Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic Approach to Organizations - Essay Example

? Reflective Diary Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………2 Lecture reflection………………………………………………………………………………2 Lecture 5 reflection………………………………………………………………………………4 Lecture 6 reflection………………………………………………………………………………7 Introduction With the evolving means of teaching within most learning institutions, tutors and lecturers have devised means through which information is passed to their students in the most effective way. As a result, we students perceive and understand the information passed to us in different ways, and sometimes, it is often difficult to understand what we are taught especially when the lecturer fails to appropriately explain concepts and we do not take an extra mile in doing further research. With regard to this, the following would be a reflection of the lectures I have had regarding the psychoanalytic approach to organizations with the use of Freud concepts (Lecture 1), experience in groups in accordance to Bion’s theories and his experience (Lecture 5) and development, learning and change, which incorporated a variety of concepts from a variety of theorists. The reflection represents a variety of issues and experiences that I had during my class. Lecture 1: An Introduction to a Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic Approach to Organisations It is extremely overwhelming to study the psychoanalytic study of organizations especially when most individuals popularly perceive the management of organizations within a different mirror. I was extremely excited at the beginning of the course to realize that a different approach to organizational management would be addressed especially when it has become extremely boring to listen to the usual business approaches advanced during most classes. The teacher began by asking us to pair ourselves in groups in order to advance our limited knowledge on the subject. With a keen scrutiny of the entire topic together with a detailed research on the same, this activity was extremely significant in ensuring a greater understanding of the approach even during the main lecture. I was particularly appreciative of the idea of discussing prior to the main lecture since it enabled me to further understand the topic, something that would have been practically hard had it not been for the peer discussions. Moreover, the discussion gave me a greater opportunity to research and find out just what was to be discussed in class. I liked the way in which the lecturer opted to begin by making definitions to the main topic, which was psychoanalysis since he gave me an even greater understanding of the topic at hand and enabled me to further widen my thinking. However, I think that the definition given with regard to psychoanalysis did not offer me much information as one would expect. It was a little general, as it only referred to the earlier theories made by Freud together with his disciples. Despite this, it gave me a yearning to learn more about the theories and how they actually tie to the running of organizations. On the other hand, it opened my understanding of the idea that the experiences of humans can actually be capable of determine the structure and dynamics of any organization. In order to provide a further understanding of the topic, the lecturer went ahead to offer a brief history of Sigmund Freud as a means of providing the background of the ‘psychoanalysis. As an interested student in history, I found this exciting and it enabled me to stay fascinated and eager to learn more about the way in which organizations actually take such an approach in their subsequent activities. Moreover, his life and experiences also helped shed light to the idea that their repetitive nature enabled him to develop a theory of mental structure, making it the more interesting. With this, I began to visualize my life as an infant; I often found myself doodling on almost every piece of paper that I would hold in my hands. Gradually, drawing turned to be one of the hobbies I had when I found myself bored and alone. The repetitive nature of this activity in my life eventually resulted to my passion for art to-date. This, to me, accentuated the key point put across in class regarding the experiences of humans in relation to their mental states; my drawing hobby mentally translated into my passion for art. On the other hand, psychoanalysis has been viewed to not only examine individuals’ behaviors within an organization, but rather, the implication of their behavior together with the inner motives of the actions that they undertake. Here, I found it rather challenging to associate the acts of mental consciousness to the real actions of members within an organization. As it is, most organizations often strive to ensure that their employees’ productivity is reflected through the performance or execution of particular assignments accorded to them. However, this seems to be contrary to the assertions of this manual, which claim that the mental capabilities of employees together with their actual, designated actions are what draw meaning to the organization. This, to me, was rather absurd and unclear. As a means of psychoanalysis, it is said that a collection of distinct stories would provide an understanding of employees’ real intentions (Jimmy, Rao & Raj, 1998). Moreover, the fantasies and emotions of the members would also be fundamental in ensuring that the organization further realizes the real action of the employees; that, I agree. However, participant observation sounded to be a more general approach since most individuals often feigns their reactions in order to appear good in the eyes of the public. Being able to ensure that the mental state and intention of an individual with regard to his actions (according to me) is a little complex and require a more comprehensive technique. In addition, I thought that much as evaluating emotions might actually be an appropriate means of realizing the real intention of an individual, it is extremely difficult to do so especially when the person under review has a reserved personality. In view of all these, I was particularly interested in the idea that a psychoanalytic approach would be so perfectly tied to the concept of Sigmund Freud regarding the nature of human beings. However, I did not find much of the arguments therein related to this concept making it hard for me to integrate the better part of the final section of the lecture. This has made me to begin thinking of a project that would enable me to easily relate these two aspects together with regard to my own individual understanding of the module. I hope that by the end of it all, I would be capable of tying these two together, so as to appreciate the significance of the entire program. While PA attempts to shed light on the feelings of individuals with regard to their external properties, organizations ought to make use of this approach in order to activate such feelings. I was left to wonder; whether the PA approach is meant to better an organization or to just evaluate the feelings of such employees. The