Psychodynamic & Humanistic Therapies Flashcards
Freudian Psychoanalysis
- assumptions
- cause of defense mechanisms
- primary goal(s) of treatment
- assumptions:
* deterministic & pessimistic view of human nature
* psychological problems due to unconscious unresolved conflicts that arose in childhood
* conflict cause anxiety & result from divergent demands of the id, ego, & superego - cause of defense mechanisms: the ego is unable to resolve a conflict between the id and superego using rational means
- primary goals of treatment:
* make the unconscious conscious
* strengthen the ego so that behavior is based more on reality & less on instinctual cravings & irrational guilt
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of the id
instinct
- present at birth
- the primary source of psychic energy are life (sexual) and death (aggression) instincts
- operates according to the pleasure principle
- seeks immediate gratification of instinctual needs
- uses unconscious irrational means to meet instinctual needs
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of the ego
- develops at about 6 months of age
- operates according to the reality principle
- seeks to gratify the id’s instincts in realistic, rational ways
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of the superego
society
- last aspect of personality to develop
- represents the internalization of society’s values & standards
- acts as the conscience
- attempts to permanently block (rather than gratify) the id’s instincts
Freudian Psychoanalysis
describe characteristics of defense mechanisms and list them
- denial or distortion of reality; operate on an unconscious level
- repeated reliance on them keeps a person from resolving the conflicts that are causing anxiety
- repression
- denial
- reaction formation
- projection
- sublimation
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of the defense mechanism repression
- basis of all other defense mechanisms
- involuntary
- involves keeping undesirable thoughts & urges out of conscious awareness
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics & methods of the defense mechanism denial
- immature; involves refusing to acknowledge distressing aspects of reality
- ignoring, distorting, & rejecting reality
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of the defense mechanism reaction formation
defending against an unacceptable impulse by expressing it’s opposite
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of the defense mechanism projection
attritbuting an unacceptable impulse to another person
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of the defense mechanism sublimation
channeling an unacceptable impulse into a socially desirable (and often admirable) endeavor
Freudian Psychoanalysis
what is the primary technique of psychoanalysis
analysis of a client’s free associations, dreams, resistance, & transference
Freudian Psychoanalysis
list the 4 steps in the process of psychoanalysis
- Confrontation
- Clarification
- Interpretation
- Working Through
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of Step 1: Confrontation
helping clients recognize behaviors they’ve been unaware of & their possible causes
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of Step 2: Clarification
bringing the cause of behaviors into sharper focus by separating important details from extraneous material
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of Step 3: Interpretation
explicitly linking conscious behaviors to unconscious processes
Freudian Psychoanalysis
repeated interpretation leads to what?
catharsis and insight into the connection between unconscious material & current behavior
Freudian Psychoanalysis
define catharsis according to psychoanalysis
the experience of repressed emotions
Freudian Psychoanalysis
characteristics of Step 4: Working Through
a gradual process during which the client accepts & integrates new insights into their life
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
- assumptions about behavior
- list 2 aspects of the unconscious psyche
- primary goal(s) of treatment
- assumptions:
* behavior is driven by both positive & negative forces
* personality continues to develop throughout the lifespan
* behavior is affected by the past & the future - the 2 aspects of the unconscious psyche: personal & collective unconscious
- primary goals of treatment:
* bring unconscious material into consciousness
* facilitate the process of individuation
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
what do the personal and collective unconscious consist of
- personal: a person’s own forgotten or repressed memories
- collective: memories that are shared by all people and are passed down from one generation to the next
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
characteristics of archetypes associated to the collective unconscious
- universal thoughts & images that predispose people to act in similar ways in certain circumstances
- expressed in myths, symbols, & dreams
- include the persona, shadow, hero, & anima/animus
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
when does the process of individuation occur? describe the process
- during the second half of life
- when a person becomes a psychological “in-dividual” - a separate, indivisible unity or whole
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
techniques used to achieve the primary goals of treatment from an analytic psychology approach
- dream interpretation
- analysis of transference
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
Jung’s view of transference
due to the projection of elements of the personal & collective unconscious
Humanistic, Existential, & Other Psychotherapies
list the similarites between humanistic & existential psychotherapies
- focus on the here-and-now
- phenomenological orientation - prioritizing client’s subjective experience over objective reality
- reject the medical model & use of clinical labels
- concentrate on client’s internal qualities & perspective rather than symptoms
Humanistic, Existential, & Other Psychotherapies
list the differences between humanistic & existential psychotherapies
humanistic
* emphasizes acceptance & growth
* help clients become more fully-functioning & self-actualizing
existential
* emphasize freedom & responsibility
* help clients confront anxieties that arise from awareness of one’s existential condition
* help clients cultivate authentic engagement with their world
Person-Centered Therapy
- assumptions
- view of psychological problems
- primary goal(s) of treatment
assumptions:
* all people have an innate drive toward self-actualization & are motivated to achieve their full potential
view of psychological problems:
* thwarted drive toward self-actualization
* incongruence between their self-concept & experience
primary goals of treatment
* help the client become a more fully functioning person who is not defensive, is open to new experiences, and is engaged in the process of self-actualization
Person-Centered Therapy
according to Rogers, what is a source of incongruence? Give an example.
conditions of worth
* when parents provide a child with love & acceptance only when the child behaves in certain ways
Person-Centered Therapy
according to Rogers, how do people often react to incongruence? What is the outcome of their reaction(s)?
