cp final

topographical map of the mind

mind is divided into conscious, preconscious, and unconscious

structural model of the mind

mind is divided into id, ego, and superego

id

fundamental biological drives=sexual/sensual/aggressive; pleasure principle: seeks immediate gratification of basic drives

ego

mediates between id/superego; recognizes/responds to external demands of real world; reality principle: mediates between id’s desire, superego’s ideals, + demands of real world; ego strength very important to psychological health

superego

society’s rules/norms; what we’re supposed to do (from parents, families, culture)

ego ideal

image of what you would like to be; internalized ideals, goals, + aspirations

denial

being unable to recognize/acknowledge threatening experiences

repression

anxiety-provoking thoughts + memories disappearing into the unconscious (motivated forgetting)

regression

retreating to coping strategies characteristic of earlier stages of development

projection

attributing one’s own negative motives + impulses to others

reaction formation

adopting thoughts + behaviors that are the opposite of what one really thinks or wants to do

displacment

directing pent-up impulses toward a safer substitute rather than the target that aroused the impulses

rationalization

providing socially appropriate, but false, explanations for one’s behavior

intellectualization

dealing with upsetting experience sin an overly logical manner, usually with reference to some non-emotional explanatory theory or scientific principle

compensation

coping with feelings of inferiority in one area by working to become superior in another area

sublimation

channeling the expression of unacceptable impulses into more socially acceptable activities

hysterics/neurotics

patient displays symptoms such as paralysis, amnesia, blindness, numbness, inability to speak, ect; however, no physical cause can be found

case of anna o

lot of physical symptoms, like trance-like state in evenings; breuer urged her to describe in detail her hallucinations; vivid recollections of forgotten events while in trace lifted symptoms during normal times

cathartic method

joseph brueur; “talking cure”; use of hypnosis to take through traumatic events + relieve physical symptoms

free association

freud; useful for patients who could not be hypnotized; asked them to lie down on couch, relax, + describe whatever thoughts, feelings, or memories came to mind without filtering/altering

transference

the displacement of feelings towards other people onto the therapist; past relationship with an object is repeated; by definition regressive; basic mechanisms are displacement + projection; behaviors + emotions reflecting unconscious process in which childhood feelings + conflicts about primary caregivers + other signifiant people are projected onto therapist

countertransference

the therapists unconscious reactions towards the client based on personal history/conflicts and/or patient’s projections; requites conscious + active exploration from therapist; useful only when therapist can distinguish between their own reaction (caused by history) and patient’s projections

resistance

as therapy progresses towards deeper understanding of unconscious conflicts, client experiences increased anxiety; forgetting appointments, becoming emotionally detached; re-enactments of earlier patters, shows treatment is working

psychic determinism

all psychic processes (associations between memories, ect) are determined by unconscious processes; freudian slips, mental images, memory failures are all psychologically important; seemingly unrelated thoughts or topics should be examined by psychologist to evaluate unconscious meaning

interpretation

therapists provide insight into how client’s current thoughts, feelings, or behavioral patterns connect to underlying conflict; if patient is ready, this paves wait for therapeutic process

insight

if interpretation makes sense to patient cognitively + emotionally, patient able to see behavior pattern/problem in new way

working through

after interpretation + gaining insight, patient keeps recognizing newly discovered patterns + practice new ways of thinking

goals of psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy

• gain conscious + emotional insight into underlying causes of problems

• work through + fully explore implications of insights gained for everyday life

• strengthen ego’s control over id + superego, thereby bolstering client’s mastery over sources of conflict

role of the therapist in psychodynamic therapy

neutral/almost no self-disclosure; absence of objective information about therapist so patient can freely fantasize/project onto therapist any attribute they associate with past important figures (object relations) in their life; neutral is NOT cold/unresponsive; must still be empathic, supportive, reflective to create emotional safety; maintain “free-floating”/evenly divided attention between trivial + momentous events as well as body language + spoken language

analysis of everyday behavior

reporting activities outside of treatment + what patient says + does in sessions; pay attention to detains, body/spoken language, “mistakes”, memory losses, alteration, repetition, humorous comments (defenses)

analysis of dreams

defenses go to sleep with you, so unconscious materials come to surface in dreams; each person has their own dictionary of what symbolic representations mean, so dreams can be revealed in same way as free-association technique

manifest content

what you see in dreams (the disguised forms)

latent content

unconscious wishes, ideas, fantasies, impulses; appear in the disguised forms

analysis of transference

work to understand + point out meaning of client’s feelings/behavior, help them see + understand meaning of transference reaction

psychodynamic psychotherapies

influenced by freud, “neo-freudians” propose alternatives to add to original theories; emphasize role of ego in motivating psychological growth; still recognize importance of early relationships, also focus on developmental stages of childhood; focus on interpersonal aspects - not just as transferential material, but as healing aspects in and of itself

interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)

1970s, gerald klerman + myrna weissman; initially drug treatment for women with depressive disorders

humanistic psychotherapy

carl rogers (1902-87); person-centered therapy