The Unconscious Mind and Mental Health Problems - Essay Example

The Unconscious Mind and Mental Health Problems 2008 The Unconscious Mind and Mental Health Problems Introduction Despite the plethoraof theoretical discourses and thousands of empirical studies exploring every imaginable aspect of different mental conditions, aetiology of most mental disorders still remains unknown. However, the general consensus is that the causes of mental health and disease have multiple aetiologies produced by the complex system of interactions between three types of factors, namely: biological, psychological, and socio-cultural. For example, such commonly known mental problems as schizophrenia (Baumeister and Francis, 2002), substance abuse (Anderson, 2001), bipolar disorder (Harvey, 2002), depression (Greenberg et al., 1993) and others have been repeatedly acknowledged to have multiple causes. The complex aetiological structure of mental problems implies that each potential cause must be carefully studied to understand its role in the onset of a disorder and eventually design an effective treatment strategy. However, despite the increasing body of scientific studies in the field, it is rarely the case that the research equally addresses each of the three major types of causes. Probably the most noticeable tendency in this regard is that the recent advances in the field of genetics and neuroscience have led to a situation when the biological causes of mental health and illness receive overwhelming attention while the psychological and socio-cultural aspects remain relatively understudied. Fortunately, the increasing use of psychotherapeutic interventions in both understanding and treatment of mental problems suggests that modern researchers and practitioners are taking efforts to finally rectify the imbalance and acknowledge the role of unconscious in psychiatric discourse. Thus, the latest edition of the American Psychiatry Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) clearly demonstrates that "the concept of the unconscious is re-emerging in psychiatric discourse" (McAndrew and Warne, 2005, p.172). The importance of this re-emergence is brightly illustrated by the increasing popularity of highly effective coping strategies originating from the psychoanalytic tradition that focuses on studies of the unconscious mind. Main Discussion Psychoanalytic Theory (PT) is fully based on the epoch-making theory of the father of modern psychology Sigmund Freud. The key postulate of Freud's theory is that human being passes through a series of psychosexual stages over the course of maturation. Each stage is dominated by the development of sensitivity in a particular erogenous or pleasure-giving zone of the body. Each stage poses for individuals a unique conflict they must cope with before passing over to the next stage of development. In case the conflict is not resolved it will result in a long-lasting frustration. Such frustrations become chronic and in future shape the behaviour of personality. Moreover, people may stop at a given stage when they become extremely addicted to its pleasures. But whatever the cause is the result is the same: it leads to fixation of an individual at some certain stage of development (Gleitman et al., 2000). Freud identified five stages of psychosexual development: the oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital. The oral phase starts from the moment of birth, when both needs and their fulfilment involve participation of child's tongue, lips and teeth. Mouth is the first zone of body the child can control and due to this the most part of his sexual energy is focused on it. Later, when the child can control other parts of his body, a certain part of his energy still remains "cathected" to his mouth. Therefore it is natural to have a moderate interest to oral pleasures (Frager and Fadiman, 2000). As the child grows up new zones of pleasure appear. At age between two and four years the child is learning how to control the anal sphincter and bladder, they obtain much of his attention. The process of toilet training excites the child's interest to self-discovery. Since parents interfere with elimination pleasures, the child develops ambivalent attitudes toward them. As children resolve the conflict between their needs for parental love and instinctual gratification they evolve lifelong attitudes toward cleanliness, orderliness, punctuality, submissiveness, and defiance (Gleitman et al, 2000). At the age of tree years the child enters the phallic stage of development: he focuses on his genitals. This phase is called phallic because the child starts to realize whether he has penis or not. At that point children understand the difference between two sexes. During phallic stage of development children treat their parents as a potential threat to fulfilment of their needs (Frager and Fadiman, 2000). This stage of development often leads to Oedipal complex in boys (they feel sexual love for the mother and rivalry to the father), and Electra complex in girls (they feel sexual love for the father and rivalry to the mother) (Vander-Zanden, 1993). Two other stages of development are less important to the development of the basic personality structure if compared with the earlier stages. The latent stage is characterized by relative calmness: this is the period of formation of Ego-structure, including such concepts as shame, disgust, and moral values. This is the period of preparation for puberty. And finally, the last stage of biological and psychological development is the genital phase. It takes place during puberty when the sexual energy (libido) goes back to genitals. Girls and boys finally understand their sexual difference and search for adequate ways of fulfilling their sexual needs (Frager and Fadiman, 