Chapter 4 & Chapter 5: Psychoanalytic Theory & Adlerian Therapy

Object-relations theory

A psychoanalytic theory that emphasizes the importance of early relationships, particularly with primary caregivers, in shaping an individual's personality and interpersonal dynamics.

Self Psychology

A branch of psychoanalytic theory that focuses on the development of the self and the importance of relationships in shaping personality.

Relational model of psychoanalysis

An approach in psychoanalysis that emphasizes the importance of relationships and interpersonal dynamics in the development of self and personality.

Freud’s death instinct theory

A concept in psychoanalysis suggesting that humans have an innate drive towards death and self-destruction, counterbalancing the life instincts.

Id

primary source of psychic energy and the seat of instincts that is ruled by the pleasure principle.

Pleasure principle

Aimed at reducing tension ,avoiding pain, and gaining pleasure, the id is illogical, amoral, and driven to satisfy instinctual needs.

Ego

The “executive” that governs, controls, and regulates the personality.

• Mediates between the id and the superego, operating on the reality principle to satisfy desires in socially acceptable ways.

Reality principle

The concept that governs the ego's ability to delay gratification and assess the real-world consequences of actions to meet the needs of the id in a socially acceptable manner.

Superego

Judicial branch of personality that includes a person’s moral code, the main concern being whether an action is good or bad, right or wrong.

Unconscious

The part of your mind that holds thoughts, feelings, and memories you’re not aware of but that still influence your behavior.

Anxiety

feeling of dread that results from repressed feelings, memories, desires, and experiences that emerge to the surface of awareness.

Reality anxiety

the fear of danger from the external world, and the level of such anxiety is proportionate to the degree of real threat.

Neurotic anxiety

fear that the instincts will get out of hand and cause the person to do something for which she or he will be punished.

Moral anxiety

fear of one’s own conscience.

Ego defense mechanisms

Help the individual cope with anxiety and prevent the ego from being overwhelmed.

Two characteristics in common:

1. they either deny or distort reality

2. they operate on an unconscious level

Repression

Defense: Threatening or painful thoughts and feelings are excluded from awareness.

Uses for Behavior:

• One of the most important Freudian processes, it is the basis of many other ego defenses and of neurotic disorders.

• Freud explained repression as an involuntary removal of something from consciousness.

Denial

Defense → “Closing one’s eyes” to the existence of a threatening aspect of reality.

Uses for Behavior:

• Denial of reality is perhaps the simplest of all self-defense mechanisms.

• A way of distorting what the individual thinks, feels, or perceives in a traumatic situation.

• This mechanism is similar to repression, but it generally operates in preconscious and conscious levels.

Reaction formation

Defense → Actively expressing the opposite impulse when confronted with a threatening impulse.

Uses for Behavior:

• By developing conscious attitudes and behaviors that are diametrically opposed to disturbing desires, people do not have to face the anxiety that would result if they were to recognize these dimensions of themselves.

• Individuals may conceal hate with a facade of love, be extremely nice when they harbor negative reactions, or mask cruelty with excessive kindness.

Projection

Defense → Attributing to others one’s own unacceptable desires and impulses.

Uses for Behavior:

• This is a mechanism of self-deception.

• Lustful, aggressive, or other impulses are seen as being possessed by “those people out there, but not by me.”

Displacement

Defense → Directing energy toward another object or person when the original object or person is inaccessible.

Uses for Behavior:

• Displacement is a way of coping with anxiety that involves discharging impulses by shifting from a threatening object to a “safer target.”

• For ex: the meek man who feels intimidated by his boss comes home and unloads inappropriate hostility onto his children.

Rationalization

Defense → Manufacturing “good” reasons to explain away a bruised ego.

Uses for Behavior:

• Rationalization helps justify specific behaviors, and it aids in softening the blow connected with disappointments.

• When people do not get positions they have applied for in their work, they think of logical reasons they did not succeed, and they sometimes that they really did not want the position anyway.

Sublimation

Defense → Diverting sexual or aggressive energy into other channels.

Uses for Behavior:

• Energy is usually diverted into socially acceptable and sometimes even admirable channels.

• For ex: Aggressive impulses can be channeled into athletic activities, so that the person finds a way of expressing aggressive feelings and, as an added bonus, is often praised.

Regression

Defense → Going back to an earlier phase of development when there were fewer demands.

Uses for Behavior:

• In the face of severe stress or extreme challenge, individuals may attempt to cope with their anxiety by clinging to immature and inappropriate behaviors.

• For ex: Children who are frightened in school may indulge in infantile behavior such as weeping, excessive dependence, thumb-sucking, hiding, or clinging to the teacher.

