Psychodynamic Approach - Therapy: Dream analysis Flashcards
(35 cards)
1
Q
what shapes our personalities + causes abnormal behaviour
A
conflict in the unconscious part of our brain
2
Q
what is psychoanalysis
A
exploring the individuals unconscious mind and bringing the secret fears and wishes into the conscious. By doing this, they become conscious and recognised, and so be dealt with by the patient
3
Q
how does psychoanalytic therapies work
A
- help patients gain insight into what is troubling them by helping them make conscious their unconscious desires and conflicts
- once patients are aware of the issues then they can talk about them giving a feeling of release of negative emotions, referred to as catharsis
4
Q
what is dream analysis
A
- a technique used in psychoanalysis in order to access the unconscious mind
5
Q
what does Freud refer to dreams as
A
‘the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind’
6
Q
why are the real meanings of dreams disguised as symbolism
A
- the contents of the unconscious mind are threatening and can cause anxiety
- therefore we are protected by the symbolism
- therefore the purpose of dream analysis is to assign meanings to dreams
7
Q
what is wish fulfilment
A
- id is associated with irrational, instinct driven, unconscious thought which is called primary-process thought. It is where fantasies arise from
- because this form of thought is unacceptable to the adult conscious mind, it is repressed and kept within our dreams (where we are free to act on our wishes/desires without harm)
- dreams therefore allow expression of unacceptable drives which is referred to wish fulfilment
8
Q
why is wish fulfilment important
A
if we did not have an outlet (dreams) for these wishes and desires, they would build up to intolerable levels and threaten our mental health
9
Q
what is the significance of the symbolic nature of dreams
A
- Freud believes that even in our dreams, the wishes of the id are too uncomfortable for us to accept and are therefore expressed symbolically
- this means that we can split the content of our dreams into 2 categories. Manifest content and latent content
10
Q
what is the manifest content
A
- what the person remembers
- often based on the events of the day
11
Q
what is the latent content
A
the symbolic meaning of the dream (the wish)
12
Q
Give examples of some symbols that Freud suggests
A
- Snake –symbolises–> penis
- cave –symbolises–> vagina
- water –symbolises–> birth (pregnancy)
- sword –symbolises–> phallic symbol (e.g. the Oedipus complex)
13
Q
why was Freud cautious about symbols
A
- he state that symbols are more personal rather than universal
- what 1 object means to 1 person, won’t mean the same for someone else
- a therapist cannot interpret the manifest content without knowing someone’s personal history and circumstances
- Freud also agreed that not everything in a dream is symbolic and some things really do refer to what they are
14
Q
what is dreamwork
A
- the process by where the underlying wish (latent content) is translated into manifest content
- the purpose is to transform the forbidden wish into a non-threatening form, to reduce anxiety and allow us to continue sleeping
15
Q
what are the steps to dream analysis
A
- the dreamer recalls their dream to the therapist (manifest content)
- the process of dreamwork is applied in order to understand it. the latent content is transferred to the manifest content
- There are 5 main processes in dreamwork which include: Condensation, Displacement, representation, symbolism, and secondary elaboration (remember: “can dogs really sing songs endlessly”)
- The therapist reverses the dreamwork process to uncover the underlying meaning of the dream, i.e. decoding the manifest content back to the latent content
16
Q
what is condensation
A
when the contents of the dream is condensed into brief images, so 1 image represents several associations or ideas
17
Q
what is displacement
A
The emotional significance of a dream object is separated from its real object or content and attached to a different one
18
Q
what is representation
A
thoughts are translated into a visual image
19
Q
what is symbolism
A
symbols replace actions, persons or ideas
20
Q
what is secondary elaboration
A
tying all the images to form a story
21
Q
Does the therapist offer multiple interpretations of the dream
A
- no
- they offer multiple and it’s up to the patient to decide which one
22
Q
are the features of the dream literal
A
- no
- they’re not literal and can represent other things
23
Q
how does dream analysis link to the second assumption
A
- assumption 2 says that our unconscious mind has the greatest influence on our behaviour
- therefore the aim of psychoanalysis is to make the unconscious conscious
- the reason for this is to uncover any underlying conflicts within the unconscious mind, and bring it to the conscious mind so that it can be addressed and dealt with
- dream analysis is thought to be the via regia (the royal road) to the unconscious mind. Freud says that dreams represent underlying conflicts and through dream analysis we can decode it to unlock the unconscious and find its meaning
24
Q
how does dream analysis link to the first assumption
A
- 1st assumption can be applied as any traumatic event that has occurred during early childhood may have been repressed into the unconscious and may surface in the form of dreams.