2000). Consequently, the major task of the therapist whom provides PT is to make repressed unconscious conflicts conscious. Once the conflict enters the realm of conscious the patient can start his attempts to deal with them. Evidently, this process requires very good professional skills and takes much time. Adlerian Therapy (AT) is another highly popular psychotherapeutic model which places specific emphasis on the study of the unconscious mind. The originator of this therapy, Alfred Adler, was one of the many scholars whom built their theories on the fundamental ideas suggested by Freud. Therefore, Adler's theory is also termed under the umbrella label 'psychodynamic', which means he acknowledges the conscious and unconscious influence on social relationships and the self. The core principles of Adlerian psychology were first explained in his book The Neurotic Character published in 1912. The psychologist claims that human personality can be explained in terms of the guiding purpose of the individual's unconscious perception of the ideal self to convert feelings of inferiority to superiority. However, the desires of the self-ideal are typically countered by ethical and/or social requirements and obligations, and if the corrective opportunities are left without adequate consideration, then an inferiority complex will inevitable develop. This complex is likely to increase the risk of the person turning egocentric, aggressive, or developing other psychological problems (Carlson, Watts and Maniacci, 2005). Although Adler sticks to the Freudian view about the psychodynamic nature of human psychology he, apparently, does not accept Freud's emphasis on instinctual demands holding the view that human psychology is goal-driven and fuelled by a yet unknown force that is creative in nature. Similarly to Freud, Adler believes in the unconscious nature of these goals, and claims they have the so-called 'teleological' function. Normally, there is a fictional final goal which can be uncoded alongside of multiple smaller goals or sub-goals. The dynamics of inferiority/superiority is constantly at work through various forms of compensation and over-compensation (Carlson, Watts and Maniacci, 2005). For example, in substance abuse the fictive final goal is to get rid of emotional problems (overcompensation on the basis of a feeling of inferiority). This goal is fictive because it can never be subjectively achieved: the problems will emerge again after the substance's effect disappears. The theory of personality developed by Adler formed the basis for a distinct system of psychotherapy: his ideas have gradually and persistently permeated the whole of contemporary psychology (Ellenberger, 1970). Adlerian theory represents a value-based, fully-integrated, theory of personality, model of psychopathology, philosophy of living, strategy for preventative education, and technique of psychotherapy (Carlson, Watts & Maniacci, 2005). In particular, Adler emphasizes the needs for an individual's optimal development and social responsibility, which is probably one of the key reasons why the Adlerian perspective can be effectively used for treatment and prevention of numerous psychological problems. However, similarly to Freud and other representatives of the psychodynamic paradigm, Adlerian psychology implies excavation of the patient's past and unconscious drives in order to use the results to modify his or her future in the positive direction via improvement of the self-worth, integration into community, etc. Conclusion Freud's theory of human development has repeatedly been criticized since the moment of its emergence. The main concern of critics was purely biological explanation of social behaviour and excessive reliance on the unconscious drives. However, at the same time it is barely possible to forget about the apparent strengths of Freud's theory: he was the first who embarked on the road of exploring the problem of unconscious in the context of integrate personality. Freud also proposed the concept of defence mechanisms, and explained their role in shaping human behaviour thus making a huge contribution to the science of psychology. The recent re-emergence of interest toward the problem of unconscious once again demonstrates the huge potential of the psychoanalytic theories in understanding and treatment of mental problems. The effectiveness of various forms of psychoanalysis (such as for example, Adlerian therapy) in stimulating the patient to find meaning in his life and get rid of adverse mental conditions suggests that further studies of the unconscious mind may be an important factor in improvement of the coping strategies used to treat mental health problems. WORKS CITED Baumeister A. A., and J. L. Francis. "Historical Development of the Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia". Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, Vol.11, No.3 (2002), pp. 265-277. Carlson, J., Watts, R. E. and Maniacci, M. Adlerian Therapy: Theory and Practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2005. Ellenberger, H. The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry. New York: Basic Books, 1970. Frager, R. and Fadiman, J. Personality and Personal Growth. Longman, 2000. Greenberg P., Stiglin L., Finkelstein S., Berndt E. R. "Depression: A Neglected Major Illness". Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Vol. 54, No. 11 (1993), pp.419-24 Harvey, S. Bipolar Disorder. New York: A.D.A.M. Inc., 2002. McAndrew, S. and T. Warne. "Cutting across boundaries: A case study using feminist praxis to understand the meanings of self-harm". International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, Vol.14, No. 3 (2005), pp. 172-180. Vander-Zanden, J. W. and Wilfrid, J. Human development, 5th edition. McGraw-Hill Inc., 1993 Read More