Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approaches

UniSA Counselling Concepts wk2

Life instincts (eros)

Self-preservative (breathing, eating, drinking), species preservative (sexuality), aka libido

Death instinct (Thanatos)

aggressive drive

Awareness level examples

conscious (I'm thinking about what to eat), preconscious (ask me what I ate last night, I'll easily recall), unconscious (what did I eat on Halloween 2012?)

Example of structural model

id (pleasure conscience, devil), ego (reality/middle ground), superego (morality/angel)

Freud's instinct model

self-preservation instincts + sexual instincts = libido (opposite of Thanatos).

Drive model (psychosexual stages of development)

people learn through their body parts and are driven by sexual instincts.

Psychosexual stages

oral (learn through mouths), anal (learn through organisation and toilet-training), phallic (pleasure to genitals), latency (sexual repression to prioritise other learning), genital (pleasure from intercourse).

Structural model iceberg

(topographic model) Interplay between conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious. The ego needs to balance the superego (principles) and id (pleasure) to prevent anxiety.

Common defence mechanisms

repression, denial, projection, reaction, sublimation, rationalisation, displacement, regression

Defence mechanism examples

Repression "I don't remember that foster home" denial "that never happened" projection "I'm not the toxic one, YOU are!" reaction "I don't like doing this but I have to smile through it all" sublimation "I use baking to de-stress" rationalisation "I'm sure he didn't mean to hit me" displacement "I hate school…this is all my cousin's fault" regression "my parents are fighting, time to cry in foetal position"

Dynamic psychotherapy opening phase

Patient reveals information at their own pace when feasible. Structured, formalized interview discouraged, but specific questions can be posed.

Ultra awareness paid to patient’s

actions and words and issues of significance noted. Overall treatment plan sketched out and practical aspects of therapy discussed

Elements of Treatment

therapeutic (supportive) relationship, expressive work (exploration of the patient’s problems, deepens over time). Patient encouraged to say what comes to mind, therapist pays “evenly hovering attention”.

Termination phase

not planned, comes when it comes, i.e. when patient decides to stop, goals are met.

Open door policy

patient can return at will

In classical psychoanalysis, the focus is on

exploratory work, whereas in newer approaches much more focus is on the relationship

A wide range of emotional problems can be successfully treated with psychoanalytic therapy. Among them

Emotional pain, depression, boredom, restlessness. An inability to learn, love, work, or express emotion. Irrational fear, anxiety without a known cause. Pervasive feelings of meaninglessness, emptiness, unrelatedness. Lack of goals, values, or ideals.