PSYCHOANALYSIS

FREUDIAN PSYCHOANALYSISIn the classical Freudian view, psychological problems arise from tension in the unconscious mind by forbidden impulses and threatening memories.

Psychoanalysis, therefore, probes the unconscious in an attempt to bring these issues into the “light of day” or into consciousness. The major goal of psychoanalysis, then, is to reveal and interpret the contents of the unconscious mind.

PSYCHOANALYSIS

• Aims of therapy:– Childhood impulses and conflicts

• Free Association

• Dream Analysis: Manifest and Latent Content“only true solution”- symptom substitution

other therapies mask it- thus conflict expresses itself in new form

– Subjective: based on interpretation

• Hypnosis

PSYCHOANALYSIS• Important Principles

• ResistancePatient objections, natural as uncovering disturbing conflicts

(resistance as sign of nearing the conflict)

• TransferencePatients develop strong feelings for therapist (love, parental

feelings, or hatred / transferred from feelings toward others to therapist)

Points of interest

• Patient attends treatment 4-5 x a week

• Analysts looks for & records repetitions of behavior (unconscious)

• Therapist says little (then interprets at the end of session)

• Dream Analysis (often uses free association to analyze parts of a dream)

• Weaknesses Not sanctioned by state or federal government Expensive / not covered by insurance Only 20 psychoanalytic schools in U.S.

SUMMARY: PSYCHOANALYTIC Unconscious conflict manifests in outward behavior,

thoughts Find underlying (unconscious) problem Methods

Hypnosis, free association, dream analysis

“PSYCHODYNAMIC” THERAPIES

These therapies were developed by psychologists who embraced some of Freud’s ideas, but disagreed with others.

While they follow many of the same techniques, their emphasis is on the conscious, rather than the unconscious, mind. Basically they spend less time probing for hidden conflicts and repressed memories.