PSYCHOANALYSIS
Rakshitha ak
24PAP010
Breif background
Sigmund Freud
He was born in Freiberg, Moravia (now part of Czech Republic). Freud was the first born of Jacob and Amalie
Nathanson Freud.
Although Freud's family had limited finances, his parents made every effort to support his intellectual
capacities.
The most creative phase of Freud's life was when he experienced severe emotional problems.
He analyzed himself and discovered the "royal road to the unconscious."
Freud was very rigid and show very little tolerance to other colleagues who diverged from his psychoanalytic
doctrines.
Freud was highly creative and productive.
Freud considered himself as intellectual giant.
View of human nature
Freud basically views the human nature as deterministic. (Corey, 2009).
• Freud was mostly neutral or pessimistic about the nature of humans. (Flanagan &
Flanagan, 2004).
According to six dimensions (Feist & Feist, 2009), Freud's view of human nature can be
summarized as follows:
deterministic, causal, pessimistic, unconscious, biolog ical and both unique.
Core concept
Unconscious Mind: Freud believed that a significant portion of our mental
activity occurs below the conscious level. Psychoanalysis seeks to access and
interpret these unconscious thoughts and feelings.
Id, Ego, and Superego: These are three components of the personality according
to Freud. The id represents primal desires, the ego mediates between the id and
the superego, and the superego represents moral and ethical standards.
Defense Mechanisms: These are unconscious strategies used to cope with
anxiety or conflict. Examples include repression, denial, projection, and
rationalization.
Theraputic process
To make the unconscious conscious or increase client awareness.
To help the client develop greater ego-control or self-control over unhealthy or maladaptive
impulses.
To help the client dispose of maladaptive or unhealthy Internalized objects and replace them
with more adaptive internalized objects.
To repair self-defects through mirroring, presenting a potentially idealized object, and
expressing empathy during optimal therapeutic failures.
There are number of techniques that evolve over ti in order to accommodate the dynamic
individual and to help the counselor in facilitating deeper understanding by counselees
and these are the following:
Creating trusting atmosphere, free association
Interpretation of resistance
Dream analysis
Interpretation of parapraxes
Interpretation of the transference relationship
Therapeutic techniques
Core Techniques
Free Association: This involves the patient saying whatever comes to mind, without
censorship or judgment. This allows the unconscious thoughts and feelings to
surface.
Dream Analysis: Dreams are seen as a window into the unconscious mind. The
therapist helps the patient interpret the symbols and meanings within their dreams.
Interpretation: The therapist offers insights into the patient's thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors. This can help the patient gain a deeper understanding of themselves.
Other Techniques
Transference: This occurs when the patient transfers feelings or emotions onto the therapist,
often mirroring relationships from the past. The therapist can use this to help the patient
understand their patterns of relating.
Countertransference: This is the therapist's emotional response to the patient. While it can be a
challenge, the therapist can use their own feelings to gain insights into the patient's dynamics.
Resistance: Patients may resist exploring certain thoughts or feelings. The therapist can help the
patient identify and address these resistances.
Analysis of Parapraxes: These are minor slips of the tongue or mistakes that can reveal
unconscious thoughts or feelings
Modern Approaches
While these core techniques remain foundational, modern
psychoanalytic approaches have evolved. They often incorporate
elements of other therapeutic modalities, such as cognitive-behavioral
therapy or interpersonal therapy
