Psychological and Psychoanalytical Aspects of Individual and Group Behavior - Essay Example

?Reflective diary Introduction During the of this semester, I have been studying a module called ‘Psychological and Psychoanalytical Aspects of Individual and Group Behavior’. This module was initially difficult to relate to human development and leadership, but when considered carefully, its important is visible. Through this exercise, I'm going to look specifically at six areas which I believe has affected me personally in the way I think, act and participative in my studies: Psychoanalytic or psychodynamic approach to organizations; An Introduction to the central ideas and assumptions of a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic Approach; Leadership; Anxiety and defenses in organizations, a psychodynamic perspective; Development, learning and change; and Personality, careers and mindfulness. Psychoanalytic or psychodynamic approach to organizations This was the topic covered in the first lecture: Introduction to a psychoanalytic (PA) approach to organisations. When Dr Dawn Williams, the tutor came in, the first thing we discussed was the objectives of the course topic. The tutor was very categorical on what we needed to learn from the lecture, however, it took me sometime to begin following the course topic and master what was being taught in class. I had to study a lot and make references from the specified sources given by the tutor. I also consulted my fellow students and had to spare more time in group discussions. However in the end, I was at par with the tutor and I could follow what was being taught on psychoanalytic (PA) approach to organisations (Horacio, 2005). In the beginning of the lecture, the tutor was keen to get what we already know about the course topic in question. This, as I now understand, was supposed to make us think and understand the course topic in details when the tutor finally tells us the whole content of the course topic. In order to ensure that we understood the course topic during the lecture, i remember the tutor asking us to consider in pairs what we already know about psychoanalytic (PA) approach to organisations, and what our expectations and associations about psychoanalytic (PA) approach to studying organisations are (Sundberg, 2001). This was interesting as i remember working in pairs with very committed students. My feelings to the mode of learning were not well at first because i was afraid of socializing and working in groups with people i do not know much about. However, i came to realize that they were the best people i could work with. My partner was very supportive and helped me understood the content of the course topic very well. I remember us brainstorming about psychoanalytic (PA) approach to organisations to no avail, but later the tutor gave us hints which enabled us to come up with some ideas on the psychoanalytic (PA) approach to organisations (Benjamin & Dixon, 2002). The learning experience was so educative and motivating as we all tried our best to capture the content of the course topic. During this lecture, i liked various aspects of psychoanalytic (PA) approach to organisations. In the beginning, every pair tried to give a definition of what psychoanalysis means. In the end, I learnt the definition of psychoanalysis as theories of psychology of the neuroses origin and later of mental development that is formulated by Freud, his followers and disciples concurrently with the elaboration and invention of psychoanalytic treatment (Freud, 2000). As an individual, I must admit that definition never dawned well on me and i failed to understand it. I went on and asked for an elaboration first from my colleague, he however could not explain it well to me because either he too did not understand, or he wanted to listen to the lecturer as the lecture was on. I lifted my hand and questioned the tutor. Fortunate enough, i was given an elaboration of the definition of Psychoanalysis: systematic effort of many workers over the past years in order to understand the dynamics and structure of the inner world of the human being experiencing (Vannicelli, Dillavou & Caplan, 2003). The lecture posed for a while but then continued after i was sure i understood the basic definition. This was important for me, because i knew i would not learn anything from the course topic if i failed to understand the very basic definition of the terms used in the topic. I also liked the aspects learnt about the Sigmund Freud 1856-1939 (Rutan, 2003). Some of the key points and ideas i remember getting from this are things like the early training in neurology, early interest in hypnosis and hysteria, and 1896 used term ‘psychoanalysis’. The ideas were not very well understood to me, but i learnt that the Sigmund Freud 1856-1939 developed the ‘free association technique’ and the ‘analytic hour (Weick, 2007). Upon raising questions in order to further my understanding of the topic, i learnt that during this period of Sigmund Freud 1856-1939, there were several events that happened: repetition of early life and childhood experiences; development of ‘topographical’ theory of mental structure, superego, ego, id (unconscious); and centrality of unconscious in waking and dream life (Counselman & Weber, 2002) In summary, i generally learnt many new ideas and issues from the lecture. I cannot fail to remember how the tutor emphasized on the application of psychoanalysis to human life and society more generally. In addition, i can now illustrate the approach of psychoanalysis to organizations. i remember my colleague highlighting that psychoanalysis is able to offer a deep understanding of several features of organisations, even the ones that appear ordinary and straightforward. This is done through examining minimal individual behaviour in organisations but rather the deeper motives for their actions and the meaning of their behaviour (Counselman & Weber, 2004)this made sense to me and i never had any issues understanding the concepts. More concepts of psychoanalytic approach on consulting in organisations were discussed. On this, i remember the tutor talking about terms like collection of stories, critical incidents, emotions, fantasies, metaphors, and participant observation. I however did not understand at first, but after asking my colleague, i mastered the entire lesson concepts (Alonso, 2002). This marked the end of our course topic in the first lecture. This being the first lecture, i was optimistic that i will learn more next time. I set my