Psychoanalysis

Title: Reflective about Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory 1 Module Code : PSY4111 Course : Introduction to counseling and therapy Student Number : M00340928 I was unable to attend this lecture due to late admission. However, I accessed the literature on the web and books to gain understanding of Freudian psychoanalysis. Through much of the literature I found that overall, Freud’s theory has been rejected and criticized by some scholars and historians and defended by others. Psychotherapists who even reject Freud’s theories tend to follow his approach, for instance, primal therapy of the American psychologist Arthur Janov has been influenced by Freudian psychotherapy. While I feel that Oedipus complex may have been over- generalized as everything does not necessarily have sexual roots but at the same time I have noted innumerable child so attached to the opposite gender parent and resenting the other parent at the same time. Another aspect of psychoanalysis that has always convinced me is the role of childhood’s memories stored in our abstract mental apparatus (i.e. the mind) containing multiple levels of the unconscious and conscious and in turn reinforcing our everyday behaviors. Psychoanalytic approaches undoubtedly have a place amongst the range of psychological therapies even though they have not been evaluated as extensively as other therapeutic modalities (Roth and Fonagy, 2006 as cited in McLeod, 2010). According to a recent study by Ierodiakonou-Benou (2009), application of Freud's work to clinical practice concerns not only the wide spectrum of the neuroses, but also the understanding of the psychotic process and personality disorders providing possibility of intervention in various mental health settings (e.g., general hospitals, liaison consultation psychiatry, Balint groups) (Ierodiakonou-Benou, 2009). Another piece of literature I accessed claims that despite its weaknesses in lack of empirical data and the demographically restricted sample of individuals, psychoanalysis is a great idea in personality because it is comprehensive, serendipitous, innovative, and has withstood the test of time. (Beystehner, 1998) References: Beystehner, K. M. (1998, August). Psychoanalysis: Freud's Revolutionary Approach to Human Personality. Retrieved January 25th, 2011, from Great Ideas In Personality [online] www.personalityresearch.org/papers/beysthner.html Ierodiakonou-Benou, I. (2009). The application of psychoanalytic theory and practice in the general hospital. Hellenic Journal of Psychology , 6 (1), 26-37. McLeod, J. (2010). An Introducion to Counselling (Fourth ed.). Berkshire: McGraw Hill Open University Press.