lecture aimed at providing a PA approach to organizations, making it clear that PA is a theory that centers on the inner life of human beings. Once the inner thoughts and feelings of individuals are put to table, it would be easier to determine the performance of such individuals although it was not clear to me if this would actually fulfill the intended purpose of the module. I, however, did appreciate the way in which Freud presents his arguments on PA, despite the fact that I find it hard to associate these arguments to the organizational perspectives. Lecture 5: Experiences in Groups While lecture 1 seemed to center itself on the key idea of psychoanalytic approach, this lecture seems to have adopted a much more distinct approach by focusing on the biographical details of Bion in order to make clear its claims on his discoveries (experiences in groups). I must admit that the beginning of this topic, even with my passion for history, sounded rather boring and out of topic. However, it gradually gained momentum, making it all the more intriguing as the details were tied to his concepts. However, I still maintain that I did not find any use in being introduced to his achievements and rankings, since they only made the lecture more boring and less fascinating; rather, his works and experiences are a perfect introduction since, although they sounded boring too, they were tied to the key concepts to be learn, making it easier to understand the module. Compared to the first lecture, this lecture actually required a more comprehensive understanding and utmost concentration in order to perceive of the expected outcomes (Brian, 1993). For instance, during an attack against his tank, Bion is known to have employed a considerable number of enemy ammunitions in order to lay an attack. This greatly provided defense to his infantry. He is known to have employed tactical war techniques with his men to counter attack to his enemies (Bion, 1961). An introduction to his biographical details enabled me to have a broader perspective on his abilities and the source of his subsequent strength (working in groups). The way in which he tackled the attacks enabled me to realize that being in a position to attack an enemy in a group does not necessarily make one limited to a cluster. In fact, one ought to realize when he ought to stand out from the rest and be on his own, when need arises. With this, I remembered that many at times, we as students are always given assignments in groups by out tutors. The assignments might vary; some often require an overall group grade while some call for individual grades according to the task assigned to each of the group members. Sometimes, when faced with the assignments that result to an overall group grade, I often find myself lazy and indifferent since at the back of my mind I am fully aware that others would always do the work, thus covering up for me, not realizing that at some point, I would have to do another assignment from the same course alone. Moreover, I learnt that it is extremely significant to learn to control one’s feelings within a group since there is often tendency to bury oneself in the group mentality. The subsequent description in which Bion claims that it is easier to cope and adopt with inter-group dynamics seems absurd to me. To me, individuals have their own distinct easy of reacting to circumstances depending on the nature of their emotions and feelings. However, his descriptions helped shed light to the best way of dealing with group dynamics especially when one is subjected to a variety of emotional tendencies. I realized that the lecture not only targeted on the way on which Bion describes the group dynamics, but also on the most effective means of dealing with emotional tendencies within a group. I was particularly captivated with the artistic way in which Bion uses examples to prove his points. This lecture, actually, as it drew to the middle, was extremely exciting since it turned out to be easier than I had thought. I was particularly excited about the findings and conclusions of Bion; every leader ought to be in charge of his subjects, not only on the command basis but also on the emotional perspective. I am often amazed by the way in which leaders are so keen at executing their mandate by authorizing even the undoable, not realizing that the individual subjects possess feelings just like them. It appears to have become the norm that individuals on authority prefer oppressing their subjects, in order to feel that they have effectively executed their duties. In fact, according to Bion, instead of feeling more powerful, they often end up with feelings of unclear conscience, as well as guilt. However, I became a little uncomfortable with way in which this lecture kept making repetitive descriptions of the findings realized by Bion; such monotony only accomplishes the unintended role of boredom and indifference among the audience. Despite this, it enabled me to considerably appreciate every individual leader’s service to his subjects. Since it is often in me to be fair to all, it even became more interesting to realize that persons of authority are advised to execute their mandate on the basis of the distinct emotions realized within most, or perhaps all individuals (Peter & Robert, 2010). The artistic usage of metaphoric devices (neurotic patients) by Bion to relate to the entire society makes the entire module extremely understandable and intriguing. I must admit, however, that a little beating about the bush was employed in reaching to the final description of attaining happiness. While the module might have sounded boring as a result, it turned out to be considerably interesting and worth reading. I would, definitely read this piece of information over and over without getting tired; not only is it educational, it is effectively real and touches of the experiences we go through within the society (Nowak, 1993). I do not know but somehow I felt that the entire lecture, aside incorporating a few historical concepts, took a more religious perspective with regard to the treatment of individuals at a lower authority. However, despite this generality, I was amazed at the way in which it wrapped the medical, historical and religious concepts altogether to result to a more diversified piece. Simply interesting! As the lecture progressed it took me back to the later biography of Bion, making his biographic information it boring once more. There were some instances where I did not find it necessary to make such a diverse display of biographic information, especially when it did not help expound on the intended objectives of the module; for instance, the aspect of the place where he spent his life as not essential to this module at all. Moreover, the idea of neurotic tendencies among individuals seemed to me as extremely challenging and the information accorded was not very clear to me. I found it rather difficult to understand the way in which this aforementioned aspect was connected to negative energy exhibited by group members. Lecture 6: Development, Learning and Change Of all the lectures that I have had so far, none