Psychoanalytic Theories to Solve the Mental Problems - Essay Example

? Psychoanalytic Case Conceptualization Sub-Theories Introduction Psychoanalytic case conceptualization is defined as the systematic application of concepts to treat students with mental disorders. Psychoanalytic conceptualization involves the use of psychoanalytic theories to solve the mental problems experienced by students (Cabaniss et al, 2011). Psychodynamic therapy, short-term psychodynamic therapies and ego psychology are some of the psychoanalytic sub theories used to solve student related mental issues. This case conceptualization technique should be comprehensive enough to include past and present experiences of the psychological problems affecting the patient. The realities of present circumstances are usually important as they help in deciding the best treatment technique for students with psychological disorders. The paper will therefore seek to give descriptions of psychoanalytic sub theories of case conceptualizations based on the client information. Client Information The patient is a twenty four year old heterosexual student who needs psychological therapy for his romantic relationship problems. The patient’s problems begin from his family background. He asserts that his family has always been preoccupied with work, vacationing and mean spirited. This emotionally affects the patient because he feels the family has always criticized him in all his undertakings. Additionally, the patient is also mentally upset the way his family leads successful lives and sustains romantic relationships. Moreover, the patient has never had a romantic relationship that has lasted more than seven days. Since the patient had a sexual relationship with a woman once while in high school, he has had several problems that psychologically affected him. Lack of sexual interest due to his inability to achieve erection has been the main cause of his psychological disorders. The patients romantic problems further arise due to the discomfort he gets when he is closer to women. Randy feels it is not right to have romantic relationships as other men have in campus because in his view, the other college mates are bigger and stronger than him. On the other hand, the patient does not enjoy the life he is leading into campus despite maintaining good academic grades in college. According to his thoughts, Randy was put into adult life when he was not ready making sometimes to cry. Moreover, when the patient is alone, he develops intimate feelings making him to start writing letters to companies. This makes the patient to develop angry feelings consequently making him psychologically disturbed. Generally, the patient suffers whenever he is alone sometimes making him to masturbate and look at pictures of girls tied together. From the above client information, the following psychoanalytic sub theories can be employed to help the student in treating his psychological disorders. Psychodynamic Therapy (BPT) Psychodynamic therapy is a mental treatment technique that originated from psychoanalysis. It explores the patients’ feelings and emotions that they may not know. It can also be described as a psychological treatment technique that focuses on a person’s current behavior. The influence of the past on present behaviors and patient self awareness is the main goal of psychodynamic therapy (Haggerty, 2006). Generally, psychodynamic methods of psychological disorder treatment that enables patients to examine unresolved conflicts and symptoms that arise from past relationships. For example, this approach can examine Randy’s past family conflicts and his past romantic relationships. This type of therapy constitutes other depression therapy techniques such as interpersonal therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Interpersonal therapy focuses on identification of personal relationships that affect individuals and how to address such issues. For example, Randy can be advised on how to improve on his approach towards girls. Cognitive Behavioral therapies mainly focus on how individuals think. Therefore, this therapy aims at changing an individual’s way of thinking in order to improve his or her feelings. Moreover, psychodynamic therapies are usually conducted once in week and goes for about fifty minutes. During such therapies, patients are usually encouraged to be free and talk about whatever they feel without fear. The therapist should focus on explaining to the patient on the importance and consequences of his or her actions based on their feelings. Randy should be advised to change his way of thinking towards his family members so that he can have a positive attitude towards them. Therefore, psychodynamic therapy helps in culminating positive attitudes on individuals’ thinking and feelings to relieve them from psychological disorders such as depression. History of Brief Psychodynamic Therapy Psychodynamic therapy was derived from psychoanalytic theory of psychological disorder treatment (Haggerty, 2006). Psychoanalytic theory is divided into four major groups and each group is influenced by psychodynamic therapy. Ego psychology, Freudian, object relation and self psychology are the four main groups of psychodynamic theory. Randy can change and sustain romantic relationships if he understands these four psychodynamic theories. Freudian Ego Psychology This theory was first formulated by Sigmund Freud, a psychologist who also referred to this approach as