Even though many divergent psychodynamic theories exist, they all stress unconscious motivations and desires, in addition to the importance of childhood experiences in shaping their personalities. Freud also proposed there were ways that we dealt with those theories called defense mechanisms. He believed we must learn to deal with the anxiety that comes from sources in the external world and conflict within one’s own mind. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Freud established a method that he called psychoanalysis and he used it to treat mental disorders. He shaped his theory of psychoanalysis by observing his patients.
However, in this essay I will only deal with the three prominent theories, which are, Psycho-analytic theory, Behavioral theory and Humanistic theory. The first part of this essay will evaluate the Psychoanalytic theory by Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalytical theory defined and evaluated the development and structure of personality. Freud believed human nature is basically deterministic. People were helped to gain an insight into their unconscious thoughts by making them conscious which made easy the release of
According to Pasman (2011), labelling of mental illness can provide relief and self-justification when one acts in ways that are socially unacceptable, it helps one get access to the right treatment and support programs, and it engenders understanding. It also have some positive effect on self efficacy and thus improve treatment outcomes. Rosenfield (1997) suggested that being labeled may improve a person’s self concept and allow them to successfully move forward with coping strategies specific to their illness. Besides, some studies showed that, some patients who are suffering from depression welcomed the label of depression because they preferred that depression was recognised as a “real illness” (Barney et al.,
Freud would usually describe the manifest content as something sexual in nature, but in present day therapy psychologists use the manifest content to gain insight on the individual’s true feelings. Psychoanalysis is also used in psychiatry today. Psychoanalysis helps work empathy into the medical treatment process by exploring the unconscious. If psychiatrists explore an individual’s unconscious they can start to properly asses why the individual is acting the way they are before beginning treatment (Vienna Medical College). Another way psychoanalysis lives in modern day psychology is projective tests.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a time sensitive, structured. Present oriented psychotherapy directed toward solving problems and teaching clients skills to modify dysfunctional thinking and behavior. CBT is based on 5 key areas (or elements) which strongly influence each other and give rise to patterns of thought, behavior and emotions. In all cases of psychological distress there will be the patterns of thought, feelings and behavior that maintain and exacerbate difficulties and distress. Sometimes clients will recognize some of these patterns, but more commonly they are not fully aware of the ones that maintain their difficulties.
Sigmund Freud was known as the father of modern psychology and the development of psychoanalysis. Freud develops a theory of the human mind and their behaviors. Sigmund Freud develops a psychodynamics theory, which consists of the personality and the Id, the ego, and the superego. Psychodynamics theory was a way of explaining how humans mind works and their desires. Also, the psychodynamic theories develop during childhood experience and shape personality.
Personality is, "the pattern of enduring characteristics that produce consistency and individuality in a given person" (pg. 438). In part, it is the behaviors that make us unique and set us apart from one another. It is also, what drives us to act consistently in a variety of settings. There are few different theories and approaches to understanding on personality and personality traits and why we behave the way we do Psychoanalytic theory is, Freud 's theory that, "unconscious forces act as determinants of personality" (pg.
The main theorist behind the psychodynamic approach is Sigmund Freud. ‘Psychodynamic theorists look for the causes of behaviour in a dynamic interplay of motivational forces that often conflict with one another. They also suggest that many of these motivational determinants of behaviour are unconscious’ (Holt N., Bremner A., Sutherland E. et al. 2015 p.628). Psychodynamics and psychoanalysis looks at the ways in which the unconscious mind influences our behaviour.
The theory can be put into practice by a) encouraging healthy behavior and through proper maintenance. For example, studying the behavior pattern in sickness can permit unhealthy practice of an individual to be taken into consideration. Similarly, analyzing beliefs of an individual can be helpful as it will help to change the behavior pattern. b) It has been seen that health psychologist try to study treatment and preventive strategies of “illness”. By adapting different coping strategies one can easily prevent the onset of different illness.
One type of cognitive therapy is “cognitive-behavioral therapy, (CBT) today’s most widely practiced psychotherapy. It aims not only to alter the way people think (cognitive therapy), but also to alter the way they act (behavior therapy)” (Myers et al. 669). It helps the patients by leading them to stay away from continuous negative thinking and try to replace it with more positive and productive one. “Anxiety, depressive disorders, and bipolar disorder share a common problem emotion regulation” (Aldao & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2010).