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Essay on psychodynamic therapy
Strengths and weaknesses of psychodynamic therapy
Freud's psychoanalytic theories
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Yalom’s second chapter in the book “Love’s Executioner” (2000) describes the therapy of a terminally ill man, named Carlos, who had been alienating members during his group therapy and other people in his life him. Additionally he had been using his preoccupation with sex as means of death denial. Yalom approaches Carlos in different therapeutically ways; using psychodynamic therapy, persona-centered therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, and Adlerian therapy.
Psychoanalysis as a therapy is based on the theory that there is a causal relationship between the current mental development of an individual, his or her wishes and desires, needs and behavior, both conscious and unconscious, and his or her experiences from the past (Corey, 2009; Luborsky, O’Reilly-Landry, & Arlow, 2008).
Various schools of depth psychology developed from psychoanalysis. The term “psychoanalysis” is, therefore, suitable for Freud’s theories about the psychodynamics of the unconscious, founded in descriptive and explanatory model of the human psyche, as well as for psychoanalytic therapy, a group of methods for treating internal and interpersonal conflicts, as well as in the psychoanalytic method that deals with the study of cultural phenomena. Other major concepts of psychoanalysis include the analysis of transference and countertransference, and the examination of defense mechanisms (Corey, 2009; Luborsky, O’Reilly-Landry, & Arlow, 2008).
Defense mechanisms are a method of the “ego” to counteract the needs and drives of the “id”, which were restricted by the “superego”. Defense mechanisms are not conscious, but largely unconscious. Freud assumed that people use defense mechanisms every day, but they can become pathological if an individual is fix...
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...s and behavior.
Works Cited
Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Cengage Learning.
Ellis, A. (2008). Psychoanalysis. In Corsini, R. J., & Wedding, D. (9th ed.). Current
Psychotherapies (pp. 196-234). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Luborsky, E., O’Reilly-Landry, M., & Arlow, J. A. (2008). Psychoanalysis. In Corsini, R. J., & Wedding, D. (9th ed.). Current Psychotherapies (pp. 46-47). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Mosak, H. H., & Miniacci, M. (2008). Psychoanalysis. In Corsini, R. J., & Wedding, D. (9th ed.). Current Psychotherapies (pp. 67-112). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Raskin, N. J., Rogers, C. R., & Witty, M. C. (2008). Psychoanalysis. In Corsini, R. J., & Wedding, D. (9th ed.). Current Psychotherapies (pp. 148-195). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Yalom, I. D. (2000). Love’s executioner and other tales of psychotherapy. HarperCollins.
Haney, Craig; Zimbardo, Philip. American Psychologist, Jul98, Vol. 53 Issue 7, p709, 19p, 2 Black and White Photographs,
Kaplan, H. I., Sadock, B. J., & Grebb, J. A. (1994). Synopsis of psychiatry: behavioral sciences,
Durand, M., & Barlow, D. (2013). Essentials of abnormal psychology. (6 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Freud, Sigmund. New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Ed. James Strachey. Trans. James Strachey. Standard. Vol. 22. London: Hogarth Press, 1964.
Taubner, Svenja. Kessler, Henrik. Buchheim, Anna. Kachele, Horst. Staun, Lenka. (2011). The Role of Mentalization in the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Chronic Depression. , 74(1), p49-57.
Freud, S., Strachey, J., Freud, A., Rothgeb, C., & Richards, A. (1953). The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (1st ed.). London: Hogarth Press.
The psychodynamic approach lends itself to being a controversial yet highly influential theory in the history of psychology. The theory has become one of the most significant psychological approaches and its originator, Sigmund Freud, has become a major influence in modern psychology. The psychodynamic approach largely focuses on motivation and past experiences which develop and individual’s personality. Freud used the iceberg metaphor to outline the three states of consciousness and argued that only twenty percent of the mind represents the conscious. In addition he theorised that there was a pre-conscious mind which represents general memory. Finally, the unconscious mind which is essentially the reservoir of repressed or hidden experiences and desire.
Barry, Peter. "Psychoanalytic criticism." Beginning Theory: an Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd ed. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2009. 92-115. Print.
Psychoanalysis and its derivatives were the first theories to develop and most of those therapists who were not eclectic adhered to some form of psychoanalysis or psychodynamic therapy. The so-called Minnesota point of view of Patterson “(1966, 1986) was an eclectic position.” It appears that 50% of the practitioners today claim themselves to be eclectic.”
The first theory Psychodynamic theory presented by Sigmund Freud, is based on how a person’s self-awareness and understanding of the past on present behavior. Psychody...
Brenner, Adam M., 6.3: Other Psychodynamic Schools. In Sadock, Benjamin J., Sadock, Virginia A., Ruiz, Pedro (ed.) (2009). Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (PA).
It is important to be clear about the meanings of certain terms that you may come across and throughout the handout you will find footnotes clarifying certain terms. Firstly though, a word about the terms psychoanalysis and psychodynamics. Psychoanalysis refers to both Freud’s original attempt at providing a comprehensive theory of the mind and also to the associated treatment. The term encompasses both Freudian theory and therapy. You will also come across the term psychodynamics. This term is used to denote the approach which began with psychoanalysis but which has now broadened into a much more diverse collection of theories and models developed by other psychologists, all of which nevertheless retain some of the main ideas of Freud’s original theory.
Wedding, D., & Corsini, R. J. (Eds.). (2014). Current psychotherapies (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage
Halgin, R. P., & Whitbourne, S. K. (2010). Abnormal psychology: clinical perspectives on psychological disorders (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.