a structural model of psychological treatment. Freud’s theory suggests that sexual energies and aggressiveness originates in the unconscious part of a person, a term he refers to as id. There is also an ego which is a set of functions that acts as a moderator between the external reality and the id of an individual (Eells, 2011). According to Freud’s theory, there are defense mechanisms which maintain psychic equilibrium by minimizing an individual’s pain. Moreover, there is a superego that controls the operations of id through guilt. There exist two competing forces that influence the mental states of human beings according to Freud theory. Anticathexis and cathexis are the two main driving forces in Freud’s theory (Cherry, 2013). Cathexis is described as an investment that arises from the mental energy in an idea, object or a person. For example, Randy can create a mental image of sexual intercourse when such interests arise. Anticathexis involves blocking the unacceptable needs of the id by an individual’s ego. Repression is a common form of anticathexis that involves an investment of a person’s energy. According to Freud, human behavior is mostly motivated by death and life instincts. Life instincts relate to the basic need of human survival, pleasure and reproduction. Love, sex, food and shelter are some of the needs related to life instincts. On the other hand, an unconscious wish for death is known as death instincts. Self destruction behavior was one way expressing death instincts according to Freud. Structure and Personality In Freud’s theory, the mind of any individual is structured into conscious and unconscious parts. The conscious mind describes all the things that people are aware of while on the other hand, unconscious mind includes all the things people are not aware of. All wishes, memories, hopes and desires that are outside human awareness play a role influencing people’s behaviors. For example, Randy’s awareness of his sexual desires towards the opposite sex constitutes his conscious mind. In addition, human personality of Freud’s structure is divided into three major parts. Superego, id and ego are the major components of human personality. As discussed above, ego is a human personality component that deals with reality and helps to ensure the id demands are satisfactory in a manner that is socially acceptable and realistic. Moreover, superego constitutes the conscious mind that holds morals acquired from family and the society in general. Stages of Development According to Freudian’s Ego psychology, as children go through development, they experience various psychosexual phases. Libido’s pleasure-seeking energy is focused on different parts of the human body during each stage of development. Psychological disorders normally develop during the psychosexual development stages. Oral, anal, phallic, repression, latent and genital stages occur during psychosexual development (Cherry, 2013). A healthy personality in an adult is described by successful completion of these developmental stages. Oral stage ranges from birth to one year. During this stage, the mouth is the primary source of interaction among infants therefore sucking and rooting reflex are significant at this stage of development. The infant’s mouth is used for eating and he or she obtains pleasure from oral stimulation through tasting and sucking. Therefore, through oral stimulation, the infant develops a sense of trust from the people responsible for feeding them. According to Freud’s view, if fixation occurs at this stage of development, individuals are likely to develop a dependency and aggression issues. Drinking, eating, smoking or nail biting are some of the problems that can result from oral fixation. Randy should understand this stage in order to get treatment during therapy. The next phase of development is the anal stage. Freud believed that during this stage of development, bladder and bowel movements are controlled by libido. Toilet training is a major conflict that arises during this psychosexual development stage hence a child needs to learn how to control his or her bodily needs. A sense of independence and accomplishment is achieved through development of body control (Summers & Barber, 2012). Success at this development stage depends on the approaches parents use to train their children on toilet usage. Parents who teach their children on appropriate toilet usage at this stage encourage positive outcomes and make them more productive and competent people when they become adults. Contrary to this, not all parents provide this kind of support during the development of children. In his views, negative outcomes are achieved through inappropriate parental responses. For example, anal-expulsive personality develops when parents take an approach that is too lenient. This anal-expulsive personality leads to wasteful lives when children become adults according to Freud’s ego psychological views. Additionally, orderly and obsessive individuals develop anal-retentive personalities. The next stage of psychosexual development is known as the phallic stage. This stage occurs in children in the range of three to six years. The primary focus of the phallic stage is the presence of libido on the genitals of children. This is the psychosexual stage of development when children begin to learn the differences between females and males. According to Freud’s analysis, boys begin to develop motherly attractions and view their fathers