L5: Psychodynamic therapies Flashcards
In the chapter on psychoanalytic theory it is discussed that different psychoanalytic thinkers have different conceptions of the unconscious. Yet, there is an important common feature regarding the reason why humans are motivated to keep some experiences out of awareness. Which one?
Avoiding pain
What are the 7 basic principles of psychodynamic therapy?
- All humans are partially motivated by unconscious desires
- Theres an interest in making the individual aware of their unconscious which helps increase choice
- There is emphasis on exploring the ways people avoid painful and threatening feelings, fantasies, and thoughts
- Changing oneself is encountered with ambivalence
- The therapeutic relationship is an arena for exploring clients’ self-defeating psychological processes and actions
- The therapeutic relationship is an important vehicle of change
- There is an emphasis on helping clients understand how their perception of past and present perpetuates self-defeating patterns
What is “the unconscious” in psychodynamic therapies?
freud: an area of functioning where certain impulses, wishes, and memories stay outside awareness, implying that many rational explanations of our actions are inadequate. These are outside of awareness often because the individual believes them to be unacceptable
not all modern psychoanalysts still follow this (some ignore the ego as arbiter between instinctual id and superego and say that actions should always be seen as compromises between underlying desires & the fear of potential adverse consequences of the desire
What role do “fantasies” play in psychodynamic therapy?
- crucial role in psychic functioning
- varies to what extent they are conscious
- involved in regulation of self esteem & affect, need for safety, mastering trauma
What are primary vs secondary processes in psychodynamic therapies?
primary process: primitive form of psychic functioning beginning at birth & operating unconsciously. no distinction made between timeframes and feelings and experiences can be condensed into a single symbol, thus being expressed metaphorically. Primary process operates in dreams and fantasy, as well as in psychosis.
secondary process: the functioning associated with consciousness, thus being logical and sequential.
What is the function of defenses?
to avoid emotional pain by pushing thoughts, wishes, feelings, fantasies out of awareness
What are 4 examples of defenses?
- Intellectualization (talking about something threatening while keeping up an emotional distance to it)
- Projection (attributing a threatening feeling or motive one is experiencing to another person)
- Reaction formation (Denying a threatening feeling and claiming to feel the opposite)
- Splitting (when one is unable to integrate ambivalent feelings about a person into one’s view 2 separate representations of the person form (e.g. good and bad)) -> makes stable relationships difficult to maintain
Define transference
transferring a template of a significant figure from one’s childhood onto another person (e.g. after having had a tyrannical father, the therapist is also viewed as tyrannical
How did Freud see transference?
- first as an impediment to treatment
- later as crucial part of the clients healing process as it helps them gain a deeper understanding of the relationshipp & its significance by reliving it
What are one- versus two- person psychologies?
shift in psychoanalysis from
- one person psych: therapist seen as objective & neutral observer
- two person psych: therapist & client cooperating for deeper understanding on both sides. necessitates that therapist develops awareness of their contribution to the interaction & explores themselves
What are the 4 reasons for declining influence of psychoanalysis?
- Increasing biologizing of psychiatry
- Rise of CBT and the emphasis on evidence-based treatment
- Arrogance of psychoanalysts being regarded negatively in the public
- Psychoanalysts not being receptive to valid criticism
How did psychoanalytic thinking develop from classical freudian psychoanalysi to contemporary psychoanalytic traditions?
early psychoanalysits
- came from marginalized group
later
- intensive formal training & social conservatism which led to elitism in the field
- modern psychoanalysis has undergone many reforms but still gets a lot of criticism & biases (intolerance of ambiguity & emphasis on instrumental utility)
What are the 3 technical guidelines derived from Freud’s work?
- Therapists should maintain anonymity to function as a blank screen for uncontaminated transference
- Therapists should remain neutral so their biases would not influence the client
- Therapists should avoid gratifying the client’s immediate wishes, as these are results of unconscious wishes and fantasies
What have been the differen psychoanalysis theories over time?
- Freud: Classical psychoanalysis: charaterized by Freuds drive theory, psychosexual model of development, & importance of transference
- Sullivan: interpersonal psychoanalysis: human relatedness is the most fundamental need motivating ppl + both client & therapist contributions are necessary to understand
- Kohut: focus on understanding the dev of cohesive sense of self, self esteem, inner vitality
- Relationial psychoanalysis: rejected Freud’s drive theory & emphasized need for human relatedness & both parites influence each other in therapy & transference doesnt really happen
- Modern conflict theory: evolved version of ego psychology, so ongoing conflict between unconscious wishes & our defenses
- Lacanian theory: ego & sense of self is illusion of a misidentification of ourselves w others desires. theres a lack of true self.
What is conflict theory of personality?
Intrapsychic conflict and the compromise resulting from core wishes and characteristic styles of defense contribute to different personalities (ex: obsessional person emerges from a conflict between obedience and defiance)
