Clinical Flashcards
topographical model
our psyche (mind) is made of 3 levels:
1) conscious level: thoughts, feelings, perceptions, etc. that we are currently aware of
2) preconscious level: lies just below the conscious level and contains material that is not currently in conscious awareness but is readily accessible to consciousness
3) unconscious level: lies beneath the preconscious level and is the largest component of the psyche - contains threatening emotions and memories and other material that is normally unavailable to conscious awareness
structural theory
a psychic structure that consists of the id, ego, and superego and proposes that personality is largely the result of interactions between them
id
present at birth and consists of all of the basic biological instincts that drive or direct behavior
ego
part of the id that has been modified by its interactions with the external world
superego
last component to develop
it serves as the conscience, operates at all three levels of consciousness, and evolves primarily from the internalization of parental prohibitions, standards, and values
transference
therapist’s neutrality allows the client to project onto the therapist feelings that he or she originally had for a parent or other significant person in the past
countertransference
the therapist projects unresolved feelings toward another person onto the client
Jung’s structure of the psyche
1) conscious: consists of the ego and contains all thoughts, feelings, etc. of which we are currently aware.
2) personal unconscious: contains our own forgotten or repressed memories and includes complexes, which are collections of thoughts, feelings, and attitudes that are related to a particular concept (e.g., power, inferiority) and that influence behavior.
3) collective unconscious: consists of “general wisdom that is shared by all people, has developed over time, and is passed along from generation to generation across the ages”
archetypes
universal mental structures that predispose people to react to certain circumstances in specific ways
individuation
an integration of all conscious and unconscious aspects of the self into a unified whole
Adler’s Individual Psychology
1) feelings of inferiority: develop during childhood in response to real or imagined disabilities or inadequacies - people motivated to overcome their sense of inferiority by using some type of compensation
2) striving for superiority: innate drive toward competence and effectiveness - term “style of life” to describe how a person strives for superiority
3) mistaken (unhealthy) style of life: overcompensation for feelings of inferiority guided by goals that reflect self-centeredness and a lack of concern about the well-being of others
Karen Horney
focused on the impact of early relationships; proposed that certain parenting behaviors (e.g., indifference, overprotection, rejection) cause a child to experience basic anxiety (feeling of helplessness and isolation in a hostile world);
to defend, child adopts certain interpersonal coping strategies (moving toward others, moving against others, moving away from others)
Harry Stack Sullivan
a) prototaxic mode: occurs before symbols are used, discrete, unconnected momentary states, inability to differentiate between the self and the external world
(b) parataxic mode: use of private or autistic symbols, ability to differentiate certain aspects of experience and seeing causal connections between events that occur at about the same time but are not actually related
(c) syntaxic mode: use of symbols that have shared meaning and permit logical, sequential thought and meaningful interpersonal communication
parataxic distortions
the result of arrest at the parataxic mode due to unsatisfactory early relationship;
involve perceiving and evaluating people in the present based on past interpersonal experiences
Erich Fromm
interested in how society prevents individuals from realizing their essential human nature, which is characterized by the capacity to be creative, loving, and productive
ego-defensive functions
involved in the resolution of internal conflicts
ego-autonomous functions
involved in adaptive, non-conflict laden functions such as learning, memory, comprehension, and perception
Object Relations Theory
behavior is motivated by a desire for human connection;
focuses on the impact of early relationships between a child and significant others (“objects”) in the child’s life
object constancy
ability to maintain a predominantly positive emotional connection to a significant other independent of one’s need state or the object’s immediate ability to gratify one’s needs
object constancy three-stage model
1) initial normal autistic stage: first few weeks of life, infant is aware of only themself
2) normal symbiotic stage: infant becomes aware of the external environment but can’t differentiate between self and others
3) separation-individuation stage: 4 substages during which object constancy gradually develops (5-36 months)
Person-Centered Therapy
based on the assumption that people have an innate self-actualizing tendency (capacity to achieve their full potential) that motivates and guides their behavior
incongruence
discrepancy between self and experience, which can impede the self-actualizing tendency and lead to psychological maladjustment
the self (or self-concept)
how a person currently perceives themself;
person’s beliefs about who they are and what they can do
person-centered therapy 3 conditions
1) Empathy: therapist understands the client’s subjective experience and conveys that understanding to the client
2) Congruence: therapist is genuine, open, and honest and exhibits consistency in words and actions
3) Unconditional Positive Regard: therapist truly cares about the client, affirms the client’s value as a person, and accepts the client without judgment