own objectives for the next lecture and promised to do more listening, have better understanding, raise more questions, and contribute more to the discussion topics. An Introduction to the central ideas and assumptions of a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic Approach This was the second lecture we had: An Introduction to the central ideas and assumptions of a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic Approach. During this lecture, it was not much different from the first lecture. It was actually a continuation; i remember the tutor defined the session objectives for this lecture as well. This was to help us understand what we needed to know about the course topic of the lecture. During the lecture, i remember we continued with our previous discussion on the founding father: Dr Sigmund Freud 1856 Freiberg -1939 London (Alonso, 2003). This was because of the questions that were raised at the end of the previous, first, lesson. I learnt that that the founding father ccontinued work of Josef Breuer (Vienna) 1842-1925, and laid work foundation for psychoanalysis. The tutor however promised that we will study more on this in the next week’s outing to Freud Museum (Hampstead). We were even given a Sigmund Freud documentary extract . I remember the tutor went ahead with the lesson and told us about some influential psychoanalysts since Freud in developing theory and practice. At this point, i also made a contribution: Melanie Klein (1882-1960); D.W. Winnicott (1896 – 1971); John Bowlby (1907-1990). Nevertheless, we discussed some of the examples of organisations using a psychodynamic approach today. I learnt that these organizations included: International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organisations such as Manfred Kets de Vries, Larry Hirschorn; Tavistock/Portman NHS Consulting (Swiss Cottage, London); Tavistock Clinic: Anton Obholzer The Unconscious at Work; and Some NHS Foundation Trusts (Parent/Infant Units)for example work of Dr Amanda Jones (Andresen, 2000). I remember asking questions on the central characteristics of a Psychoanalytic approach to understanding behaviour. I eventually learnt a detailed explanation: Repetition of childhood scenarios and feelings in adulthood, this led to a question again in pairs where we were asked the importance of the experiences of childhood on the adult self. We gave brief answers on this, and the tutor left it as a discussion question for the pairs. Something i liked with this concepts was the characteristics of Psychoanalytic approach to understanding behaviour: Dominance of sexual and “death instinct” urges on mental life; and Intertwining of physical and mental aspects; Existence of the “Unconscious” and the limits of rationality and conscious awareness; Prevalence of defences, repression and regression; Belief in ‘Transference’; and Importance of dream life and fantasy. In addition, my colleagues asked about unconscious and repression. I realized that this was developed especially by Freud in “The Interpretation of Dreams” (1900), seen in jokes, dreams, and slips of the tongue. We went ahead and studied the significance of Unconscious and the Freud’s contribution to the unconscious: dreams. These were well covered and i must say i understood well. There were questions about transference, envy and rivalry. These were explained well by the tutor and lecture notes given. At the end of the lecture, i remember understanding that the relevance of psychoanalytic concepts broadened since Freud, beyond clinical situation to organisational and social settings, but retained similar meanings; core PA concepts applied to organisational life can help to understand seemingly “irrational”, complex, puzzling or extreme responses/ behaviour. Seminar: Donald Winnicott 1896-1971, and importance of mothering and a “facilitative and containing environment”. Leadership This was our third lecturer: Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Leadership: Manfred Kets de Vries and Larry Hirschhorn. As usual, i mastered the session objectives and what we needed to know: Examine the work of Larry Hirschhorn and Manfred Kets de Vries in relation to a psychoanalytic exploration of leadership Explore Kets de Vries and Hirschhorn’s ideas through a Tavistock video case study I remember the good experience we had when learning about Manfred Kets de Vries. I leant that Manfred Kets was one of the 50 most influential thinkers in business and management (McIntyre and Hawley, 2007). I realized that as a leader, one seeks recognition and power as a result of the experiences of childhood. This was described this as ambivalence of leadership potential. We also leant that extraordinary leaders can be ‘catalysts of constructive change’ for example Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) (McIntyre and Hawley, 2006). On discussion with the class, i learnt that leaders can be potential agents of destructiveness for example Hitler; Stalin, and that they can externalise private life conflicts on public stage, if not resolved. In a nutshell, we learnt various things about leadership citing the case studies mentioned in the course topic (Blackler, 2005). Some of which include: the part of fear, anxiety, rivalry, envy and aggression in leadership; how leaders deal with these emotions on the basis of childhood blueprints; charismatic leaders emerge during periods of unpredictability and uncertainty; and that leader/follower relationship in charismatic leaders in times of uncertainty can lead to delusions of grandeur of leader and regression to dependency of followers (McIntyre and Hawley, 2008). During the lecture, we were introduced to an interview with Kets de Vries in order to learn more about concepts of leadership. I liked the explanations of phantasy, idealization and identification, and omnipotence and dependency in leadership (Counselman, 2005). I remember being given a discussion question: “Think of a leader/manager/authority figure that you have admired or disliked. What characteristics did they have? How did you want to behave in their presence?. Several examples were given to aid our understanding. At the end of the lecture, discussion questions for the class were left behind: Tavistock video case study. Anxiety and defenses in organizations, a psychodynamic perspective This was our fourth lecture: Anxiety and Defences In Organisations: a psychodynamic perspective. The session objectives that i mastered included: To explore how anxieties and defences operate in the workplace at an individual