as rivals during this development stage. For example, if Randy did not develop such feelings during his developmental stages, he is likely to have developed psychological disorders in the later stages of his life. This could be a cause for his romantic problems currently. Electra and Oedipus feelings are some of the complexities that develop during this psychosexual stage of development. According to Freud, Oedipus complex describes the desires of wanting to replace a father while on the other hand wanting to possess a mother. This leads to castration anxiety in children which is described as the fear of punishment by their fathers for developing Oedipus complexity. On the other hand, Electra complexity is described as the same type of feelings developed by young girls during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. According to Freud, young girls experience penis envy during this stage. This eventually makes children identify with the same sex parent. Another stage of psychosexual development is known as the latent period. This period occurs from the range of six years in children until puberty (Cherry, 2013). It is a stage when the sexual feelings of individuals are active and characterized by suppressed libido interests. This stage of development normally begins when children become more concerned with peer relationships after entering school. According to Freud’s assertions, latent period is a time of exploration characterized by the presence of sexual energy. Latent period is an important stage of psychosexual development as it improves communication skills and promotes self confidence among individuals. Finally, the genital stage concludes the psychosexual development according to Freud’s psychology theory. This stage happens from puberty till death. It is characterized by the strong development of sexual interests towards the opposite sex. Normally this stage begins during puberty and lasts throughout the lifetime of an individual. The main aim of this stage is to create a foundation for the various life issues affecting individuals. From the above analysis of psychosexual development stages, Randy can be appropriately advised eventually making him to change his approach towards life. Defense Mechanisms of Psychology Defense mechanisms are the tactics used by the ego to overcome anxiety. According to Freud Sigmund, anxiety is defined as unpleasant inner feelings that individuals do not want to associate with. Anxiety signifies to the ego that things are wrong. As a result of this wrong signal, the ego usually employs methods or mechanism to reduce and overcome anxiety. Freud classified anxiety into three major types namely: Neurotic, reality and moral anxieties. Neurotic anxiety is the unconscious worry that makes the id to lose its control resulting in inappropriate behavioral punishment (Cherry, 2013). According to Freud, reality anxiety is the fear of real events that take place in the world and is easily identifiable. For example, Randy has feelings for women but fears to approach them. The best possible method of avoiding this type of anxiety is avoiding such situations or threatening objects. Moreover, moral anxiety involves fear go against peoples moral standards. Several defense mechanisms were suggested to overcome anxiety by Freud Sigmund. Denial is one of the defense mechanisms according to Freud. This mechanism is used to describe scenarios in which people are unable to accept the truth. Denial is the refusal of people to recognize and admit the occurrence of something. For example, denial is usually common among drug addicts. Denial according to Freud functions to protect the ego from things that a person cannot get along with. Denial requires investment of energy in order to save people from pain and anxiety. On many occasions, there might be proof that something is true yet people still deny the existence of truth because they feel uncomfortable. Denial normally involves rejection of the existence of the truth (Cherry, 2013). Moreover, denial might involve partially admitting the truth of something. Sometimes people accept reality but blame other outside forces for their denial. Drug addiction is one of the best known denial examples. People who use drugs admit their usage but claim drug abuse is not an issue to them. Repression is also another defense mechanism applicable in psychiatric therapies. Repression uses the conscious awareness to keep information out. Repressed memories continue to influence people’s behavior. For example, a person who experienced repressed memories during his or her childhood is likely to develop relationship problems during his or her later stages of life. By understanding Randy’s past life experiences as a child, best therapy can be administered to him. In most instances the removal of memories that provoke anxiety are believed to happen unconsciously. Displacement is the next defense mechanism applicable psychodynamic analytical therapy. Displacement involves taking out feelings, frustrations and impulses on objects that are less threatening or people. One common example of a displacement defense mechanism is displaced aggression. According to this mechanism, anger should be expressed towards people that pose no threat such as pets, spouses or children (Cherry, 2013). Another defense mechanism that relates to the psychodynamic analytic theory is known as sublimation (Cherry, 2013). This is a defense mechanism that allows individuals to