- And to uncover these repressed memories, the therapist will offer interpretations of the dream in context of the client’s life
25
how does dream analysis link to the third assumption
- 3rd assumption can be applied through the role of the id
- Freud believed that when a person is dreaming, the ego becomes suppressed and the id is given free rein
- dreams may represent unconscious motives, wished and desires that would be socially unacceptable in the real world
- dreams allow the unconscious fulfilment of such wishes in an acceptable way, to prevent them form building up and threatening sanity
- and the reason the dreamer may not remember the dream is because the mind is at work trying to protect the conscious from disturbing desires from the unconscious (ego defence)
26
when evaluating the effectiveness of dream analysis, what would you talk about
- research evidence (Solms, 2000) (Hopfield et al, 1983)
- Methodological issues
- subjective interpretation
27
describe how (Solms,200) relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis
- PET scan highlighting active parts of the brain whilst dreaming
- Found: rational parts of the brain was inactive during REM sleep. And areas concerned with memory + motivation = very active
- Freud would say that this supports dream analysis because it shows the ego being suspended while id is given free rein
28
describe how (Hopfield et al, 1983) relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis
- researching neural networks
- computer simulations that try to mimic actions of the brain show that neural networks deal with an overloaded memory by conflating or condensing memories
- this supports what Feud says about condensation -- when unacceptable desires are censored and dealt with by recombing fragments until they emerge in a new form (manifest content)
29
describe how methodological issues (ecological validity) relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis
- most research into dreaming is done in a lab
- therefore questions whether the sleep/dream state is as authentic as when under normal conditions, as the patient is wired up with various electrodes taking measurements.
- we can't conclude that it is the same as day to day dreaming and therefore it has low ecological validity
30
describe how methodological issues (confounding variables) relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis
- studies conducted on humans and animals about deprived sleep or particular stages of sleep such as REM sleep (when your eyes dart about under the eyelids)
- significant disruption will impair important biological functions such as the secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters
- these may act as confounding variables, so any results may be due to this and so should be interpreted with caution
31
describe how subjective interpretation relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis
- interpreting the dream relies on the subjective interpretation of the therapist
- the dream itself is a subjective report of the dreamer and may not be reliable information
- this means that dream analysis is a highly subjective process, going against the objective scientific aims of psychology
- false conclusions may be reached based on subjective and incorrect information
32
when evaluating the ethical issues of dream analysis, what would you talk about
- Therapist-client relationship
- False memory syndrome (FMS)
- Emotional harm
33
describe how the therapist-client relationship relates to the ethical issues of dream analysis
- imbalance of power between the patient and the therapist
- generally, the therapist takes the expert role, offering the patient insight into their unconscious, and for this reason, the patient is reliant on the therapist in making progress through the therapy.
- this may create a power imbalance and can also lead to over-dependence on the therapist
- this may be especially true in people suffering from depression, as they may have a tendency to over-rely on important people in their lives
34
describe how False memory syndrome relates to the ethical issues of dream analysis
- FMS is a condition in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by strongly believed but false memories of traumatic experiences
- these false memories can come to light during psychoanalysis when the therapist claims to have undiscovered the past, traumatic events
- Supporters of FMS suggest that a patient is likely to succumb to the belief of the therapist as they're an authority figure
- Toon et al (1996) even go as far to suggest that therapists may induce false memories so that the therapy will take longer, and they will make more financial gain
- the result of FMS is that the patients may experience much anxiety because of 'memories' of events that didn't even happen
35
describe how collaboration, not coercive makes dream analysis ethical
P: the process is collaborative rather than coercive, which aligns with ethical principles of respect and autonomy as outlined in the BPS guidelines.
E: For example, during dream analysis, the therapist typically encourages the client to explore the meaning of their own dreams, rather than imposing a fixed interpretation. This allows the client to retain control over the therapeutic process, making it a shared exploration rather than a directive or manipulative experience.
T: Therefore, by empowering clients to derive their own understanding from their dreams, dream analysis respects their personal agency and ensures they remain active participants in their own therapy, making the process more ethically sound.
COUNTER: Therapist may guide client towards emotionally distressing insight that causes more distress that what they’re already experiencing from their current problems
