psychodynamic approaches 1

PSGY1009: Psychological Approaches to Therapy

According to Bennet (2011):
- Avoids a strict dichotomy between ‘normal’ and ‘disordered’ states.
- Considers social and psychological factors.
- Focuses on the individual in treatment plans.
- Observes non-pharmacological interventions as a primary treatment option.
Dimensional Approach:
- Rejects an all-or-nothing approach, advocating a continuum of states.
- However, it does not address the processes causing or maintaining disorders.
- Emphasizes psychological formulation instead.

Definition: Co-constructing a hypothesis or ‘best guess’ regarding the origins of an individual’s difficulties (Johnstone, 2018).
Shift in focus:
- From "What is wrong with you?" to "What has happened to you?" (Dillon, 2011).
Diagnostic labels have minimal influence on treatment type.
Key aims:
- Identify the processes leading to and maintaining individual problems:
  - What is the problem?
  - Why was the individual vulnerable?
  - Why is it an issue now?
  - What sustains the problem?

Emotions: Low mood; lack of interest in activities.
Behaviors: Insomnia; weight loss.
Physical Signs: Headaches; dizziness.
Negative Automatic Thoughts:
- Example: "I’ll never make anything of myself."
Core Beliefs:
- Example: "I am worthless."
Conditional Assumptions:
- Example: "If I do everything perfectly, then I’m worthwhile."
Early Events: Father was ill; feelings of helplessness.
Trigger Events: Lost a job; ended a relationship.

Identify approaches (e.g., Freud’s Psychoanalysis).
School: Grouping of similar approaches (e.g., Psychodynamic).
Totton (2003): Every therapist has a perspective on human nature that drives their methods and beliefs.
Important to recognize that:
- Theories do not develop in isolation but are highly influenced by the context of their time, place, and origin.

**Settings: **
- Healthcare, Social care, Education, Private Sector, Charities.
Roles:
- Counselor, Counseling Psychologist, High-intensity Therapist, PWP (Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner), Psychotherapist, Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health Social Worker.

Born in Freiberg, now in Czech Republic.
Early views aligned with scientific study confirming human behavior follows cause and effect, including biological instincts and sexual drives.
Influenced by Darwin’s "On the Origin of Species" before moving to Vienna.

Treated by Josef Breuer.
Symptoms included physical weakness and paralysis.
Under hypnosis, she spoke of past traumas; symptoms resolved through catharsis.
Key implications of treatment:
- Behavior is influenced by unconscious mental processes.
- Physical symptoms can be alleviated through talk therapy.

Conscious: Awareness of thoughts/feelings.
Preconscious: Could be easily recalled memory/knowledge.
Unconscious: Contains inadmissible materials influencing behavior and causing neuroses.

Components:
- Id: Unconscious; operates on the pleasure principle.
- Ego: Mediator that operates on the reality principle.
- Super-Ego: Represents moral standards and perfection.

Interaction of three systems creates competition over control of psychic energy.
Psychological health results from a balanced interaction among Id, Ego, and Super-Ego.

Anxiety arises from a state of tension that requires resolution.
Types of fear:
- Realistic: Conflict with reality.
- Moral: Conflict with the Super-Ego.
- Neurotic: Conflict with the Id.

Oral (0-2): Pleasure from sucking.
Anal (2-3): Pleasure from retention and elimination.
Phallic (3-6): Self-manipulation of genitals.
Latency (6-12): Sexual inhibition.
Genital (12+): Development of adult sexuality.

Most challenging phase; involving incestuous conflicts.
Oedipus: Male child’s attraction toward mother, identification with father.
Electra: Female child focuses on obtaining father's love and identifies with the mother.

Arise from neurotic anxiety due to instinctual demands from the Id.
Functions to alleviate anxiety:
- Deny, distort, or falsify reality; operate unconsciously; vary in usage.

Repression: Blocking unacceptable thoughts from consciousness.
Reaction Formation: Opposite stance to prevent awareness of undesirable desires.
Regression: Returning to earlier developmental stages.
Denial: Refusing to face reality.
Projection: Attributing one's unacceptable thoughts to another.
Sublimation: Redirecting frustrated energy into a socially acceptable activity.
Displacement: Channeling energy towards a safer target.

Psychological formulation serves as an alternative diagnostic tool influenced by theoretical perspectives.
Professionals operate in various roles across mental health sectors, emphasizing:
- Unconscious influences,
- Instincts,
- Conflicts within personality systems,
- Processes of anxiety and defense throughout development.