How Might an Understanding of Human Development Help a Psychodynamic Counsellor Work More Effectively with a Client?

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How might an understanding of human development help a psychodynamic counsellor work more effectively with a client? Introduction The foundation of Psychodynamic counselling is based on the theories that Sigmund Freud formulated, and his followers then moulded into their own theories or devised their own new theories over the years. All psychodynamic counsellors today use a mixture of the different theories in order to help and support the client. Problems like depression, anxiety, anger and social isolation can all be successfully treated and improved using some form of psychodynamic approach. (Aengel; 2010) In this essay, I want to do an overview of the different human developments and how by having an understanding of the effects each stages may have on an individual in adulthood, along with the use of the other psychodynamic approaches for example: transference, counter-transference, defence mechanisms and Malan’s triangle, will help the counsellor work more effectively with the client. The theories that form the basis of psychodynamic counselling are as follows: * Freud – Psychosexual Stages of Development * Erikson – 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development * Klein – Early Objects Relation Theory * Winnocott – Object Relations Theory * Bowlby – Attachment Theory Human Development Sigmund Freud believed that a child passes through five stages of development, which are known as the psychosexual stages. These stages are: * Oral Stage * Anal Stage * Phallic Stage * Latency Period * Genital stage The stages are all based on different erogenous zones of the body. Freud believed that the child needs to pass through each stage successfully in order to move onto the next stage, if this does not happen then Freud believed that the child would “be stuck” or fixated in that stage of development and the child’s personality
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