Introspection

Defense → Taking in and “swallowing” the values and standards of others.

Uses for Behavior:

• Positive forms of introspection include incorporation of parental values or the attributes and values of the therapist (assuming that these are not merely uncritically accepted).

• One negative ex, is that in concentration camps some of the prisoners dealt with overwhelming anxiety by accepting the values of the enemy through identification with the aggressor.

Identification

Defenses → Identifying with successful causes, organizations, or people in the hope that you will be perceived worthwhile.

Uses for Behavior:

• Identification can enhance self-worth and protect one from a sense of being a failure.

• This is part of the developmental process by which children learn gender-role behaviors, but it can also be a defensive reaction when used by people who feel basically inferior.

Compensation

Defenses → Masking perceived weaknesses or developing certain positive traits to make up for limitations.

Uses for Behavior:

• This mechanism can have direct adjustive value, and it can also be an attempt by the person to say “Don’t see the ways in which I am inferior, but see me in my accomplishments.”

Psychosexual stages

Refers to the Freudian chronological phases of development, beginning in infancy.

Oral stage

Deals with the inability to trust oneself and others, resulting in the fear of loving and forming close relationships and low self-esteem.

Anal stage

Deals with the inability to recognize and express anger, leading to the denial of one’s own power as a persons and the lack of sense of autonomy.

Phallic stage

Deals with the inability to fully accept one’s sexuality and sexual feelings, and also to difficulty in accepting oneself as a man or a woman.

Psychosocial stages

Refers to Erikson’s basic psychological and social tasks, which individuals need to master at intervals from infancy through old age.

Crisis: According to Erikson

Equivalent to a turning point in life when we have the potential to move forward or to regress.

Classical psychoanalysis

Is Sigmund Freud’s theory and therapy approach that focuses on how unconscious thoughts, childhood experiences, and inner conflicts shape behavior.

Id psychology

Part of the mind that wants instant pleasure and doesn’t think about consequences.

• It’s like your inner child demand what it wants right now.

Contemporary psychoanalysis

A modern approach to Freud’s ideas that focuses on how past experiences, relationships, and unconscious thoughts shape who we are today.

• It’s more flexible and includes new ideas from different psychology fields.

Ego psychology

Branch of psychoanalysis that focuses on how we use thinking, problem-solving, and coping skills to manage life’s challenges.

• Sees the ego as the part of the mind that balances our impulses (id) and morals (superego) to help us function in the real world.

Ego psychology therapist assist clients in gaining awareness of their defenses and help them develop better ways of coping with these defenses.

Blank screen approach

When the therapist remains neutral and avoids sharing personal details, so the client can project their thoughts, feelings, and emotions onto them.

• Helps reveal unconscious conflicts.

Transference relationship

When a client unconsciously redirects feelings and expectations from past relationships onto their therapist, often seeing them as a parental figure or someone from their past.

Projections

Stem from unresolved and repressed experiences, are seen as valuable material for therapy, with their analysis being a key part of the healing process.

Psychodynamics

Enables the analyst to formulate the nature of the client’s problems.

Free association

A technique where the client says whatever comes to mind without filtering, helping uncover hidden thoughts and emotions from the unconscious.

Transference

When a client unconsciously project feelings, attitudes, and fantasies form important people in their past onto their therapist. These feelings can be both positive and negative, and by exploring them, clients can work through unresolved issues from earlier in life.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy

A therapy based on psychoanalytic ideas but is more flexible and less intense than traditional psychoanalysis.

Working-through process

Consists of repetitive and elaborating explorations of unconscious material and defenses, most of which originated in early childhood.

Countertransference

When a therapist’s own past emotions and experiences influence how they react to a client, sometimes leading to biased or emotional responses.

• This can affect the therapist’s ability to stay objective and may show up in subtle ways like body language or tone.

Archetypes

Maintaining the analytic frame

The therapist keeps things consistent and professional, like staying neutral, being clear about fees, starting and ending sessions on time, and avoiding giving personal advice. This helps a stable environment where the client can focus on their own thoughts and feelings.

Free association

When clients are encouraged to say anything that comes to mind, no matter how random, silly, or uncomfortable it might seem. This helps uncover deeper thoughts and feelings that may be hidden in the unconscious.

Interpretation

When the therapist helps the client understand the deeper meanings behind their behaviors, like what shows up in dreams, thoughts, or reactions during therapy. The therapist offers insights to help the client see things from a new perspective.

Dream analysis

When the therapist helps the client understand their dreams, which can reveal hidden feelings and unresolved issues. Since defenses are lower while sleeping, dreams show unconscious thoughts, often in symbolic or disguised ways.

