Psychodynamic Theories Essay

As a chemical group over the last few weeks we have been dicussing has a group the 3 main theories of counselling and after c argonful deliberation ive elect to do my presentation on the psychodynamic conjecture. Psychodynamics is the possibleness and system of rulesatic study of the psychological forces that underlie human behaviour. It is especi completelyy interested in the dynamic relations between certified(p) and un assured motivation . Psychodynamic therapies depend upon a theory of inner remainder, wherein repressed behaviours and emotions surface into the patients consciousness generally, oneness conflict is subconscious .Psychodynamics was initially genuine by Sigmund Freud ,Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. By the mid(prenominal) 1940s and into the 1950s, the general application of the psychodynamic theory had been well established. When talking most Psychodynamic theory the first reboot that pops into most peoples heads is Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud was Born in A ustria on May 6, 1856, Sigmund Freud theorized and practiced neuropsychology, studying first hysteria and then intimateity. A highly controversial intellectual figure of the 20th century, he canvass dreams, defined what he called the Oedipus heterogeneous and laid out three stages of infantile sexual development .He remains one of the most important figures in at presents world. His name alone symbolizes the importance of his theories, and the name that bugger offs to most peoples heads when saying the word psychology is Sigmund Freud. Freud was a psychodynamic psychologist and that came from Freuds fascinate on the oral sex is in the shape of an iceberg. He believes that macrocosms mind works in the unconscious. E real pick that manhood makes he is awargon of, but maybe the consequences of our action force be unknown.The Structure of Personality which is a nonher(prenominal) interesting piece of Freuds theory basically states that we have an ID, a Superego and an Ego. The ID is a biological reference of urges and impulses that need to be gratified. He says the ID does not have a conscious , it acts on instinct and it seeks out gratification and pleasure. It is the pleasure principle. The Superego is the Morality Principle, and the Superego knows the loss between right and wrong. The Superego is a bunch of pecked internalized morals and value of society.This isbasically the thing that keeps the ID in check. Freud said that Superego is our conscious, and that the Superego is the most powerful cats-paw (guilt and pride). Last but not least is the Ego, which is the reality principle. The Ego come acrosss heartyly accept sufficient slipway to satisfy the ID. It con lieurs the balance between the ID and reality. The functions of the Ego is to find a compromise between the ID and the Superego. The Ego must likewise learn to trade with anxiety, and it also helps to boost the self-esteem. Without the Ego in that respect would be no mental healt h.After researching Freuds theory of the Structure of Personality I feel we have different break offs of our behavior that we can wangle and that we be conscious about and at that place are other behaviors that come directly from our unconscious . Our ego lies to us, denies, falsifies, and distorts reality which in turn causes us to create what Freud likes to call the s evening denial weapons. The first of the seven defense weapons is Repression. Repression pushes the problem to the subconscious. It is the exclusion of impulses and thoughts from the conscious mind.Next comes Denial, and denial is the cutting of the conscious mind from external threats. ANTHONY BILLSON 5. 2 PAGE 3 An example of this would be when you are walking in the mall with your girlfriend and a fine-looking woman walks by and you look but when your girlfriend asks you say, I wasnt looking at her. Next there is a defense mechanism called Sublimation which is the changing of bad behavior and impulses i nto socially acceptable behavior and impulses. iodin example of this could be playing football for a scholarship in come in to go to college.Another defense mechanism is Reaction defining which is a development of behavior opposite of that which brings you anxiety . The following(a) mechanism is called Projection whichis when the unconscious attribution of your thoughts and feelings is brought onto others. Finding flaws in others is a not bad(predicate) example of Projection. Displacement is the nigh defense mechanism, and this is when an urge is placed onto another object. Taking out anger onto others when you really should be mad at yourself. Last but not least is the defense mechanism of rationalization which is giving a good reason in place of the genuine reason.Another well known psychologist which is actually a student of Freuds is Carl Jung who is also a psychodynamic psychologist, Carl Jung was born(p)(p) July 26, 1875 in Kesswil, Switzerland and he went a little de eper than Freud did in his theories and he challenges whatever of his minds. One is that Jungs iceberg is right placement up and at the top of the iceberg is the ego, and the level underneath that is the personalised unconscious, and the final level of the iceberg is finally the collective unconscious which is some the exact opposites of Freuds.What I mean by deeper is that he feels that man is not just sexual but spiritual as well. He says that the major(ip) difference in man is based on the Libido which is your sex drive. As you can see Jung has a much broader level of human interest. Jung theories are strongly based on Darwins theory of Evolution. Jung thinks we evolved behaviorally which has allowed us to wave and move forward in aim to keep up with society. The next part of Carl Jungs theory is the Archetypal Complex, which are plebeian ways of dealing with the world.In other words its a genetically transmitted response strategy. It ensures survival. There are two examp les of Archetypal Complexes and they are the enemy archetype and the social archetype. . There are examples in workaday life when a person does not know what something is they immediately specify some sort of aggression or frustration which proves they are dismayed of what is different or what they do not really know or understand. The social archetype basically means strength in numbers. alike the social archetype is what we look to for support and look to interact and interact with.The response strategy is to develop a need to conform. With the hale idea of Archetypal Complexes different people use different ways to deal with the worlds problems, and enemy archetype could not be to a greater extent precise about mankind being threatened by something that is different. The next part of Jungs theory is the idea of Individuation which is the integration of our conscious perceptions of the outside world with our unconscious archetypal experiences. Polarities, which are opposite extremes, which ties in the Principle of entropy which, is a state of disorder and a south of energy.The last thing Jung states in his theory is the idea of wholeness which is having both polarities of our life met. Carl Jungs theory challenges much of Freuds, but in some ways is similar. Jung gets more(prenominal) into man being more spiritual than sexual which is almost the opposite of Freud. The next psychologist that I leave mention will be a social psychodynamic psychologist by the name of Alfred Adler. Adler was born on February 7, 1870 and Adlers theory states that all of us are born with a awareness of inferiority as registerd by how weak and mixed-up a newborn is.ANTHONY BILLSON 5. 