Core Assessment
Psychodynamics is the branch of psychology that gives special importance to the forces that underlie human behavior, feelings, emotions and how they might relate to experiences during childhood. It concentrates on the dynamic relationship between conscious motivation and unconscious motivation. Psychodynamic psychology focuses on trying to get inside of the head of the individual in order to make sense of their relationships, experiences and how they see the world. Psychodynamics is not to be confused with psychoanalysis; psychoanalysis is a theory of psychodynamics. Psychoanalysis was created by Sigmund Freud and is focused on unconscious motivations and conflict. All psychodynamic models trace their roots back to Sigmund
The theory our learning team is studying is the psychodynamic approach or what is sometimes called psychoanalytic approach. The main contributors to Psychodynamic approaches was the founder Sigmund Freud (1859-1939), Anna Freud (1895-1982) gave significant contribution to the psychodynamics of adolescence and Erik Erickson (1902-1994) called the “new” Freud but with an emphasis on ego (conscious) forces, termed as psychosocial theory (Craig & Dunn, p 11-13). Psychodynamics is the explanation or interpretation (as of behavior or mental states) in terms of mental or emotional forces or processes (www.merriam-webster.com)
In this assignment I will compare and contrast Psychodynamic Approaches. See which one suit me best. Locate a copy of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, pick an abnormal behavior and explain the behavior in term of the (DSM-IV-TR). Lastly I will discuss just how far Homosexally has come in terms of psychology and in differentiating superstition from facts.
Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, was the principle proponent of the psychoanalytic personality theory. Psychoanalytic personality theory is tells us that the majority of human behavior is motivated by the unconscious, a part of the personality that contains the memories, knowledge, beliefs, feelings urges, drives, and instincts that the individual is unaware, and that only a small part of our psychological makeup is actually derived from the conscious experience. The problem is our unconscious mind disguises the meaning of the material it contains. As such, the psychoanalytic personality theory is ver...
These concepts come from psychoanalysis and psychiatry and can sometimes be abstruse and not easily understood. That is the reason that there have been attempts to make psychodynamic theory more accessible. The psychodynamic approach emphasizes the idea that people gain their initial experiences with leadership from the day they are born. Under or over gratified at any stage the child may become fixated and this could affect adult behaviour. The way a person perceives and expresses emotions may change as the years go by, influenced by life experiences (in-text citations of ,Darwin 1920; Plutchick 1980; Tomkins 1995). The Clinical Paradigm unlocks and reveals the subconscious forces underlying human behaviour. It illuminates a dark sea filled with strange life forms, most of them unconsciousthe human mind. Premise underlying the clinical paradigm is that human development is an inter- and intrapersonal process; we are all products of our past experiences, and those experiences, including the developmental experiences provided by our early caregivers, continue to influence us throughout life (in-text citations of ,Piaget 1952; Erikson 1950; Kohlberg, 1981; Pine, 1985; Kagan, 1994;
The psychodynamics theory which was introduced by Freud to understand the human mind and psyche, reached a new level in the continuous analysis from therapists. Psychodynamics originally has been explained as a study of various psychological forces that affect human behavior which is related to early experiences. It specifically discusses the connection between the conscious and subconscious motivations. The theory was further analyzed and developed by Melanie Klein, Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. Based on the theory, the psychodynamic therapy evolved to help patients through psychoanalysis. With time other therapies like individual, group and family therapy evolved to offer treatment by understanding the present day complexities in more detail. The main aim of the therapy is self –awareness through identifying the various influences of many past events in life. The therapies are continuously evolving since it was introduced by Freud to help in solving a variety of psychological disorders within people.
Psychodynamic therapy grew out of the practices of Freudian psychoanalysis which is laid on the opinion that a persons' behavior is affected by the unconscious mind and by the past events and experiences. Psychodynamic therapy normally requires longer time (to some extent two years) as it set on a journey to overhaul an aspect of persons' identity, personality or to effect a key developmental learning missed while an individual was stuck at the earlier stage of emotional development (Goldbreg, 2014).
