The Psychodynamic Therapy Flashcards
Dream analysis
What is the psychodynamic therapy?
Dream analysis
What is the aim of dream analysis?
Bring the unconscious to the conscious, uncover latent content of a dream by examining the manifest content, allow psychological issues to be resolved
What did Freud believe dreams were there for?
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
What does manifest content mean?
The story of the dream (what you remember)
What does latent content mean?
Underlying meaning behind the dream (hidden wish, desire or emotion)
What is dreamwork and what are its components?
The latent content is turned into the manifest content - condensation, displacement, symbolism, secondary elaboration
What does condensation mean?
Information (the latent content) is condensed and represented in the dream by one image
What does displacement mean?
Significant features of the latent content are presented as insignificant features of the manifest content
What does symbolism mean?
Any significant feature of the dream may be replaced by a symbol
What does secondary elaboration mean?
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
What is the role of the therapist in dream analysis?
To reverse the dreamwork process, provide various interpretations, client selects explanation that makes most sense
What is the dream diary used for?
Record of dreams with all details, seemingly worthless details often become highly significant
Explain the Schredl et al study
70% of patients reported benefits of working through dreams - effective
Explain the Matt and Navaro study
75% of clients showed improvement - effective
Explain the Hobson and McCarley study
Dreams are nothing but commands sent from the brain and simply a form of ‘thinking that happens while we sleep’ - ineffective
Name four issues that could arise in dream analysis to do with its effectiveness
Subjectivity, memory, embarrasment, unconscious content
How could dream analysis be subjective? (effectiveness issue)
Manifest content = up to interpretation, dream analysis relies on the subjective interpretation of the therapist = may impact validity or accuracy
How could memory impact dream analysis? (effectiveness issue)
Reduction in accuracy, client may not have remembered dream properly
How could embarrassment impact dream analysis? (effectiveness issue)
Client may be embarrassed about the content of their dream, choose to leave out details that my be significant = ineffective analysis
How could unconscious content impact dream analysis? (effectiveness issue)
Bring unconscious (repressed thoughts and emotions) to the conscious, effective, able to have an insight into repression and resolve issues
What are the three ethical issues of dream analyis?
Risk of emotional harm, valid consent and the therapist-client relationship, false memory syndrome
