Analytical Techniques in Interpretation - Essay Example

Analytical Technique has been Rooted in Interpretation: A Discussion of this Idea You're The analytical technique has often been used in the interpretation of human behavior and in how these behaviors are affected by the environment surrounding human beings. This research openly discusses this area, beginning with the thoughts that Freud had and moving on to more recent concepts about this theorization through other psychological and even philosophical literary writers. The research attempts to show that although interpretation can only be used from one individuals view, this can be taken and contrasted with other perceptions by individuals to allow for a coherent flow of thought and a larger idea of just how effective analytical technique really is in individual understanding. The ideas move on through the research into the area of inter-subjectivity since many studies have pinpointed that this is a new trend within today's decade that is also evaluated to give further understanding of behavior and other aspects of life. The conclusion of this research of course draws the thoughts throughout it together in a concise manner and gives accurate thought as to how the development of these reasoning's work in rationalizing the world around basically all life. You're Name Professor Course 25 June 2006 Analytical Technique has been Rooted in Interpretation: A Discussion It could be said that Sigmund Freud was the father of psychoanalysis which led to the development of other thought concepts such as analytical technique to try and understand the human consciousness and unconsciousness as well. Freud, in actuality considered himself a scientist whose intention was to find a physiological and materialist basis for his theories of the psyche. In fact many psychologists perceive Freud to have revolutionized the way in which we think about ourselves. From its beginnings as a theory of neurosis, Freud founded and developed psychoanalysis into a general psychology, which became widely accepted as the predominant mode of discussing personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships. Analytical techniques have been utilized quite often to understand human behavior from a positive perspective and then to try and understand why some adverse behaviors occur the way they do. Many believe that Freud had one of the best thought concepts about these types of interactions and thought processes among human beings. For emphases to these statements it is interpreted that it was indeed Freud who drew our attention to the unconscious mind. If we liken the mind to an iceberg, then nine tenths below the surface is the unconscious in which there are many mental processes going on that we have little control of. Our conscious mind is above the surface; it is what we are fully aware of and contains our perception, thought and memory. Freud also spoke of the preconscious which might include material put out of our conscious mind but which may be retrievable (Stevens 1994). Freudian psychoanalytical theory states that there are three agencies of the human personality. Below the surface is our "id", these are our social and biological instincts such as hunger, thirst and self-preservation. The id seeks outlet in the pleasure principal with no regard to reality. It is our awareness of the outside world, our memory, perception and learning. The "Ego" develops to harmonize the impulses of the id with the demands of reality. It is our awareness of the outside world, our memory, perception and learning. The "super ego" develops later in varying degrees. It is like a conscience and brings in values and morals from parents and society and enables us to feel guilt (Storr 1996). Freud's personal interpretation of human behavior was founded by his studies carried out through observing young children and his research on infant attachment. Freud believed that every child is born with a variety of drives and instincts that require nourishment or stimulation. When there is conflict or deprivation of needs, anxiety and insecurity develop. Defensive maneuvers are adopted to handle the stress, ultimately leading to maladaptive behavior. These defenses operate at an unconscious level and continue into adulthood. So according to Freud the main causes of behavior disorders are childhood anxieties and the defenses erected against them (Stevens 1994). One of his more controversial ideas was of course the Oedipus Complex, but despite the negativity it gained it did well in trying to understand human behavior and attachment by young children to their parents (Storr 1996). History of science shows that Freud commonly used psychoanalysis and interpretative methods in many ways, even into the area of dreams which has become a huge study in present day. In fact Freud and other researchers of dreams have stated that perhaps dreams are one of the keys to gaining a true interpretation of human behavior, especially a more analytical one. There are specific similarities within the realm of psychoanalysis and analytical interpretation of human behavior and in many ways these concepts work well in trying to gain a more thorough understanding of human interactions. However, there is a great question as to whether or not Freud and other scientists that have come and gone have really been gaining a true interpretation about life and behavior or whether it has been their own individual perceptions. Nevertheless, with regard to dreams many perceive Freud, Jung, and other psychoanalysts such as them to have been very close in their assumptions about dreams and human behaviors. This is stated because in today's time dream interpretation has helped hundreds of people overcome their lifelong problems as well as daily problems (Williams 1998). For example, through therapies such as hypnosis and psychoanalytic therapy, people who have suffered great emotional, mental, and physical stress have moved on to live happier, fuller lives (Jackson 1999). Therefore, dreams do in fact represent many different areas of people's lives in physical, emotional, and mental ways. Dreams can relay things to a person about his or her life that he or she are not even aware of. Of course this is very similar to Freud's unconscious theorization as well. Freud and even Jung stated that interpreting one's dream is a method of self-discovery that lets one in on parts of his or her life that he or she could never have imagined. Many psychoanalytical psychologists perceived dreams as being the drawbridge to the conscious mind, not only Freud and his student Jung. Even in today's time, as has been duly noted, psychologists use a contemporary theorization to define how dreams can be a form of therapeutic healing for those who have suppressed memories which have impacted their lives in adverse ways, such as cases that even Freud himself was a part of in his own era. Anna Freud carried similar thoughts in the area of psychoanalysis but she did not have the same beliefs concerning the Oedipus complex that her father had. She did however observe and study the many behaviors and interactions of children and gained insight which led her to believe that maladaptive and adaptive behaviors of human beings are subject to external conditions in a person's environment and the interactions within the family as well at a young age (Boeree 1998). Like her