Psychodynamic Perspectives

A collection of vocabulary flashcards related to psychodynamic perspectives and Freud's theories.

Sigmund Freud

The founding father of psychoanalysis, contributed to psychology by identifying that childhood events significantly influence adult lives.

Psychoanalysis

A set of therapeutic techniques centered on talk therapy, including transference, free association, and dream interpretation.

Transference

The client's unconscious redirection of feelings and desires from past significant figures onto the therapist.

Countertransference

The therapist's unconscious emotional reactions to the client’s transference, influenced by the therapist's unresolved issues.

Unconscious

The part of the mind that holds ideas, thoughts, and memories that are not accessible to conscious awareness.

Ego

The part of the mind that mediates between the id and the superego, responsible for rational decisions.

Id

The primitive part of the mind containing basic drives and instinctual energies, primarily sexual in nature.

Superego

The ethical component of the personality that provides the moral standards by which the ego operates.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious psychological strategies used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety caused by unacceptable stimuli.

Freudian Slip

An unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings.

Psychosexual Development

Freud's theory that personality develops through five stages in which the child derives pleasure from specific erogenous zones.

Empathy

The capacity to understand and share the feelings of another, highlighted as a function of the prefrontal cortex.

Object Relations Theory

Focuses on interpersonal relationships and internalized representations of others, commonly associated with Melanie Klein.

Attachment Theory

Developed by John Bowlby, explaining how the parent-child relationship influences emotional bonds and subsequent development.

Relational-Cultural Theory

A feminist-informed theory emphasizing the importance of relationships in shaping identity and psychological health.

Holistic Approach

Understanding psychopathology through multiple factors including psychological, biological, and social aspects.

Wish Fulfillment

A psychoanalytic concept suggesting that dreams and desires reflect unfulfilled wishes.