Latent content

The hidden, symbolic meaning behind the surface details of a dream. It represents unconscious thoughts, feelings, and desires that are not directly shown in the dream but can be uncovered through analysis.

Manifest content

The actual storyline or images in a dream - what you remember and see on the surface. It’s the obvious part of the dream, as opposed to the hidden meanings underneath.

Dream work

The process where the hidden meanings of a dream are turned into a less scary version that you remember. The therapist helps figure out these hidden messages by looking at the symbols in the dream.

Resistance

When a client unconsciously avoids sharing deeper thoughts or feelings that could help with their therapy. It can slow down progress by keeping important issues hidden.

Analytical psychology

A way of understanding human nature by looking at ideas from history, mythology, culture, and religion. It connects these different areas to explain how we think and behave.

Individuation

The process of becoming whole by bringing together the conscious and unconscious parts of our personality. It involves accepting both our good and bad qualities, including traits like selfishness or greed, to achieve balance.

Persona

A mask, or public face, that we wear to protect ourselves.

Animus

The unconscious masculine side of a woman’s personality, influencing her thoughts, behaviors, and relationships. It represents:

• Logic

• Strength

• Assertiveness

Anima

The unconscious feminine side of a man’s personality, shaping his emotions, intuition, and relationships. It represents qualities like sensitivity, creativity, and empathy.

Shadow

The hidden, darker side of our personality - thoughts, feelings, and traits we reject and often see in others instead of ourselves. It’s a powerful part of who we are.

Object-relations theory

focuses on how our early relationships shape the way we connect with others. It explores how we internalize past experiences and form mental images of people that influence our attachments and interactions.

Object relations

Interpersonal relationships as these are represented intrapsychically, and they influence our interactions with the people around us.

Self psychology

Focuses on how relationships shape our sense of self. It emphasizes empathy, acceptance, and authenticity in therapy to help people grow and heal.

Relational psychodynamic model

Sees therapy as a two-way interaction where both the client and therapist influence the healing process.

Narcissistic personality

Characterized by a grandiose and exaggerated sense of self-importance and an exploitive attitude toward others, which serve the function of masking a frail self-concept.

• Such individuals seek attention and admiration from others.

• They unrealistically exaggerate their accomplishments, and they have a tendency toward extreme self-absorption.

Borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder in psychoanalysis is linked to early struggles with independence and identity. It involves intense mood swings, impulsive behavior, unstable relationships, and difficulty managing emotions and anxiety

Brief psychodynamic therapy (BPT)

Brief psychodynamic therapy (BPT) is a short-term approach (8–25 sessions) that applies psychoanalytic concepts to treat specific issues. It focuses on unconscious patterns, past relationships, and how they play out in therapy to promote healing.

Time-limited dynamic psychodynamic psychotherapy

Time-limited dynamic psychotherapy (TLDP) is a short-term therapy that focuses on identifying and changing unhealthy relationship patterns by exploring past experiences and unconscious behaviors within a set timeframe.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a therapy that helps people manage intense emotions, improve relationships, and develop coping skills. It combines psychoanalytic ideas with mindfulness and behavioral techniques to create balance and change.

Inferiority feelings

In Adlerian therapy, inferiority feelings are the sense of not being good enough that motivates people to grow, improve, and overcome challenges. They can drive success or create struggles, depending on how they’re handled.

Adaptive reorientation therapy

Adaptive Reorientation Therapy (by Paul R. Rasmussen) is an Adlerian-based approach that helps people shift their thinking, emotions, and behaviors to better adapt to life’s challenges. It focuses on understanding personal struggles, finding new perspectives, and making positive changes.

Movement toward

Emotions: Some forms of shyness, embarrassment; humiliation; shame; envy; lust; guilt

Behaviors: Attention getting; dependency; pleasing and placating; putting others first to the exclusion of self.

Disorders: Some uses of separation anxiety; disinhibited social engagement disorder; histrionic personality disorder; dependent personality disorder; some uses of borderline personality disorder.

Movement against

Emotions: Frustration; disappointment in others; anger; disgust; resentment; contempt.

Behaviors: Anger outbursts, rage, and some uses of impulsive behavior; excessive criticism; some forms of stonewalling.

Disorders: Selective mutism; conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder; narcissistic personality disorder; some uses of borderline personality disorder; paranoid personality disorder.

Movement against self (subcategory of movement against)

Emotions: Personal disappointment; (a subcategory) self-contempt.

Behaviors: Cutting and other forms of self-harm; suicide.

Disorders: Anorexia, bulimia; body dysmorphic disorder; trichotillomania; excoriation.

Movement away from

Emotions: Sadness; sorrow and grief; hurting; dread; depression.