2 PAGE 4 By this, Adler was able to explain that this inferiority is a crucial part of our nature, in the brain that it is the driving force that pushes us to strive in order to pop off superior. In addition to the Inferiority Theory of Personality, Adler also considers birth order as a m ajor factor in the development of our personality. He believed that first born children may feel inferior and may even develop inferiority complex once their younger sibling arrives.The snapper born children, on the other hand, are not as pampered as their older or younger sibling, but they have a sense of superiority to dethrone their older sibling in a sound competition. Thus they have the greatest potential to be successful in life. The youngest children may feel like they have the least power to entrance other members of the family. Because they are often the most pampered, they may develop personality problems of inferiority just like the first born. He was much little of a pessimist than Freud was Almost a complete opposite from Freud.Adler believed that society impedes humans. His view of the mind is much like Carl Jungs, but instead of having the ego at the top he has the conscious at the top with the unconscious on the bottom. He felt that social interests drive motivati on, which is an innate drive to be social and to belong. He also stated in his theory that mankind is dependent on others and their reactions and their acceptance which in turn leaves mankind very vulnerable. The main idea of this theory is that he feels that mankind is more social than biological.A great example ofthis would definitely be that in todays schools there are cliques and clans of different people that feel that they are cooler or better and than the people who are not as popular do whatever they can to fit in with a certain group. Teenagers nowadays are probably the best example there is of Adlers theory of social interest. Another part of Adlers theory that he brings up is the idea of the creative self which he says drives us toward human nature. There are two parts to this theory and they are the superiority complex and the inferiority complex.First of all the superiority complex states mankind tries to better itself in order to overcome our weaknesses. The second par t of this theory is the inferiority complex which is when society measures us up to their standards. This is when we bring to avoid our weaknesses instead of trying to overcome them. The next theorist is Erich Fromm who was born in Frankfurt on March 23, 1900 and he was a grownup social psychodynamic psychologist who was also a student of Freuds. He believes that man is innately good and society is the thing that corrupts him.He also feels that the conscious mind dominates over the unconscious. Fromm says man is a social creature and he believes that mankind has social needs. He says life is a struggle and society makes our lives difficult. Fromm feels that the intravenous feeding needs of mans social life are relatedness, frame of reference , personal identity, and transcendence. Relatedness is a basic need and it states that man needs to feel connected to human race whether it be friends, family, or activities. It also states that man has to beinteracted with other in order t o belong.The problems start when a person feels that they are not a part of something. Relatedness is probably the most powerful need. Frame of Reference are common ideas and beliefs of looking at the world. This is when we seek out a belief system or a value system. We receive our frame of reference from where we find our relatedness. Without frame of reference there is no meaning to life. Identity is the next out of the four needs of mans social life which is when you know who you are and what you stand for.With identity you have to establish your own uniqueness or identity. Recognizing differences in others help you to find your own identity. ANTHONY BILLSON 5. 2 PAGE 5 Next comes transcendence which is rarely achieved and this means to rise above societies conformities in order to be an individual. With transcendence there is a risk of losing your relatedness, and for this not to happen relatedness must allow you rise above society. A conflict of freedom and loneliness means tha t the more that we become transcendent the more we lose the relatedness.My last theorist to talk about is Erik Erikson, he was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1902 . Erikson impacted psychological theories by expanding upon Freuds first five stages of development. He believed that each person progressed through eight, and ultimately social club (added by his widow), stages of development throughout their lives. Eriksons theories were founded on the premise that surround played a major role in self-awareness, adjustment, human development, and identity . His belief in the Life Cycle later won him a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award.He was selected for the Jefferson Lecture and recognized for his achievement in the area of humanities. Erikson was best known for his impact on psychology through his theory on social development and his long teaching career at prestigious institutions. Now after all my researching which has took me quite a while to get through cause there are so many sources to choose from ive realised that has psychodynamic theories have developed over the years our understanding of the human psyche has evolved and so as the effectiveness of the methods used by counsellors today.There is a negative side to this theory though cause some critics ask that psychodynamic theories are not falsifiable and therefore unscientific. In response to this criticism, proponents of psychodynamic theories point out that evidence does support some psychodynamic concepts. For example, research shows that there are unconscious mental processes, that people have mental representations of other people, and that people use unconscious defense mechanisms to protect themselves from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety.Other critics argue that psychodynamic theories are made by generalizing from a small number of patients to the whole human population. Relying only on case studies can lead to ill-timed conclusions. Still others argue that most psychodynamic theor ies are not based on studies that follow people from childhood to adulthood. Instead, psychodynamic theorists listen to descriptions of an adult patients past and draw conclusions about the relevance of childhood experiences however memories are not always reliable.