father, Anna made great progress in interpretating children's behavior and was in fact the founder of child psychoanalysis. Her contributions to the field of psychology made just as many impressions upon other psychologists as Freud himself did in adult psychoanalytical investigations. Anna tried to always look outside of herself in order to keep her interpretations from being too personal and therefore contradicting her findings. She realized that any analytical technique had the inevitability of becoming a one person point of view and in the history of psychology it can again be seen that she tried extremely hard to have her points multifaceted to include others opinions as well and not just her own so that the interpretation process was more multiple sided instead of single sided. In today's era it can be seen how the human consciousness is affected by inter-subjectivity. This is due to the fact that at any time when a psychologist or psychiatrist, or a form of counselor is listening and trying to help a client they are subjected to individual experiences by the form of "empathy" that is included in the therapy (Donaldson 1991). For instance, judgments that are made about individuals are directly influenced by what our minds are subjected too. For example, if a person is discussing how deeply sorry they are for a crime that was committed against someone else then the conscious mind is directly subjected to that person's individual emotional responses and from there a conscious decision or judgment is made but it is directed by a reign of inter-subjectivity whether we totally realize it or not. Freud's ideology of the conscious and subconscious plays a crucial part in this area as he delved deeply in what understandings and interpretations were developed when an individual was conscious compared to when they are asleep. Freud made it very clear that the conscious thought and subconscious thought were totally separate thought concepts and that what a person normally perceived consciously came from subconscious subjective interpretations at times and other times dreams had a part to play in the interpretation of an individuals interactions in life and the judgments that they would make (Ellenberger 1970). Freud defined how the subconscious could represent itself to the conscious being in many different ways, some of these being through, Dreams played an impeccably part in intertwining the conscious and subconscious according to Freud The usage of the terminology of word groups Parapraxis Slips of the tongue Pathological symptoms also gave emphases to the unique contrast between the conscious and subconscious levels of individuals (Ellenberger 1970). Freud himself also detailed how analytical thought was carried out due to how the conscious and the subconscious interacted with one another on a level that an individual did not fully comprehend of. This of course in a way goes back to his view of the various personality identities. However he showed that some of the manifestations of the unconscious greatly affected the conscious in such a way that the process of analytical interpretation was transformed, bringing unconscious ideas into the conscious through a seemingly psychic system. So following past psychoanalytical thought and now in today's period, utilizing analytical interpretation it can be seen how the consciousness is intertwined with the inter-subjectivity of the past and the present as well, when making judgments and decisions also. Vetlesen (1994, p. 4) shows that once a human being becomes aware that inter-subjectivity affects their moral, social, and conscious actions they are able to move past what Freud termed the ego-centric values and interpretate their actions, judgments, and social awareness in more complete ways rather than from a solely individual perspective. The various interpretations that are gained through the many theories that have evolved in psychological understanding of human behavior from the past to the present are what have undoubtedly led up to the contemporary analysis of psychology today. Of course it is easily understood that Freud was the main character who played the most pertinent part in psychology in the late 1800's, giving evidence of how various human behaviors could be understood on a conscious and subconscious level and in many other ways as well. It is perhaps the reason why Freud has the biggest role today in the contemporary areas of psychology and in the contemporary analysis of the study of human interactions and behaviors as well (Gilman et al 1994). The subjectivity that researchers and scientists are effected by from their past studies of course move into the more contemporary field of psychology in today's time. However, this does not necessarily limit the power that past scientists had in the area of psychological theorizations and certainly not Freud's role in particular. For instance psychoanalysis was simply a common therapeutic procedure in past times but now, due to the effect of inter-subjectivity and other factors it became one of the most influential and powerful methods within psychology in the late twentieth century. Also, it is turned to for specific answers to current questions in the study of psychology today which provides irrefutable proof of how relevant it has remained over time and therefore the role it has in contemporary analytical psychology today (Jones 1987). To bring finality to this research there is clear comprehension as to how the past scientists of psychology have brought a strong influence into the field of this science today. Because of past experiments and studies, specifically psychoanalysis, there have been many new developments that have taken place in psychology over time. These have studied why and how human beings make the decisions and judgments that they do, even though there are times when there is no conscious explanation for some of these behaviors. In conclusion, contemporary theories today are basically extensions of the past and therefore are filled with inter-subjective materials themselves that influence researchers in psychology even now. It is seemingly evident to state that the past issues of psychological studies will always remain the hallmarks that have designed the way the theorizations of psychology today works and will continue to work in understanding human behavior. Cited References 1. Boeree, George. Anna Freud. Journal of Personality Theories (1998): 1. 2. Donaldson, M. Human Minds: An Exploration. London: Penguin Books (1991). 3. Ellenberger, Henri. The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry. New York: Basic Book Publications (1970). 4. Gilman, Sander. & et al., eds. Reading Freud's Reading. New York: New York University Press. (1994). 5. Jackson, Donald. You Will Feel No Pain. New York: Smithsonian Journal of Science Publication (1999) 6. Jones, Ernest. The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud [1953-1957). 3 Volumes. New York: Basic Book Publications (1986). 7. Storr, A. Freud. Oxford: Oxford Open University Press (1996). 8. Stevens, R. Freud and Psychoanalysis. Oxford: Oxford Open University Press (1994). 9. Williams, Gurney. What do Your Dreams Mean New York: McCall's Publications (1998). 10.Vetlesen, A. J. Perception, Empathy, and Judgment: An Inquiry into the Pre-Conditions of Moral Performance. University Park: Pennsylvania University Press. Read More