and/or group level To examine the forms these defences can take To explore via the Challenger disaster case-study the effects of anxieties and defences on organisational outcomes During this lecture, we learnt the role of unconscious and inner life in everyday public life. There were a lot of questions on anxiety. I realized that when our anxiety is mobilized our behaviour, we experience the other people not just as they are but also need them to be, in order to play roles in our internal drama (Lawler & King, 2000). Concerns about how to understand anxiety from a psychodynamic perspective were raised and discussed. I remember the tutor citing Dr Anton Obhulzer, Tavistock Clinic during this lecture (Perry, 2002). During this session, my concern was the reason why organisational life trigger anxiety, the type of organisation is more likely to trigger anxiety than others, and the organisational responses to anxiety. I however liked the factors given as the causes of anxiety according to John Bowlby: infancy and bonding, separation, attachment, feelings of powerlessness, and dependency among other. In addition, i found the illustration of the attachment theory very interesting, as well as the defences against Anxiety: omnipotence/Grandiosity, denial dependency/helplessness, and splitting (Weimer, 2000). These concepts were explained well in lecture notes. I remember grasping the concept right from the notes. We were given other case studies such as Melanie Klein 1882 (Vienna) -1960. At the end of the lecture, i learnt the effects of anxiety, and The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Case Study. (January 28th 1986) (Flyvbjerg, 2001) Development, learning and change This was our lecture five. The content of this lecture was majorly on the socio-emotional development and stages of theories of psychological development. During this lecture, I learnt about qualitative and quantitative changes, cognitive development and thinking, Socio-emotional development and emotions, personality, interactions, moral beliefs and behavior. A lot of concerns were raised particularly by our colleagues in class (Chism, 2001). This is one of the lectures I found vey educative to me on a personal level. I realized that learning is relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience, and that maturation is relatively permanent change as a result of aging. In learnt the Stage theories of psychological development: Piaget (1896-1980), theory of cognitive development in childhood; Kohlberg (1927-1987), theory of moral development and reasoning; and Erikson (1902-1994), theory of personality development across lifespan (Tiberius, Tipping & Smith, 2004). These stages were discussed into various levels of development. It was a nice experience to learn how people develop form childhood. Personality, careers and mindfulness This was the last course topic of discussion. This lecture was intended to achieve the following objectives: To be able to define ‘Personality’ in psychological terms To critique the different perspectives that we draw on in Personality research To appreciate the uses that the study of personality has for the workplace To link personality theories to career choices To explore the concept of Mindfulness in our daily lives and in the workplace During this lecture, there were a lot to learn. I learnt and witnessed the fundamental traits or characteristics of the person that endure over time and account for consistent patterns of response to everyday situation. The diagram of Jung’s Theory was the basis in explaining the conscious ego, perception and sense of identity which was well understood (Nowlan, 2009). I remember asking a question on the influence of Analytic Psychology. The learnt a detailed description in the lecture notes and the use of the Type and Trait Approach, and the Big Five: broad domains: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism in explaining the concept of personality. I remember a colleague asking me about the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (Greenhaus et al., 2000). Something I liked about this lecture was the explanation on career: The employment sequence related to roles, positions, activities and experiences that are encountered by a person (Arnold, 1997). For a detailed understanding, i remember the tutor explaining the Career Theories and Models, Schein (1985a, 1985b, 1993), Self-Concept and critique, and Holland vocational personality types (1973, 1997). These helped me understand the topic in details. Before the end of the lecture, i realized i was able to understand the factors that Affect Choice, and definition of mmindfulness as a means of giving attention, in the current moment, to others, yourself, and the rest of the world around you (Arnold, et al., 2005). In addition, I learnt the benefits and criticisms of mindfulness by the end of the lecture. Conclusion In summary, this reflective account has illustrated the following: the most important things and ideas said in class during lectures; my response and contributions; how I engaged with the ideas; the thoughts, ideas, associations, memories or plans did you have in response to ideas or theories; and the questions that remained in my mind. This reflective account has focused on the mentioned six topics and illustrated processing and reprocessing of my experiences during the learning sessions that made me understand and learn from them during the module lectures. For example consulting colleagues and raising questions. The experience I had from the entire module included things that I perceived like behavior and attitudes of others, events and their causes and their effects. Through this reflection diary, I can check against what I already knew and explore actively my experience by going through the course topics and my own behavior and habitual ways of looking at the topics. Today, I am able to relate the module: Psychological and Psychoanalytical Aspects of Individual and Group Behavior with the six topics discussed in this reflective diary. They are of much importance and influence my way of thinking, acting and participating in my studies. List of References Alonso A, Rutan JS, (2003). The experience of shame and the restoration of self-respect in group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy.38(1): 3-14. Alonso A, Rutan JS. (2002). Object relations theory and its impact on psychodynamic group therapy. American Journal of Psychiatry. 141(11):1376 1380. Andresen, L. (2000). 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