Module 6.1: Psychotherapy Approaches (Psychodynamic)

Unconscious Mind: A significant part of our mental life operates outside conscious awareness, influencing behavior.

Early Childhood Experiences: Have a profound impact on personality and psychological difficulties. Unresolved conflicts can manifest in adulthood.

Psychological Determinism: All behavior is meaningful and determined by underlying psychological factors, often unconscious.

Internal Conflict: Psychological distress often arises from unconscious conflicts between different parts of the mind.

Defense Mechanisms: Unconscious strategies used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety.

Therapeutic Relationship: Crucial for exploring and understanding the patient's relational patterns (transference/countertransference)

Objectives: 1. Removing, modifying, or slowing existing symptoms. 2. Mediating distrubed patterns of behavior. 3. Promoting positive personality growth and development.

Unconscious: Thoughts, feelings, memories, and desires not directly accessible to awareness.

Preconscious: Thoughts/feelings not currently in awareness but easily retrievable.

Conscious: Thoughts, feelings, and sensations we are currently aware of.

Id: Primitive, instinctual part of the mind operating on the pleasure principle.

Ego: Rational part of the mind operating on the reality principle, mediating between id, superego, and reality.

Superego: Internalized moral compass, representing societal rules and parental expectations.

Repression: Unconsciously pushing unacceptable thoughts/feelings out of awareness.

Denial: Refusing to acknowledge reality.

Projection: Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts/feelings to others.

Displacement: Redirecting emotions to a less threatening target.

Regression: Reverting to earlier, more childlike patterns of behavior.

Freudian Slip: An unintentional error in speech, memory, or action believed to reveal unconscious thoughts or desires breaking through.

Rationalization: Creating logical explanations to justify unacceptable thoughts/behaviors.

Sublimation: Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable behaviors.

Reaction Formation: Behaving opposite to one's true unconscious feelings.

Transference: Unconscious redirection of feelings from past relationships onto the therapist.

Countertransference: Therapist's unconscious emotional reactions to the patient.

Interpretation: Therapist's explanation of unconscious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to provide insight.

Free Association: Saying whatever comes to mind without censorship.

Dream Analysis: Interpreting dreams to uncover unconscious meanings.

Rorschach Inkblot Test: Projective test with inkblots; interpretations may reveal unconscious thoughts, feelings, and personality. Historically used by some psychodynamic clinicians.

Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM): Diagnostic handbook focusing on personality patterns, mental functioning, and subjective experience of symptoms. Complements the DSM with a psychodynamic perspective.

Sigmund Freud: Founder of psychoanalysis.

Carl Jung: Developed analytical psychology (collective unconscious, archetypes)

Alfred Adler: Founded individual psychology (social interest, striving for superiority).