Psychoanalytic Therapy (Week 2) Flashcards
What is eros/libido?
The life drive (toward procreation, social cooperation, survival)
What is thanatos?
The death drive (prompts aggression, risky behvior, reliving trauma)
What is repression?
(A defense mechanism.)
Subconsciously blocking ideas or impulses that are undesirable. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who has no recollection of a traumatic event, even though they were conscious and aware during the event.
What is suppression?
(A defense mechanism)
Choosing to block ideas or impulses that are undesirable, as opposed to repression, a subconscious process. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who has intrusive thoughts about a traumatic event but pushes these thoughts out of their mind.
What is denial?
(A defense mechanism.) Dismissing external reality and instead focusing on internal explanations or fallacies and thereby avoiding the uncomfortable reality of a situation. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who continues to shop for expensive designer clothes despite being in serious financial debt
What is projection?
(A defense mechanism.)
Attributing one’s own maladaptive inner impulses to someone else. For example, someone who commits an episode of infidelity in their marriage may then accuse their partner of infidelity or may become more suspicious of their partner.
What is displacement?
(A defense mechanism.)
Transferring one’s emotional burden or emotional reaction from one entity to another. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who has a stressful day at work and then lashes out against their family at home.
What is sublimation?
(A defense mechanism.) Transforming one’s anxiety or emotions into pursuits considered by societal or cultural norms to be more useful. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who channels their aggression and energy into playing sports. Considered to be a healthier defense mechanism.
What is introjection/identification?
(A defense mechanism.)
The internalization or reproduction of behaviors observed in others, such as a child developing the behavior of his or her parents without conscious realization of this process.
Dr. Cornett describes as us taking other peoples’ characterizations of us and making them our own.
What is reaction formation?
(A defense mechanism.)
Replacing one’s initial impulse toward a situation or idea with the opposite impulse. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who teases or insults a romantic interest whom they like. Conversely, this mechanism may be present in someone who is overly kind to someone whom they dislike.
What is undoing?
(A defense mechanism.)
Occurs when a person tries to cancel out or remove an unhealthy, destructive or otherwise threatening thought or action by engaging in contrary behavior. For example, after thinking about being violent with someone, one would then be overly nice or accommodating to them.
Implies more shame than reaction formation.
What is rationalization?
(A defense mechanism.)
The justification of one’s behavior through attempts at a rational explanation. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who steals money but feels justified in doing so because they needed the money more than the person from whom they stole.
What is intellectualization?
(A defense mechanism.)
The development of patterns of excessive thinking or over-analyzing, which may increase the distance from one’s emotions. For example, someone diagnosed with a terminal illness does not show emotion after the diagnosis is given but instead starts to research every source they can find about the illness.
What is the ego?
Executive mediating between id impulses and superego inhibitions; testing reality; rational
Operates mainly at conscious level but also at preconscious level.
This is the tip of the iceberg above water.
Produces mature, adaptive behavior
What is the superego?
Ideals and morals, ethics, values
Striving for perfection
Incorporated from parents
Becoming a person’s conscience
Operates mostly at preconscious level
What is the id?
Basic impulses (sex and aggression);
Seeking immediate gratification
Irrational and impulsive
Operates at unconscious level
In visual, well below the water line, at the bottom
Innate desires
Pleasure seeking
Aggression
Sexual impulse
What is consciousness?
A present awareness.
What is manifest content?
Those aspects of our experience of which we are conscious.
What is preconsciousness?
Information not in present awareness that can readily be brought into awareness.
What is unconsciousness?
Information not in present awareness and not readily accessible.
What is latent content?
Aspects of our experience of which we are not conscicous.
What do you know about the oral psychosexual stage of development?
Age: Birth-1
Libidinal Zone: mouth
Chief pleasures and “tension reducers”: chewing, sucking, biting, and swallowing
What do you know about the anal psychosexual stage of development?
Age: 1-3 years
Libidinal Zone: anus, bowels
Chief pleasures and tension reducers: withholding elimination and/or elimination (anal retentive is controlling).
What do you know about the phallic psychosexual stage of development?
Age: 3-6 years
Libidinal Zone: genitals
Chief pleasures and tension reducers: self-stimulation and identification with same-sex parent (to combat attraction to opposite-sex parent–Oedipal complex)
What do you know about the latency psychosexual stage of development?
Age: 6-11 years
Libidinal Zone: none
Chief pleasures and tension reducers: focusing on social interactions with others, learning and conforming to social norms, repressing interest in sexuality
What do you know about the genital psychosexual stage of development?
Age: 12+
Libidinal Zone: Genital primacy
Characteristics: “Sexual reawakening”; source of pleasure becomes someone outside of the family; sexual intimacy and reproduction
What is consciousness raising?
becoming more conscious of what is unconscious, with greater insight into internal conflict and its sources. Decreases use of immature defense mechanism and has ability to face what has been obscured. Increases more mature expressions of our impulses and ego strength.
What is analytic neutrality?
Therapist creates a blank canvas that the subject can paint their past onto. The therapist’s aloofness functions like a mirror that reveals the patient’s past experiences.
What is transference?
When someone redirects their feelings about one person onto someone else. During a therapy session, it usually refers to a person transferring their feelings about someone else onto their therapist.
What is countertransference?
When a therapist transfers feelings onto the patient.
What is free association?
An intervention inviting clients to say whatever comes to mind, with the assumption that there will be hidden meaning in what clients bring up or avoid.
What is dream analysis?
An intervention viewed as the real road to the unconscious.
What is interpretation?
Hypothesizing aloud–the main way that therapists raise a person’s awareness.
What is “working through”?
Practical conversations about how new understanding may change the way a client lives.