By its nature, psychodynamic approach recognises that experiences in childhood have an influence throughout our lives without the person being aware of it. It provides an important framework for judging one 's personality and behaviour. For example, the reason for a person committing a murder may be the fact that his violent father has always physically-punished him since childhood. Though, behavioural approach argues most of the human behaviour is mechanical, and one 's personality is simply the product of stimuli and responses. Therefore, the psychodynamic approach acknowledges everyone can suffer mental illnesses and conflicts without their
The psychodynamic theory is a modern theory built upon Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis. The psychodynamic theory explains our personality through the conscious and unconscious state of mind in terms of unwanted thoughts and feelings. Freud believed that people have anxiety that they try to keep out of their conscious mind and use defense mechanisms to do so. A few examples of these defense mechanisms are: reaction formation, projection, and denial. Reaction formation is: turning aggressive impulses into their opposite, projection is: attributing your own aggressiveness onto someone else, and denial is: refusing to believe something is true or has occurred.
Description of the Psychodynamic Theory The thought process that drives the psychodynamic theory is that our histories greatly influence the people we turn out to be. Psychodynamic theory emphasizes the importance that relationships, especially those developed in the early stages of life, have on our development. This theory is also motivated by the assumption that our emotions or states of mind are the driving forces behind our actions (Dean, 2002). This theory focuses on childhood trauma, and how this can influence the way a person acts for the rest of his or her life.
The psychodynamic theory encompasses both Freud and Erikson. Freud believed the three components of personality were the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is responsible for all needs and urges, while the superego for ideals and moral. The ego moderates between the demands of the id, the superego, and reality. However, Erikson believed that personality progressed through a series of stages, with certain conflicts arising at each stage. Success in any stage depended upon successfully overcoming these conflicts. The advantage to psychodynamic is that it encompasses the individual, meaning that the theory looks at personality from childhood all the way into adulthood. The disadvantages of this theory are that it cannot be tested validly. Therefore,
The psychodynamic approach lends itself to being a controversial yet highly influential theory in the history of psychology. The theory has become one of the most significant psychological approaches and its originator, Sigmund Freud, has become a major influence in modern psychology. The psychodynamic approach largely focuses on motivation and past experiences which develop and individual’s personality. Freud used the iceberg metaphor to outline the three states of consciousness and argued that only twenty percent of the mind represents the conscious. In addition he theorised that there was a pre-conscious mind which represents general memory. Finally, the unconscious mind which is essentially the reservoir of repressed or hidden experiences and desire.
The psychodynamic theory focuses on the unconscious mind. Freud’s credence is that different mental forces operate in the mind. The unconscious mind can be described as being like an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg represents the part of the mind that is conscious, everyday thoughts. The iceberg just below the water’s surface represents the pre conscious, thoughts and information that can be retrieved easily. And finally the base of the iceberg is the unconscious part of the mind where fears, traumas and bad experiences are contained, almost impossible to retrieve.
drives. The drives create psychic energy that builds up and create tension and anxiety if it cannot be released. Another assumption is development where personality is shaped by relationships, experiences and conflict, particularly during childhood. Freud’s psychoanalysis is probably the most important psychodynamic theory. His ideas developed a... ...
ID, ego and superego. He said you were born with ID which was in your
Personality is an individual’s characteristic pattern of feeling, thinking and acting. Psychodynamic theories of personality view human behavior as a dynamic interaction between the conscious mind and unconscious mind, including associated motives and conflicts (Myers & Dewall, pg# 572, 2015). These theories focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences. Psychodynamic theories are descended from Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, which is his ideology of personality and the associated treatment techniques. Psychoanalysis attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts. This theory also includes the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions. He proposed that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality. Freud’s historically significant psychoanalytic theory became part of the human cultural legacy.