Psychoanalytic Therapy Notes

These flashcards cover key concepts and terminology from the lecture on Psychoanalytic Therapy.

Transference

The process where clients project feelings about significant people in their lives onto the therapist.

Unconscious Mind

The part of the mind that is not currently in focal awareness but influences thoughts and behavior.

Libido

The instinctual energy that drives behaviors, primarily associated with sexual energy.

Ego-defense mechanisms

Psychological strategies used by the ego to manage anxiety arising from conflicts.

Repression

The mental process of keeping unwanted thoughts or memories buried in the unconscious.

Denial

Refusing to accept reality or facts, thus blocking external events from awareness.

Displacement

Redirecting emotions from a threatening object to a safer substitute.

Regression

A defense mechanism where an individual reverts to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development.

Sublimation

The process of channeling negative emotions into socially acceptable actions.

Projection

Attributing one’s own unacceptable qualities or feelings to others.

Rationalization

Creating logical excuses for behaviors that are actually based on emotional factors.

Free Association

A therapeutic technique where the client speaks freely to uncover unconscious thoughts.

Countertransference

The therapist’s emotional entanglement with the client's transference.

Emotional Catharsis

The process of releasing and thereby providing relief from strong or repressed emotions.

Dream Analysis

A therapeutic technique that interprets dreams to reveal unconscious desires.

Person-Centered Therapy

A therapeutic approach that emphasizes providing a nonjudgmental space for self-exploration.

Critical Concepts in Psychoanalysis

Psychological diagnoses stem from repressed conflicts and unconscious processes.

Multi-Cultural Aspects in Therapy

Considerations of cultural dynamics and values in psychological assessment and therapy.