to a healthy society and also live a meaningful life. Jung travelled extensively and believed a theory must take into account the biological, cultural, and spiritual aspects of human identity. He also believed psychic self-care was essential to the well-being of humankind. Jung's theory has served as the basis for new strands in psychology, including depth psychology and archetypal psychology, and has been advanced by his students, academics, and professionals who study and apply his methods.
Jung developed a foundational approach to the study of the human mind. Jung began his career as a psychiatrist in Zurich, Switzerland. There, he conducted research for the Word Association Experiment at the world-renowned Burgholzli Clinic. Jung's research earned him a worldwide reputation and numerous honours, including an honorary degree from Clark University, Massachusetts, in 1904; another honorary degree from Harvard University in 1936; recognition from the University of Oxford and the University of Calcutta; and appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, England.
In 1907, Jung met Sigmund Freud in Vienna, Austria. For six years, the two scholars worked together, and in 1911, they founded the International Psychoanalytic Association of which Jung was the first president. However, early in the collaboration, Jung observed that Freud would not tolerate ideas that were different from his own. In 1912, Jung's Psychology of the nconscious ( Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido ) was published (re-published as Symbols of Transformation in 1952)(C.W. Vol. 5). The work's innovative ideas contributed to
and deep. They can schism, and split, and form complexes that take over one's personality. Jung proposed that this occurs through maladaptation to one’s external or internal realities. The principles of adaptation, projection, and compensation are central processes in Jung’s view of psyche’s ability to adapt.
The aim of psychotherapy is to assist the individual in reestablishing a healthy relationship to the unconscious: neither flooded by it (characteristic of psychosis, such as Schizophrenia) or out of balance in relationship to it (as with neurosis, a state that results in depression, anxiety, and personality disorders).
In order to undergo the individuation process, the individual must be open to the parts of oneself beyond one's own ego. The modern individual grows continually in psychic awareness (attention to dreams), explores the world of religion and spirituality, and questions the assumptions of the operant societal worldview rather than just blindly living life in accordance with dominant norms and assumptions.
