Theory Critique - Psychoanalytic and Adlerian - Case Study Example

Psychoanalytic Theory I have come across the Psychoanalytic theory in my past studies and found it fascinating. Not that I completely embrace his stupendous ideas, but because I am in awe of the imagination and genius of its founder, Sigmund Freud, who was courageous enough to stand for his beliefs at a time when society was very restrictive of such free thought. In this paper, I shall attempt to encapsulate his extensive theories and therapeutic processes. The Psychoanalytic theory is premised on the belief that human nature is greatly affected by a person’s early childhood experiences and conflicts between impulses and prohibitions. The complicated theories developed by Sigmund Freud became highly controversial especially in the era they were presented due to the fact that it involved psychosexual issues considered “taboo” at the time. Still, because it attracted much interest and debate, it gained a prestigious distinction in the field of Psychology to merit a great deal of influence, intensive study, modification and application. Freud’s views human behavior as determined by irrational forces, unconscious motivations and biological and instinctual drives evolving in the first six years of life. His idea of the three systems of personality, the id, ego and superego being in constant battle within a person makes sense to me, as I liken it to a person’s continual debate of what is right and wrong, and then behaves according to his moral decisions. Such decisions are affected by what society dictates as well as what the person truly desires for himself. Although the Freudian view of psychosexual stages of development coincides with other contemporary theories on human growth and development, I find it too degrading. It demeans a person’s capacity to make sound judgments because he is viewed as enslaved by his biological fixations and primal needs. It is as if it implies that a person is imprisoned by his past experiences and that his horrible past determines his woeful future. To survive living with negative experiences that may have marred a person’s personality or life views, he develops “defense mechanisms” that aim to keep those traumatic experiences repressed in the unconscious. These defense mechanisms are usually practiced by everyone in their daily life not knowing that they are applications of Freudian thought. An example of a defense mechanism commonly used is ‘rationalization’. If a person has strived hard to reach a goal like applying for a certain job position and does not get it, he would rationalize to his family that he was not so interested in it after all. It is much like the fabled fox “sour-graping”. This is an attempt to mask his utter disappointment and maintain an “unaffected” façade to the people around him. Defense mechanisms, I believe is one aspect of the Psychoanalytic theory that I would find useful in my practice as a counselor, as the patterned use of whichever kind already says a lot about the coping style and personality of the client. Personally, upon reading the list of common defense mechanisms, I related to many of it, and immediately caused me to reflect on why I use them and realize that in most instances, I am personally to blame for negative consequences of my decisions and behaviors. The goals of Psychoanalytic therapy are settling unresolved conflicts in a person’s past that deeply affect his current patterns of behavior and personality. It may involve bringing repressed painful memories to resurface to be dealt with consciously through the techniques of free association, dream analysis, hypnosis, transference, and analysis of resistance handled by a skilled psychoanalyst. This tedious process intends for the client to reach a level of self-understanding for him to be able to move on with his life without the heavy emotional baggage he has been carrying all his life. This understanding is necessary for an eventual change in character. The psychoanalytic therapist should be adept and very patient in coaxing the client to unearth his repressions. The ability to listen and be alert and sensitive to what the client tries to communicate (verbally or non-verbally) is crucial to her valid interpretations about the client. She must also possess maturity and maintain her professional objectivity especially when the client undergoes “transference” of remembered feelings towards a significant person in his life to the therapist. A deep level of trust must have been established between the therapist and the client to be able to achieve this feat. In order for the therapy to be successful, the client must be committed to being cooperative and ready to discover truths about himself, no matter how ugly it may be. In the course of the therapy, the client is expected not to make any drastic life changes that may affect the analysis of the clients’ problems. Psychoanalytic therapy ends when both client and therapist mutually agree that they have reached the goals of therapy, that of the client reaching self-understanding, and being able to use uncovered information in confronting present conflicts and future possibilities of repetition of patterns of unwanted behavior. My personal evaluation of Psychoanalytic therapy is that it is too heavy for my taste. Requiring a client to undergo such a challenging journey to his past in order to gain enlightenment may have its advantages, and I believe in its goals of self-understanding. However, dwelling too much in the past may also be a waste of time, as what is more essential upon gaining such awareness is the process of moving forward. The bible offers much