convert unacceptable behaviors into acceptable ones by acting out of impulses. For example, Randy can take kick-boxing activities whenever he is experiencing extreme anger. According to Freud, sublimation signals maturity and allow individuals to practice socially accepted norms within the society. Projection can also be a defense mechanism applied in psychoanalytic therapy. Projection is a defense mechanism that involves taking one’s own feelings and attributing to other people within the society. For example, one believes that he or she is not liked by people. Projection defense mechanism works by ensuring the ego does not recognize the expressions of the desire or impulse. Intellectualization is the next defense mechanism of psychoanalytic therapy. According to Freud Sigmund, intellectualization works to ensure there is a reduction in anxiety among individuals. This mechanism works by thinking about events in a clinical and cold way. This mechanism allows people to avoid stressful thinking by focusing on the intellectual component of a person’s well being. For example, If Randy is diagnosed with a mental disorder; he should take a step and learn about everything concerning the mental disorder. This ensures he is relieved of distress. Rationalization is also a defense mechanism that is used in psychoanalytic therapies. This is a defense mechanism that involves explanations of unacceptable behaviors of individuals in logical manners by giving the wrong reasons for the behavior. For example, if a person is turned down for a date, he or she rationalizes the situation by asserting that they are not attracted to each other. In addition, rationalization protects a person’s self esteem and prevents anxiety. In most cases when people are confronted by failure, they blame other people for their failures. Additionally, regression may also be used as a defense mechanism for psychoanalytic therapy. Regression varies with the psychosexual development stages. If Randy does not understand these mechanisms during therapy, he would not be able to get treatment hence ruining the therapeutic relationship. Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy uses psychoanalytic principles and approaches to understand the problems affecting clients (Leichsenring, 2004). The main goal of short term dynamic psychotherapy is to find out the feelings that interfere with a person’s daily operations, communication and relationships. For example, in Randy’s case, the therapist will seek to uncover the main causes of his romantic problems and his daily activities on campus. Additionally, the therapist will also identify Randy’s family background in order to give the best therapy. For efficiency and effectiveness, the Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapist must engage the clients regularly so as to win their trust. Trust enables the therapist to uncover the truth about their patient’s problems. Through honest communication between the client and therapist, both parties explore the relevance of events that have taken place. For example, Randy should be frank and free when explaining his romantic problems to the Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapist. Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy has been proven to be an effective and efficient treatment method for people experiencing mental related problems (Lewis, 2008). For example, depression is best treated using this psychological treatment approach. Additionally, personality disorders, panic disorders, and anxiety disorders are best treated using Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. If Randy does not become open and freely state his thoughts to the therapists during sessions, it can lead to serious psychological problems such as depression, stress and personality disorders. This could ultimately have a negative effect on his life. From the above analysis of psychoanalytic case conceptualization sub-theories, Randy can get benefit from therapeutic sessions to help him save his family and romantic relationships he is experiencing. Psychoanalytic case conceptualization sub-theories involve the use of psychoanalytic theories to solve the psychological problems experienced by people. Through the use of the above discussed theories, mental disorders can be significantly reduced. References Cabaniss, D.L., Cherry, S., Douglas, C.J., & Schwartz, A.R. (2011). Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A clinical manual. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Cherry, K. (2013). Freudian Theory. Psychology. Retrieved on November 27, 2013, from http://psychology.about.com/ Eells, T.D. (2011). Handbook of Psychotherapy Case Formulation, Second Edition. New York: Guilford Press Haggerty, J. (2006). Psychodynamic Therapy. Psych Central. Retrieved on November 27, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/psychodynamic-therapy/000119 Leichsenring, F., Rabung, S., & Leibing, E. (2004). The Efficacy of Short-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in Specific Psychiatric Disorders. JAMA Psychiatry, 61(12), 1208-1216. Lewis, A.J., Dennerstein, M. & Gibbs, P.M. (2008). Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy: review of recent process and outcome studies. Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 42(6), 445-455. Summers, R. F., & Barber, J.P.(2012). Psychodynamic Therapy: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practice. New York: Guilford Press Read More