Behaviors: Depersonalization; insomnia.

Disorders: Some forms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); some uses of separation anxiety; reactive attachment disorder; avoidant personality disorder; selective phobias; social anxiety disorder; schizophrenia; schizoid personality disorder; schizotypal personality disorder; schizoaffctive disorder; acute stress disorder; and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Ambivalent movement

Emotions: Fear; feeling stuck; anxiety; panic; anguish.

Behaviors: Hesitation; some forms of stonewalling; panic attacks; hoarding; insomnia; dissociation or depersonalization.

Disorders: Panic disorder; generalized anxiety disorder; dissociative identity disorder; dissociative amnesia; passive aggressive personality disorder; obsessive compulsive personality disorder.

Style of living

In Adlerian therapy, style of living is the unique way a person thinks, feels, and acts based on early experiences and beliefs. It shapes how they approach life, solve problems, and interact with others.

Lifestyle assessment

In Adlerian therapy, a lifestyle assessment is a way to understand a person’s unique way of thinking, feeling, and behaving by exploring their early experiences, family influences, and core beliefs. It helps identify patterns that shape their life choices and challenges.

Fictional finalism

the idea that people are guided by personal beliefs or life goals that may not be true but help them make sense of the world and motivate their actions.

Community feeling

refers to the sense of belonging, connection, and contribution to the well-being of others and society. It’s about feeling part of something bigger and working together for the common good.

Social interest

the feeling of empathy and care for others, along with the desire to contribute to the well-being of society. It’s about working together and forming meaningful, positive relationships.

Private logic

a way of thinking where a person focuses only on themselves, which can lead to isolation and unhealthy behaviors. It's a self-centered mindset that prevents connection with others and the community.

Life tasks

the key areas of life where people need to find balance and success, such as work, relationships, and self-development. They are challenges we face in creating a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Family constellation

The unique structure of a person’s family, including their position in the family (like being the oldest child or the youngest) and the relationships between family members. It helps shape a person’s personality and behavior.

Family atmosphere

Refers to the overall emotional climate in a family, including how family members interact, communicate, and support each other. It plays a big role in shaping a person’s feelings and behavior.

Birth order

In Adlerian therapy, birth order refers to the order in which a person is born in their family (like firstborn, middle, youngest) and how that can influence their personality, roles, and relationships within the family.

First-order change

Refers to simple adjustments in behavior or thinking that don’t change a person’s core beliefs or patterns, but still make a noticeable difference in how they act or respond.

Psychological muscle

Exercise of responsibility, cooperation, respect for self, and others, and courage in the daily approach to the life tasks.

Courage

The willingness to act even when fearful in ways that are consistent with social interest.

Basic mistakes

are faulty beliefs or patterns of thinking that people develop, often in childhood, which can lead to unhealthy behaviors and problems in relationships. These mistakes are often unconscious and need to be addressed in therapy.

Early recollections

memories from a person’s childhood that reveal how they view themselves, others, and life. These memories help identify long-standing patterns in their behavior and thinking.

Subjective interview

The subjective interview is when the counselor listens carefully to a client’s life story, showing genuine interest and curiosity. The goal is to make the client feel fully heard while identifying patterns in how they cope with life and approach challenges.

The Question

Involves asking the client, “What would be different in your life if you were no longer having this problem?” It helps the client imagine how their life could improve, encouraging them to see new possibilities and take responsibility for change.

Objective interview

Gathers specific facts about the client’s life, such as the start of their problems, key life events, medical and social history, and why they’re seeking therapy. It also looks at how they cope with life challenges and provides insight into their overall lifestyle.

Holistic narrative

A holistic narrative looks at the whole story of how a person handles life’s challenges, focusing on their unique beliefs and thought patterns that shape how they cope. It helps understand the personal logic behind their actions and decisions.

Striving for superiority

Refers to a person’s drive to overcome their weaknesses and improve themselves. It’s the motivation to grow, achieve goals, and become the best version of themselves.

Insight

An understanding of the motivations and patterns that operate in a client’s life.

Interpretation

Deals with clients’ underlying motives for behaving the way they do in the here and now.

• Adlerian disclosures and interpretations are concerned with creating awareness of one’s direction in life, one’s goal and purposes, one’s private logic and how it works, and one’s current behavior.

Reorientation

Reorientation is the process of helping a person shift their perspective and change the way they approach life, challenges, and relationships. It encourages new, healthier ways of thinking and acting.

Second-order change

Involves a deeper transformation in a person’s beliefs, values, or way of thinking, leading to lasting change in how they approach life and solve problems. It’s more than just changing behavior- it’s a shift in the underlying mindset.