Psychodynamic Theory

Introduction

Psychoanalysis involves the idea of a psychiatrist sitting on a chair (out of sight) listening to a patient on a couch

the analyst tries to present himself as a neutral figure, responding to the patient’s comments with silence or an explanation (interpretation) aimed at uncovering their deeper, latent meaning ¬ the rule of abstinence, this technique is designed to help the patient overcome the natural reluctance to expose intimate details

the major objective of psychoanalysis is uncovering the patient’s hidden life - the unconscious

Classical Neuroses - Large group of disorders which does not include psychoses

Examples: obsessive-compulsive disorder, associative disorder, adjustment disorder, anxiety disorder, affective-mood, associative-somatic, panic disorder.

usually defined by DSM IV. Problem is it is atheoretical and does not incorporate etiology (e.g., child development)
panic disorder and some other neuroses can be biologic (organic) disorders, life experiences can influence the physical brain; thoughts, feelings, moods can affect the brain

Basic Psychodynamic Concepts

Structural hypothesis - mind, mental functions into three areas: Id, Ego, Superego

Structural theory - superego is the conscience, id is the repository for impulses and drives such as sex and aggression, and ego is the rational mediator between the expectations of superego and pressures of id

Freud believed that the three structures are related to each other in dynamic equilibrium; if the ego fails to keep the superego and id in balance Þ psychological distress and symptoms.

Two important drives motivate the id: sex and aggression.

aggression can be channeled into productive work

love and sex (in Freudian terms) Þ the highest goal of love is an intimate relationship, like a mother child-diad, not just a sexual relationship where the partner is a narcissistic object and there to just pleasure the other.

sublimation is the highest level of association; for love, that would be an intimate relationship

Another fundamental concept of psychoanalysis is the psychosexual stages of development - Freud believed that a person must accomplish a series of tasks from infancy to adulthood in order to achieve psychological health; he associated each of these stages with a part of the anatomy as well as with physiological and psychological functions.

(1) Oral stage - 0 to 1½ yo, anatomically represented by the mouth, physiologically by eating (symbolically sucking at the breast), and psychologically by being loved and nutured

(2) Anal stage - 1½ to 3 yo, focused on the anus anatomically, bowel movements physiologically, and autonomy and self-control as the psychological task

(3) Genital stage - 3 to 7 yo, defined the genitals as pleasure providing organs psychologically linked to the notion that males were active (phallic) and females passive (receptive)

Transference refers to the concept of transferring past experiences and feelings onto a person in the present.