Psychoanalytical theories of personality stress the individual’s unconscious motivations which can be identified through dreams, slips of the tongue and fantasies (McCrae & Costa, 2003; 21). “The psychoanalytical theory views personality as biologically based, relatively unchangeable and determined by the need to control sexual and aggressive instincts which are unconscious in nature” (Rust & Golombok, 1989, 131). Sigmund Freud was the founder of the psychoanalytical approach to personality although many academics have expounded on his research since then (Bernstein, 2001; 125). This contrasts with the humanistic theory which was adopted by leading 20th Century psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow (Nicholas, 2008; 226). Robert Ewen suggests that
These schools of thought were divided into 3 main ‘schools of thought’. Psychoanalysis and is also known as the first force. This approach applies a more medical and psychiatric practice for those people who have mental/emotional issues. The idea was based on personality being inherited factors as well as conditioning from early childhood experiences. It was conceived and developed by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) who taught other psychologists such as, Jung, Adler and Reich who then went onto develop psychotherapy in different directions.
Roni Leighah Darcy - Beadle Process, Relationship and Change within Three Distinctive Approaches to Counselling and Psychotherapy This essay will discuss and contrast three approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, these being Gestalt Therapy, Jungian Analysis and Transactional Analysis. Each will be evaluated in terms of features of the therapeutic process and their contribution to client change, and the assumptions inherent within each approach about client change will be considered. It will look at how each approach influences the therapist-client encounter, and the strengths and shortcomings of each approach will be taken into consideration. Where appropriate, ethics and professional issues will be examined. Differences and similarities between the three approaches will be taken into account, and a synthesis of the approaches will be offered.
There are several major approaches in psychology and each approach assumes different ideas about the human mind and behaviour. According to Rycroft the term ‘psychodynamic’ means the “study of mental processes from a dynamic point of view” (Rycroft, 1995 p144), in other words the active, conflicting forces within our mind that motivate our behaviour. This essay will look at the key features of Psychodynamic Approach in psychology, which include the unconscious mind, the tripartite personality and psychosexual stages followed by a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses and finally a conclusion of the findings. According to Eysenck (2005) Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was the creator of the principles of psychoanalysis which in turn started the psychodynamic approach. From an early age, Freud was a gifted student and originally trained in medicine and physiology of the nervous system.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) theory on the psychodynamic approach to abnormality comprises of three sections; psychic conflict, ego-defence mechanisms and psychosexual stages. The psychodynamic model of abnormality suggests that behaviour is driven by the unconscious processes and problems of the mind. The unconscious mind is thought to be a deeper part of a person's mind that operates without an individual knowing it. This includes feelings, thoughts, desires, instincts and emotions which can drive a person’s personality. In the psychic conflict section of Freud’s psychodynamic theory it claims that the structure of personality also known as ‘psyche’ is divided into three parts; the Id, Superego and Ego.
They are genuine feelings based on the self's interactions with the environment and the people in it, at different points in time. Freud, in his psychoanalytic theory, regarded counter-transference as a “block” that can hinder therapy and the therapeutic relationship which may occur when the patient triggers certain feelings or reactions in the therapist based on the therapist’s past experiences and relationships (Winnicott, 1994). Another form of counter-transference, termed ‘projective-identification by Melanie Klein, occurs when “parts of the self and internal objects are split off and projected into the external object, which then becomes possessed by, controlled and identified with the projected parts” (Segal, 1974). A third type of counter-transference which is also the one I choose to base my paper on is a different kind of counter-transference; a more totalistic, objective form, referred to first by Winnicott in his paper “Hate in the Counter-transference”. Winnicott describes it as “an understandable and ‘normal’ reaction to the patient’s actual personality and behavior” which he ten
Individuals do this to make the pain go away which ultimately they really just defense mechanisms (Gottdiener, Murawski, & Kucharski, 2008). “According to psychoanalytic conflict theory, defense mechanisms are activated when the individual experiences any form of displeasure, especially anxiety or depressive affect” (Brenner, 1982). Failures of ego control are related to individuals with substance use disorders. “Ego control refers to the efforts of the individual to control thoughts, emotions, impulses and ability to perform tasks and attention processes” (Baumeister & Vohs, 2004, p. 2). The article also addresses the result of consistent failures in ego control.
This approach views personality as being primarily unconscious and as developing in stages. Psychodynamic theorists believe that behavior is merely a surface characteristic and that to truly understand someone’s personality we have to explore the symbolic meanings of behavior and the deep inner workings of the mind. These ideas were presented by the architect of psychoanalytic theory-Sigmund Freud. Most psychodynamic perspectives emphasize that early experiences with parents play an important role in sculpting the individual’s personality. Freud believed the personality had three structures - the id, the ego, and the super-ego.
There are different theories established by psychologists, which explain where personality originates. The highly important individual who played a role in the psychoanalysis theory was Sigmund Freud. Freud believed an individual’s personality was influenced by the unconscious, which there is no way to control. He based understanding of personality on analysis of patient’s dreams as well as his own dreams. Adler theorized that personality was motivated by the influence of society and fighting for triumph.
It is the product of an unconscious mind being driven by its most basic desires and emotions in coaction with our traits determined by our early childhood experiences. The other main assumption of the Psychodynamic approach is that our personality is made up of three conflicting elements – The Id, the Ego, and the Superego. These three elements make up the “structure of personality”, as Freud explained it. He states that the Id exists in the unconscious mind and is concerned with instant gratification as it is controlled be instinctual forces. This element is innate – it is present from birth.