Evaluation Of Therapy (psychodynamic Approach)

Question 1

Effectiveness

Answer 1

+ (Hajeck & Belcher 1991) - provided evidence to support Dreams as wish fulfilment.
- studied smokers involved in a programme to help them stop smoking and found that p’s reported dreaming of smoking during and a year after

• much of the research conducted used on sleep deprived p’s so poor internal validity (cause & effect conclusions that are drawn likely to be weak - won’t apply to all p’s)
• dream analysis highly subjective, diff ppl may have diff interpretations

Question 2

Side-effects

Answer 2

• Long and intensive process where painful and buried emotions are explored
• experience of uncovering these may be more painful than the symptoms that led the client to seek help in the first place

Question 3

Cause/symptom

Answer 3

• Dream analysis is one of the few approaches that actually targets the real cause of the problem
• underlying cause (e.g early childhood trauma) of the disorder is identified and treated

Question 4

Appropiateness

Answer 4

• not appropriate for everyone - length of consultation, which can take years, and the intrusive nature (discussing childhood) not relevant for everyone

Question 5

Patient Involvement

Answer 5

• the therapist is in control (takes on expert role) and so only they can gain access to their unconscious which makes the client reliant on the therapist and can even create a power imbalance

Question 6

Ethics

Answer 6

• False mem syndrome (FMS) - remembering an event in our lives that never actually occurred
• during therapy the therapist may suggest that these memories did actually happen in the patient’s life and due to power imbalance client will accept them as true
• Toon et al (1996) suggested that therapists may induce FM’s in order to extend therapy and maximise their income

Question 7

Conclusion

Answer 7

• role of therapist = critical
• however adopting an approach where there is no power imbalance and client is not treated as a subordinate will improve effectiveness and qual of therapy as DA is still lacking an empirical base
• other therapies like RET is an example of a therapy that offers the client more control