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The Use of Psychoanalysis to Make Sense of Human Behavior
“Psychoanalysis offers a good story to make sense of behaviour, but it is
a story the truth of which can never be confirmed.” Discuss.
Psychoanalysis is an approach to the understanding of human behaviour by Freud and other famous psychologists. It is a method of treating mental and emotional disorders by discussion and analysis of one’s thoughts and feelings. It relies on the therapist’s ability to make the unconscious conscious and to help guide the patients to resolve their underlying conflicts. It is based on past experiences, but there is limited empirical evidence that supports this theory as it deals with the emotional side of psychology and lacks scientific rigour, partly because there are too many variables involved to enable it to be a controlled study. But that doesn’t mean to say that it is not true, it is just extremely difficult to confirm.
This essay discusses whether the story of psychoanalysis, used to make sense of human behaviour, can ever be confirmed as a story of truth.
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory showed how the mind can be seen as three parts, the ‘id’ (the primitive unconscious part of the personality that deals with pleasure), the ‘ego’ (dominates the conscious mind and carries out ‘secondary process thinking’) and the ‘superego’ (social conscience). He then went on to develop the theory of psychosexual development, in which the child goes through various stages, each characterised by different demands for sexual gratification and different ways of achieving that gratification. The first stage is called the ‘Oral stage’ (birth – 15 months old), in which the child governed by the id and gains gratification through the mouth...
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Bibliography:
Bibliography
Cardwell, Mike. PSYCHOLOGY for A Level. Collins Educational. 1996.
Flanagan, Cara. Letts study guide: A Level Psychology. WM Print Limited. 1997.
Gross, Richard. PSYCHOLOGY: The science of the mind and behaviour. Hodder and Stoughton Educational. 1992.
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy was developed by Sigmund Freud during the Victorian Era in Vienna, Austria. Sigmund Freud’s psychological works set the base for the profession of psychology as well as the practice of modern psychotherapy. Freud believed human behavior was motivated by “intrapsychic conflict” stemming from the three areas of the subconscious: id, ego, and superego (Murdock, 2009).
Gross, R (2010). Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour. 6th ed. London: Hodder Education. p189.
Psychoanalysis is also known as the talking cure. His method of unlocking mind of mental illness patients including the following technics: talking and free association. On this technics Feud was supported his patients to talk freely so he can find the symptoms and to describe what was in their unconscious mind.
Sigmund Freud is known as the founding father of psychology. If it wasn’t for Freud and his work psychology probably wouldn’t be around today (Javel, 1999). Although Freud had many followers there were some who didn’t agree with his work and found his work to be very controversial. There were also many who criticized his work, one of his most controversial and criticized work was his psychosexual stages of development and his believes about the famous “Oedipus Complex.” Psychoanalysis is the first known modality used to treat individuals with psychological disorders. Freud’s work was a foundation for many whether they believed in his work or not. From his work other psychologist
In psychoanalysis the therapist takes on the role of the expert, listening and interpreting Ana’s free associations from her unconscious process. The therapist role is to discover what is real and what is not real. The therapist is not to have an agenda and to remain passive and only engage when interpreting something Ana has stated (Murdock,
In Psychology, various different explanations of behaviour and the intellect have been presented and debated over the years such as the psychodynamic, behavioral, biological and humanistic approach. The biological approach aims to provide explanation is concerned with how behaviour is affected by physiological systems and mechanisms (Barnes, 2013). This approach assumptions usually explore physiological and evolutionary explanations to behaviour. In opposition to this, the Psychoanalytic approach presents an explanation to psychological occurrence by exploring
In the first part of this paper I shall summarise the concepts of Psychoanalysis and Behaviour theories, as in my view theory in itself is an argument for a concept. Theory is a collection of propositions to illustrate principles of a subject (Oxford Dictionary, 1976). Secondly this paper explores similarities concerning the theories, eventually leading to a conclusion concerning their significance in today's therapeutic arena.
The theory of psychoanalysis, founded by Freud, asserted that people could be cured by “…making conscious their unconscious thoughts and motivations…”, therefore gaining insight into their behavior and state of being (CITE). The aim of psychoanalytic therapy is to release repressed emotions and experiences, because Freud believed that psychological problems are rooted in the unconscious mind. In certain cases, individuals would have manifested symptoms caused by “…latent…”, or hidden disturbances (CITE). Typical causes could include unresolved issues during development or as a result of repressed trauma. Those who practice psychoanalysis believe that only with a cathartic experience can be the person be helped and therefore cured. In other words, , Freud’s treatment focused on bringing the repressed conflict to consciousness, where the patent then could wo...
Sigmund Freud, the preeminent, 19th century, European neurologist and psychologist, designed a theory he labelled “psychoanalysis,” a theory which would transcend all borders and integrate itself deeply into many facets of society. In fact, an American named Kate Chopin, wrote a book entitled The Awakening, which was published at the turn of the 19th century, in which this theory played an integral role in expressing the complexity, relevance, and growth of the main character. The express importance of the main character displaying a Freudian psych is pertinent even in the modern time because it allows us to view the application of his theories around the time of their conception, trace their evolution and see the changes throughout the years. By possessing these comparisons, one could then gain insight as to how society and the individual has developed and progressed.
The aim of this essay is to clarify the basic principles of Freud’s theories and to raise the main issues.
Luyten, P. (2015). Unholy questions about five central tenets of psychoanalysis that need to be empirically verified. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 35, 5-23. doi:http://dx.doi.org.vortex3.uco.edu/10.1080/07351690.2015.987590
The oral stage takes place from birth until age 1, which involves the infant’s mouth as the focus of gratification derived from the pleasure of oral exploration of his or her environment and receiving primary nourishment from one’s mother’s breast. In addition to this, the anal phase takes place from age 1 until age 3, which involves the infant’s more erotic zone changing from the mouth to the anus. Finally, the phallic stage takes place from age 3 until age 6, which involves the child’s genitalia becoming his or her primary aphrodisiacal zone. It is in this third infantile development stage that children become aware of their bodies and the bodies of others. They gratify physical curiosity by undressing and exploring each other and their genitals, and so learn the physical and sexual differences between genders. These stages reflect base levels of desire, but they also involve fear of loss and mistreatment. To keep all of this conflict buried in one’s unconscious, Freud argued that one develops defenses: selective perception, selective memory, denial, displacement, projection, regression, fear of intimacy, and fear of death, among
...een disproven or modified by psychologists today, however his impact will always remain strong. His thoughts on human behavior were deep and original, which makes his techniques for treating psychological illness innovating. His use of self-awareness for unconscious thoughts was an intelligent approach for his time. “The principles of treatment which Freud enunciated were quite unlike those followed by conventional physicians in the practice of medicine, and must have seemed revolutionary in the period before the First World War when they were formulated” (Storr, 1989, p. 95). The way in which modern psychotherapy and forms of psycho-analysis are conducted today, is based off of Freud’s procedure (Storr, 1989, p. 95).
One of Freud’s major research accomplishments was his findings on infant sexuality also known as the Psychosexual Stages. The first stage is the oral stage which is 0-1 years of age. This is the stage where sensual/sexual life begins, in the form of sucking the thumb, biting, and breast suck...
Despite the fact that the psychoanalytic approach is the most controversial interpretation of literature, it proves to be utterly intriguing. In stories such as this, the sexual undertones are clearly evident, and thus substantiate the intricacies behind the approach. Perhaps it is a bit untraditional. However, this investigation remains both thought provoking and brilliantly compelling.