Theories and Therapy Flashcards
Structures of Personality
“pleasure principle”
Present at birth, instinctual drive
Aggression, sexual impulses
Id-driven behaviors are impulsive unthinking, behaviour
Has no regard for rules or social convention
Ex. Eat, sex
Id
Structures of Personality
Conscience, morality principle
Perfection principle
Development between age 3 and 6 yrs
Internalizes the values and morals set forth by primary caregivers
Derives from a system of reward and punishment.
Parental and social expectations
Ex. Should not eat yet, should not have sex
Superego
Structures of Personality
“Rational Self” or “Reality Principle”.
Balancing or mediating force
Begins to develop between the age 4-6 month.
this experiences the reality of external world, adapt to it and respond to it.
Anxiety resulted from ego’s attempt to balance id and superego
Ego
The conscience is formed when the child is consistently punished for __
“bad behavior”.
Levels of the Mind
– refers to perceptions, thoughts, and emotions that exist in the person’s awareness (alert and awake)
It includes all memories that remain within an individual’s awareness,
It is the smallest of the three categories.
- Events are easily remembered e.g birth dates, Tel.No., dates of special holidays, aware of happy feelings, thinking about a loved one
Conscious
Levels of the Mind
– not currently in the person’s awareness but can be recalled with some effort
- Includes all memories that may have been forgotten all,
- Are not in present awareness but with attention can readily recalled into consciousness.
- e.g.. Tel. No and names that were once used known)
- The preconscious enhances awareness by helping to suppress unpleasant and nonessential memories from consciousness
E.g. An adult remembering what he did when he was a child
Preconscious
Levels of the Mind
– realm of thoughts and feelings that motivate a person, even she is totally UNAWARE of them
Includes most of the defense mechanisms, instinctual drives
A person represses into the unconscious the memory of traumatic events that are painful to remember
“seat of forgotten memories”, cannot be recalled
Unconscious
Levels of the Mind
What we do and say is motivated by our subconscious mind
Gatekeeper/ watchman
Prevents increase anxiety
E.g. slip of the tongue, dreams, jokes
Indications of our subconscious feelings or thoughts that accidentally emerged
Subconscious Mind
Free Association – a method to gain access to subconscious thoughts and feelings
Uncovers the client’s true thoughts & feelings by saying a word and asking a client to respond quickly with the first thing that comes to mind
Free Association
it operates in the unconscious level of awareness
Ego Defense Mechanisms
– psychoanalytic method to discuss client’s dreams to discover their true meaning and significance
E.g. dreams about snakes chasing her = fears intimacy with men
Dream Analysis
Ego Defense Mechanism
– CONSCIOUS FORGETTING
Willfully or voluntarily putting an unacceptable thought or feeling out of one’s mind with the ability to recall the thought or feeling at will
“I’d rather not talk about it right now.”
“Let’s talk about my accident later.”
Generally used to protect one’s self-esteem
SUPRESSION
Ego Defense Mechanism
– UNCONSCIOUS FORGETTING
Referred as “Burying alive mechanism”
The person is unable to recall painful or unpleasant thoughts or feelings because they are automatically and involuntary pushed into one’s unconsciousness.
The inability to remember the reason for an argument or recall of feelings of fear after an automobile accident.
Woman has no memory when she was removed from abusive parents when she was 7.
REPRESSION
Ego Defense Mechanism
the most common ego defense mechanism
Referred as self-deception
It is unconsciously to justify ideas, actions, or feelings with good or acceptable reasons or explanations.
It us used to maintain self-respect, prevent guilt feeling and obtain social approval or acceptance
A teenaged girl who was not asked to junior prom tells her friends, “John really wanted to date me but he felt sorry for Sue and took her to the prom”.
A student blames failure on teacher being mean.
Man says she beats his wife because she doesn’t leisten to him
RATIONALIZATION
Ego Defense Mechanism
Modelling actions and opinions of influential others while searching for identity, or aspiring to reach a personal, social, or occupational goal
Cass, 15 years old , has her hair styled like that of her young English teacher, whom she admires.
Nursing student becoming a critical care nurse because this is the specialty of an instructor she admires
IDENTIFICATION
Ego Defense Mechanism
Attributing to oneself the good qualities of another.
Symbolically taking on the character trait of another person by ingesting the philosophy, ideas, knowledge, custom, or attitudes of that person.
An eight year old Rachel tells her 3 year old sister, “Don’t scribble in your book of nursery rhymes. Just look at the pretty pictures.” thus expressing parents values.
INTROJECTION
Ego Defense Mechanism
the act of making up for a real imagined inability or deficiency with a specific behavior to maintain self-respect or self esteem.
The person overcome an inability by becoming proficient in another area.
An unattractive man selects expensive stylish clothes to draw attention to him.
Napoleon complex: diminutive man becoming emporor
Nurse with low self-esteem works double shift so her supervisor will like her
COMPENSATION
Ego Defense Mechanism
The reaction referred to as Overcompensation
The person exaggerates or overdevelops certain actions, displaying exactly the opposite behavior, attitude or feeling from what he or she really would show in a given situation.
“acting the opposite”
A married woman who feels attracted to one of her husband’s friends treats him rudely.
A woman who never wanted to have children becomes a super mom.
REACTION-FORMATION
Ego Defense Mechanism
replacing the unachievable goal with achievable goal
A person aspiring to become a national basketball player and was not selected becomes a basketball coach at a college level.
A nursing graduate who failed the board exam works as a nursing aide just to be in a hospital
Person who has quit smoking sucks on hard candy when the urge to smoke arises
Person goes for a 15-minute walk when tempted to eat junk food
SUBSTITUTION
Ego Defense Mechanism
A mechanism that serves to transfer feelings such as frustrations, hostility, or anxiety from one idea, person or object to another.
The substitute target is less threatening and allows the person to release its emotional reactions.
Parents often displace feelings of frustrations and anger towards their children.
Person who is mad at the boss yells at his or her spouse
DISPLACEMENT
Ego Defense Mechanism
Often termed the “scapegoat” mechanism, “unconscious blaming”
The person rejects unwanted characteristics of self and assigns them to others.
“You made me do it! See what you made me do!”
if you have a strong dislike for someone, you might instead believe that he or she does not like you.
A person who denies any sexual feelings for a co worker accuses him of sexual harrassment
PROJECTION
Ego Defense Mechanism
the negation of a previous consciously intolerable action or experience to reduce or alleviate feelings of guilt.
A man sends flowers to his fiancée after he embarrasses her at a cocktail party.
RESTITUTION OR UNDOING
Ego Defense Mechanism
Exhibiting acceptable behavior to negate unacceptable behaviour
A college student who has hostile feelings re-channels them by joining the debate team.
Man who is ruthless in business donates large amounts of money to charity
SUBLIMATION
Ego Defense Mechanism
The unconscious refusal to face thoughts, feelings, wishes, needs, reality, factors that are intolerable.
The simplest and most primitive of all defense mechanisms.
A woman denies that her marriage is failing by telling her estrange husband that all couples go through marital slumps.
Diabetic eating chocolate candy
Spending money freely when broke
DENIAL
