The Psychodynamic Therapy

Question 1

What is the psychodynamic therapy?

Answer 1

Dream analysis

Question 2

What is the aim of dream analysis?

Answer 2

Bring the unconscious to the conscious, uncover latent content of a dream by examining the manifest content, allow psychological issues to be resolved

Question 3

What did Freud believe dreams were there for?

Answer 3

As wish fulfilment, dreams protect sleeper and allow some expression of buried urges or desires, content expressed symbolically so don’t cause stress or anxiety

Question 4

What does manifest content mean?

Answer 4

The story of the dream (what you remember)

Question 5

What does latent content mean?

Answer 5

Underlying meaning behind the dream (hidden wish, desire or emotion)

Question 6

What is dreamwork and what are its components?

Answer 6

The latent content is turned into the manifest content - condensation, displacement, symbolism, secondary elaboration

Question 7

What does condensation mean?

Answer 7

Information (the latent content) is condensed and represented in the dream by one image

Question 8

What does displacement mean?

Answer 8

Significant features of the latent content are presented as insignificant features of the manifest content

Question 9

What does symbolism mean?

Answer 9

Any significant feature of the dream may be replaced by a symbol

Question 10

What does secondary elaboration mean?

Answer 10

Unconscious collects all images within a dream and fits them together to make sense of the dream, gives logical story, but in doing so, further disguises latent content

Question 11

What is the role of the therapist in dream analysis?

Answer 11

To reverse the dreamwork process, provide various interpretations, client selects explanation that makes most sense

Question 12

What is the dream diary used for?

Answer 12

Record of dreams with all details, seemingly worthless details often become highly significant

Question 13

Explain the Schredl et al study

Answer 13

70% of patients reported benefits of working through dreams - effective

Question 14

Explain the Matt and Navaro study

Answer 14

75% of clients showed improvement - effective

Question 15

Explain the Hobson and McCarley study

Answer 15

Dreams are nothing but commands sent from the brain and simply a form of ‘thinking that happens while we sleep’ - ineffective

Question 16

Name four issues that could arise in dream analysis to do with its effectiveness

Answer 16

Subjectivity, memory, embarrasment, unconscious content

Question 17

How could dream analysis be subjective? (effectiveness issue)

Answer 17

Manifest content = up to interpretation, dream analysis relies on the subjective interpretation of the therapist = may impact validity or accuracy

Question 18

How could memory impact dream analysis? (effectiveness issue)

Answer 18

Reduction in accuracy, client may not have remembered dream properly

Question 19

How could embarrassment impact dream analysis? (effectiveness issue)

Answer 19

Client may be embarrassed about the content of their dream, choose to leave out details that my be significant = ineffective analysis

Question 20

How could unconscious content impact dream analysis? (effectiveness issue)

Answer 20

Bring unconscious (repressed thoughts and emotions) to the conscious, effective, able to have an insight into repression and resolve issues

Question 21

What are the three ethical issues of dream analyis?

Answer 21

Risk of emotional harm, valid consent and the therapist-client relationship, false memory syndrome