- defensively by disorting or denying their experience
- psychological maladjustment
Person-Centered Therapy
list & define the 3 facilitative (core) conditions of person-centered therapy
- emphathy: understanding the client’s perspective & communicating that understanding to them
- unconditional positive regard: valuing & accepting the client as a person
- congruence: being genuine, authentic, & honest
Gestalt Therapy
- assumptions
- view of psychological issues
- primary goal(s) of treatment
assumptions:
* people are motivated to maintain a state of homeostasis, which is repeatedly disrupted by unfulfilled needs both physical & psychological
* people seek to obtain something from the environment to satisfy their unfulfilled needs in order to restore homeostasis
view of psychological issues
* the result of unfulfilled needs
primary goal(s) of treatment
* gaining awareness of one’s current thoughts, feelings, & actions (curative factor)
Gestalt Therapy
list the characteristics and types of boundary disturbances
a persistant disturbance that interferes with a person’s ability to fulfill needs
* introjection: when people adopt the belief, standards, & values of others without evaluation or awareness
* projection: when people attritbute undesirable aspects of themselves to other people
* retroflection: when people do to themselves what they’d like to do to others
* deflection: when people avoid contact with the environment
* confluence: when people blur the distinction between themselves & others
Gestalt Therapy
list & describe 2 strategies Gestalt therapists use to increase client’s awareness
- dream work: having the client role-play parts of their dream that represent disowned parts of their personality
- empty chair: having the client interact with opposing aspects of their personality (e.g., top dog & underdog) or to resolve “unfinished business” with a significant person in their past or present
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapists’ view of working with transference
- do not foster or interpret
- instead, help client distinguish bewteen their “transference fantasy” & reality
Existential Therapies
- main contributors
- assumptions
- view of psychological issues
- primary goal(s) for treatment
main contributors:
* Irvin Yalom, Rollo May, & Viktor Frankl
assumptions:
* each person must ultimately define their personal existence
view of psychological issues:
* the result of an inability to resolve conflict that arise when facing 4 “ultimate concerns of existence”
primary goal(s) of treatment:
* to help clients lead more authentic lives
* assisting client in taking charge of their life
* helping clients choose for themselves the values & purposes that will define & guide their existence
* supporting clients in actions that express their values & purposes
Existential Therapies
list the 4 ultimate concerns of existence according to existential therapies
- death
- freedom
- isolation
- meaningless
Existential Therapies
list & describe the 2 types of anxiety existential therapies distinguish between
- Normal (existential) Anxiety: in proportion to an objective threat, does no involve repression, & can be used constructively to identify & confront the conditions that elicited it & motivate positive change
- Neurotic Anxiety: disproportionate to an objective threat, involves repression, & keeps people from reaching their full potential
Existential Therapies
what do existential therapists consider to be the most important therapeutic tool?
an authentic therapeutic relationship
Existential Therapies
list 3 techniques that existential therapists use
- questioning
- interpretation
- reframing
Reality Therapy
- assumptions
- view of psychological issues
- primary goal(s) of treatment
assumptions:
* people have 5 basic innate needs
* the ways a person chooses to fulfill their needs determines
* whether thay have a success or failure identity
view of psychological issues:
* the result of adopting a “failure identity”
primary goal(s) of treatment:
* to replace the client’s failure identity with a success identity
* help the client assume responsibility for their actions & adopt more appropriate ways to fulfill their needs
Reality Therapy
list the 5 basic innate needs according to reality therapy
- love & belonging
- power
- fun
- freedom
- survival
Reality Therapy
characteristics of a success VS. failure identity
success identity:
* choose to fulfill needs responsibly in positive, constructive ways that don’t infringe on the rights of others
failure identity:
* choose to fulfill needs irresponsibly in negative, destructive ways that infringe on the rights of others and these ways do not always help the person get what they need/want
Reality Therapy
strategies used by reality therapists
WDEP system
W: asking clients about their wants and needs
D: determine what the client is currently doing to foster awareness of their behaviors
E: encourage client to evaluate their own behaviors
P: help the client create a plan of action
Positive Psychology
list the characteristics of valued subjective experiences in positive psychology
- well-being
- contentment
- satisfaction (in the past
- hope & optimism (for the future)
- flow & happiness (in the present)
Positive Psychology
define the concept of flow in postive psychology
- a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter
- the experience is so enjouable that people will continue to do it for the sake of doing it, even at great cost
Positive Psychology
when are people most likely to experience flow according to positive psychology
when there is a challenge-skill balance
* when people believe they have the skills needed to meet an activitiy’s challenge and the challenge & skill level are both relatively high
Positive Psychology
what is a distinctive characteristic of positive psychology
its emphasis on using the scientific method to evaluate its theories, concepts, & interventions
Positive Psychology
research has linked positive emotions & optimism to what? And positive psychology interventions to what?
- increased longevity
- improved physical health
Personal Construct Theory
- focus
- assumptions
focus: how people construe (perceive, interpret, & anticipate) events
assumptions:
* there are alternative ways of construing events
* people can change the way they construe events to alleviate undesirable behaviors & outcomes
Personal Construct Theory
define personal constructs according to Kelly (1963)
bipolar dimensions of meaning that arise from a person’s experiences & may operate on an unconcsious or conscious level
* examples of bipolar dimensions: fair/unfair, friend/enemy, relevant/irrelevant
Personal Construct Theory
characteristics of the therapeutic relationship in personal construct theory
client & therapist are partners working together to help identify & replace maladaptive personal constructs
Personal Construct Theory
define the purpose of Kelly’s (1963) fixed-role therapy & describe it
- to help clients try out alternative personal constructs
- having the client role-play a fictional character that is described by the therapist & construes events in alternative ways