of them beats the intrigue drawn by lecture six. The aspect of growth has been an interesting bit ever since my high school days when I had to learn biology. What makes this particular lecture even more interesting is the way in which growth has been grouped in categories, which have been further elaborated to make it easier to distinguish and deduce. Moreover, I liked the way in which different theories had been introduced to back up the distinct definitions put forth and the use of these theories brought significant meaning to me. I became interested in the manner in which Piaget describes his childhood stages; it is intriguing that a child, regardless of the idea that it knows nothing about its surroundings, could be capable of experiencing or having a feel of his surroundings through looking, tasting and feeling. As the days progress, so does the infant’s sense of surroundings advance. Nevertheless, Piaget makes use of distinct pictures, which serve the purpose of description, breaking the monotony and making the lecture even the more intriguing. Despite the many theories described within the lecture, I liked the way it was effectively outlined, ensuring that each of the theories attains an in-depth analysis and description in order to clear any doubt that might arise. In this lecture, I was able to differentiate between the different levels of development of an infant. I have often wondered when the exact time to perform a particular task on an infant is; however, Piaget effectively provides a structured description of the developmental stages of infants (Peter, 1992). However, while the lecture actually made provisions of these developmental stages, I do not understand why it did not provide a cognitive, biological concept on the y this development actually takes place. The entire external development might have been informative, but I think with a little inclusion of the biological concepts, the entire module would be complete and essentially factual. However, I liked the way he linked the sensory nerves to the response to the surroundings. The perfect use of diagrams left me amazed, since they worked well in making descriptions and direct distinctions of infant stages. While the beginning of the lecture was seems to have outlined the cognitive stage as one that deals with the growth of the brain, I was disappointed that little has been addressed to associate the growth of the infant to the actual brain development in the scientific perspective. Moreover, while the development of the infant seems to be extremely simple and easy to understand, there is still a lot to be desired. I would understand more if the reasons are clearly laid and a basis for doubts is completely cleared. On the other hand, the morality of development section actually did nothing more than defining the different levels of this form of development. I liked this section since it actually provided enough examples making it easier to understand and comprehend. This section, aside being interesting and simple, had a couple of questions for me to ponder, making me to at least jog my mind further, and in doing so, understand the information more. The beginning of the lecture excited me. Knowing that I would review my high school descriptions of development on a more comprehensive basis made it all the more worthwhile. However, with the scanty display of information, I was extremely disappointed that none of my expectations were met. However, what I liked about this lecture as the use of diagrams and tables to summarize all the points of a section. These figures (tables and diagrams) actually made distinctions to the different stages easier to make. The tables also made me realize the distinct stages that young individuals go through on their way to adulthood (Ford, 1973). Sometimes I wished that the older generation would have a chance to go through such information in order to be able to effectively deal with the young adults as they grow. Moreover, such young adults need direction in the way I which they lead their lives, rather than condemning them for every silly step they take, I would prefer if their elders learnt to understand them for who they actually are. Just like the previous lecture, this lecture actually deals with the real life issues that affect individuals lives, and that is why I found it more interesting and worth my attention. I, however, would prefer if the sections were a bit more elaborate and comprehensive. The fact that it attempted to address the various development stages makes it intriguing although it did not provide considerable facts to back up its claims. For me, I find it hard to be convinced regarding these developmental stages. I must admit that I love simple lectures, which are straight to the point, but a lecture that is not adequately fulfilling and keeps taking me back to more and more research is not worth my bargain. Yet I like the way the entire lecture is wrapped up by a variety of questions. While a class might seem to be more appealing and easy to my satisfaction, I often tend to fear that the test that comes out of it would often be hard and difficult to comprehend unless the necessary precautions are taken. With this regard, I do not mind the nature of a lecture, as long as the tutor remembers to provide final questions that would guide me through my study work. I am glad that this lecture provided more than enough questions that have been an eye opener to my understanding of the module. Moreover, with the questions, I realized that there were a couple of sections that actually needed serious further research work, aside the information relayed in class. I liked the way in which they challenge me to think deeper, beyond the scope of a classroom environment and make me to yearn to know more and more of the information gathered. this extra form of information might not be useful to me within the classroom environment as pertains exams, but it might come in handy later in life when I am faced with a responsibility of, say, bringing up an infant or an adolescent (the most notorious stage of development). I, however, still feel that the lecturer would have done a lot more to help me understand the lecture a lot better. References Brian Nichol. The Theory and Practice of a Therapeutic Community, New York. www.businesscoachinstitute.com. N.P., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. Butler, Gillian, and Freda McManus. 2011. Psychology: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP. David Armstrong, Making Absences Present www.human-nature.com N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. Ford, Donald H. 1973. Neurobiological Aspects of Maturation and Aging. 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London: Tavistock Publications. Sutherland, Peter. 1992 Cognitive Development Today: Piaget and His Critics. London: P. Chapman Pub. Wadhwa, Raj K., Jimmy Davar, and Rao P. Bhaskara. 1998. Organization Behavior: Design and Systems for Successful Management. New Delhi: Kanishka, Distributors. Yazawa Melvin, The Diary and Life of Samuel Sewall, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Read More