hope for wounded souls, and integrating its truths to victims of past hurts is the panacea they might just be searching for. The assurance that God loves man unconditionally in spite of man’s use or abuse of his gift of free will may be enough for wayward prodigal sons to come back to the fold. Adlerian Theory After reading on Psychoanalytical theory, and being affected by the heavy drama of it all, I found Adlerian theory refreshing, more suitable to my own preferences. It is more humanistic and forgiving of human frailties. It views human nature as creative, active and decisional. It is influenced and motivated by social forces, most especially by a person’s first social circle, his family. Adlerian theory offers much encouragement to disheartened individuals. It embraces inherent feelings of inferiority as positive signs of a person’s realization that he needs to strive to be better than what he is now. It again reflects the Christian view that man is inherently fallen as inherited from Adam and Eve’s original sin, and this state makes him feel the need for a savior in the person of Jesus Christ. A sinner will strive hard to change for the better in order to be worthy of salvation. I am impressed by how Adlerian theory focuses more on an individual’s concern for social interest, as it is more consistent with biblical teachings of loving one’s neighbor. A person’s capacity to identify and empathize with other people’s life circumstances builds up his own self-esteem and relevant purpose of existence. Alfred Adler advocates that we must successfully master three universal life tasks: building friendships, establishing intimacy and contributing to society. Being able to do all three makes life worth living. A person’s quality of relationship with his family members while growing up greatly influences the development of his personality. Individuals acquire a certain style of relating to others in childhood that carries over to their adult interactions. For instance, if his birth order reflects strong sibling rivalry, the patterns of behaviors with the rival sibling may be repeated to an adult counterpart in the person of a colleague at work who constantly competes with him in terms of work performance or social popularity within the office. Adlerian therapy begins with establishing a mutually respectful relationship between the therapist and the client who both collaborate in identifying, exploring and disclosing mistaken goals and faulty assumptions in a client’s life. The client is then reeducated towards the useful side of life which acknowledges his existence to be significant in his social circles. He is likewise assisted in the adoption of appropriate behaviors and practices characterized feelings of belongingness and social interest. In doing so, the client gains confidence and positive self-esteem empowering him to modify his faulty beliefs of his weaknesses and uselessness in society. The therapist culls information about a client’s lifestyle using subjective information provided by the client himself as he volunteers information about himself and objective information likewise provided by the client, but structured by the therapist. Mostly, they discuss recollections of early family memories. From this point, a client may be aware of some personality quirks he possesses because of a significant past familial experience. Personally, I recall my parents who often communicated their ideals of a model child to me as I was growing up and criticized that I was not being one when I fumbled. This constant reminder that I was far from being the ideal child they so desired prompted me to prove myself worthy of their pride. I realized that as an adult, I avoided their criticisms by maintaining a respectable lifestyle and covering up my failures. No matter how hard it was for me, I refused to let go of the “image” I have created of myself for them. Throughout the therapy, the therapist takes on the client’s frame of reference in understanding his subjective life views. Again, this fosters a sense of belongingness, and encourages the client to move towards positive change because of a motivating partner. Developing insight about oneself comes from exploring different interpretations of disclosed and realized goals and purposes, directions in life, one’s private logic and how it works, and one’s current behavior. The final stage of therapy translates these insights to action in achieving the goals of developing the client’s positive self-concept and empowerment to be a contributing member of society. It is likely that the client acknowledges his God-given gifts and decides to share it with others. The success of Adlerian theories is palpable in its application in a wide variety of fields – from education to parenting, marriage and family counseling, group therapy, etc. I totally agree with its precepts and believe that applying most of its theories in my counseling practice would benefit my clients and eventually the society they live in. Encouragement is the key in Adlerian theory, and it is something this world needs a lot of. With devastation consuming a lot of people because of stress, family conflicts, imbedded hurts from failed relationships, and moral transgressions, Adlerian therapy would be very much welcome, as it aims to heal broken and strengthen healthy relationships. A final insight is that Jesus would approve of Adlerian theory as well, as He is all for unity and encouragement. He is the most adept therapist who is constantly available to help us pick up the broken pieces of our shattered hopes and is the only one who has the power to fix it and make it brand new again. Read More