Counselling_Approaches

Freud Psychodynamic Theory Sigmund Freud is one of the world’s most famous doctors; many theories derive from his original work. In this assignment I will outline the main concepts including the following: Topographical Model ID / Ego / Superego Psychosexual Stages Of Development Defense Mechanisms Freud described three states of mind, which he referred to as the “ Topographical Model.” Conscious – This refers to the here and now, you are fully aware of your thought and feelings, this is a temporary state and parts may be stored in your pre conscious Pre conscious - This is the stored memories, thoughts and feeling and can be easily accessed via your self. Unconscious refers to deep-rooted emotions and thoughts that we have suppressed. We can not access these feeling without the assistance of counselling. We have chosen to suppress these thoughts as they occurred generally in child hood and are painful. We have chosen to forget or have not acknowledged the issue and have locked it away. Freud stated that there are 3 parts to a person’s soul. The ID is governed by the pleasure principle, is present since birth The Ego is governed by the reality principle and is developed in first years of life. The Super Ego is governed by the morality principal and is developed through interaction with parental and family influences etc. The ego therefore has three taskmasters and can face different anxieties: The external world can create realistic anxieties and we fear dangers in simple tasks like crossing the road. The Super ego creates conflict with the ego and this creates moral anxiety as discussed above. The ID conflicts with the ego create neurotic anxieties. Also central to Freud’s theory are the use of defence mechanism to reduce anxieties. The ego copes with constant impulses and demands from the ID and super ego. Due to the constant pressure from both sources this may cause anxiety. To prevent people experiencing extreme tension they use defence mechanism to reduce anxiety. This enables the individual to cope with certain challenging situations however over use of defence mechanisms can have a negative effect as they distort people’s perception of reality. People repress thoughts, or feeling because they are to painful to deal with, the repressed, material is pushed into the unconscious and lays dormant however certain stressful situations or life changing experiences can trigger physical or emotional symptoms. To keep this material stored in your unconscious requires considerable force and is referred to as resistance. Denial is another defence mechanism that requires efforts as you are not accepting / processing potential harmful experiences. This process can be used when dealing with bereavement or a terminal diagnosis. By rationalising your thoughts, feeling or behaviour you are reasoning with yourself to present the situation as acceptable rather than face shame, failure or inadequacies thus creating anxiety. If someone blames others for in essence their problems they are projecting the disturbance or anxiety rather than accepting the behaviour as their own. By displacing your emotions onto a non-relevant person you feel threatened to target the perceived appropriate source of your problems. For example some people have an issue with authoritarian groups such as the police due to issues with their parents. If your thoughts and feeling contradict each other whereby your conscious and unconscious emotions are opposite, this mechanism is referred to as reaction formation. An example of this is someone who is homophobic may have desire towards the same sex. Introjection takes place when you take on boards other peoples views and attitudes as your own, this can be damaging if the material is negative. We may also us humour as a preventative mechanism to stop acknowledging the issue or situation. When some people are faced with a traumatic situation their may revert back to earlier stages of development. This process is referred to as regression. Psychosexual Stages of Development Unlike other theorists Freud thought that sexuality started at an early age in childhood rather than puberty. Freud proposed the following childhood milestones: The Oral Stage 0-12 month This libido energy form is present at this stage and is limited to pleasure comfort and survival. The oral stage has been broken down into two further stages sucking and feeding then biting and weaning. Freud thought that children that encountered weaning issues could have issues with eating disorders or drug addictions later on in life. The Anal Stage 1-3 years By this time a child is aware of themselves and what is expected of them. The ego is developing with the reality principle starting to govern and suppress the ID due to parental influences and the aim to please. Freud thought that a child is to believe that their faeces are their possession and battles of power and control with the parents emerge at this stage. The Phallic Stage 3-6 years At this stage the relationships with a child and their parents become a focus of attention. For example a boy may feel envy toward his father and interest in mother however overtime the boys will adopt his fathers mannerisms, goals and identify with the father as a male role model. As with girls the opposite process occurs. The Latency Age 6-12 years Social networking, hobbies and developing intellectual skills are central to their development. The Genital Stage If you have successful passed through all of the previous stages then at this stage you will be focusing upon developing a relationship and long-term commitment. If a counsellor uses this approach with their clients then the following skills will be used: Establishing a contract Listening Observing Clarifying Providing reflective responses Linking Interpreting Attending to transference Looking at defences and resistance Focusing on the past and present, using similarities