Psychoanalytic therapy - Essay Example

PSYCHOANALYTIC THERAPY Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud is a combination of psychotherapeutic and psychological theories along with associated techniques. Since Freud came up with the analysis assisted by some of his friends, psychoanalysis has been revised, expanded, reformed as well as developed in various directions. This was done initially by Freud’s students and collogues whom went ahead to develop their personal ideas very independent from Freud. There are about twenty-two theoretical orientations with regard to human mental development under psychoanalysis.

Treatment approaches or the development analysis methods do vary as much as psychoanalysis theories do. The psychoanalysis of Freud does refer to a specific treatment type within which the analytic patient expresses their thoughts verbally including free associations, dreams, and fantasies. From this the analyst does induce the unconscious conflicts, which are causing the symptoms of the patient as well as character problems and then interprets them so that the patient can an insight for the problem’s resolution (Kathleen).

The analyst then does confront and then clarifies the pathological defenses, guilt, as well as wishes of the patient (Kathleen). Through the conflicts analysis including those that contribute to resistance as well as those that involve transference onto the distorted reactions analyst , psychoanalytic treatment can be able to hypothesize how a patient can unconsciously be their own worst enemy: how unconscious representative reactions, which have been aroused through experience are causing signs (Fisher and Greenberg).

From a broad variety of sources, psychoanalysis has been criticized. A notable critique for it is that psychoanalysis does constitute a pseudoscience. Nonetheless, psychoanalysis des remain a very strong influence in the realm of psychiatry as well as more so even in some quarters above others. ReferencesFisher, Seymour and Roger P Greenberg. The Scientific Credibility of Freuds Theories and Therapy. New York: Basic Books, 1977.Kathleen, Stassen, Berger. Invitation to the Life Span. Worth Publishers, 2009.