Psychodinamic Theory or Cognitive Behavior Therapy - Literature review Example

syсhоdynаmiс Тhеоry or Соgnitivе Bеhаviоur Тhеrарy Name: Institutional Affiliation Рsyсhоdynаmiс Тhеоry or Соgnitivе Bеhаviоur Тhеrарy Introduction This reflective essay has its focus on Freud's revolutionary theory of psychodynamic and psychoanalysis and if the theory should be referred to as a "great" idea in illustrating the behavior of an individual. The essential principles of the theory are established and explained critically basing on my understanding of the behavioral theory as learned in the class. Additionally, the ideas of professionals are reviewed, and several weaknesses and strengths of many aspects of Freud and other experts are determined and explained accordingly. Upon contemplation, the analysts consider psychodynamic to be a fundamental theory, despite the theory having some weaknesses. The theory is considered as the most effective due to its innovative, serendipitous and comprehensive. As a result, the authors argue that psychodynamic is indeed a "great" idea in illustrating the behavior of an individual (Weinstein, 2001). As a treatment therapy, psychodynamic analysis has its basis in the concept that people are not aware about the several factors that initiate their emotions and behavior. These unconscious aspects have the capability to arouse sadness, which in turn is portrayed through a number of symptoms that can be distinguished, including challenging personality traits, general disposition, and difficulty in relating to other individuals or disturbances in the person's self-esteem. It is true that psychodynamic therapy is highly individualized and its focus is to portray the unconscious aspects affecting the individual's behavior patterns, the relationship of the individual with others in the surrounding and the overall mental state of that person in terms of health (Elliott, 2015). Therapy applied traces the unconscious behavior to their historical origin, illustrates how the behavior has developed and evolved over some years and subsequently assists people to get rid of challenges that they face in life. In addition for psychodynamics being a treatment for the individual's behavior, it is also a method that assists the professionals to understand the mental functioning of the individuals and their stages of growth and development. Psychodynamics, therefore, is a general theory that studies the behaviors of individuals and their experience (Brackett et al., 2004). The theory seeks to illustrate the complex relationship existing between the mind and the body and facilitates the understanding of the function of the emotions in mental health and illness. The validity and the quality of psychodynamics as a theory and therapy have been questioned from the time of its foundation in the early 1900s. The Critics argue about several aspects of the theory, including whether or not the subject is a science; about the value of the data that the theorist based his theories on and the methodology and the effectiveness of the therapy in the treatment of the individual's behavior (Stavrakakis, 2007). Brief Overview of the History According to Brackett et al. 2004, Freud was the first person to come up with psychodynamic theory and was a true pioneer who recognized the significance of unconscious mental activity among different individuals in the world. Freud's theories about the inner functioning of the mind of human beings, which appeared so revolutionary at the end of the century, are currently and widely accepted and applied by various schools that deals with psychological studies. Freud came up with the concept of psychodynamics in 1896 and for the next forty years that followed, the theorist focussed on developing the main principles of the theory, its techniques, its objectives, and methodology (Weinstein, 2001). The author had many writings illustrating his ideas on mental life, encompassing the structural theory of the individual's mind, the interpretation of the dream, the technique used in the psychoanalysis and the combination of other studies. At a given point, the psychodynamic theory began to evolve and by mid-1920s, it established its roots around the world. Freud left behind a legacy that no any other expert could match, and his legacy continues to spread to this day. Whereas there are many ideas that have been established in the field of psychodynamics and other new techniques have been adapted and modified for over a long period of years, psychoanalysts in the current world believe that the field of psychodynamics is the most effective way of getting knowledge of an individual's mind. Through psychodynamics, patients are treated from challenging mental disorders and attain greater understanding about themselves and others in the society (Eagle, 2013). Principles of Freud's Theory of Psychodynamics and Goals of the Approach In his illustration, Weinstein (2001), demonstrates the principle tenets of where psychodynamics theory is based. Freud starts with illustrating about the three forces of psychical apparatus; that is the ego, the id, and the superego. He argues that the id has the ability of being unconscious and that it has almost everything that is inherited from one individual to the other, it has everything that exists at birth and all the instincts (Brackett et al., 2004). He continues to argue that the ego contains the quality of an individual being unconsciousness and, therefore, it has the responsibility of controlling the id's demands and the instincts of an individual. The ego is aware of the existing stimuli and serves as a linkage between the external world and the id. Additionally, the response of the ego to stimuli is by either adaptation or it regulates activity or flight and struggles to obtain pleasure and prevents unpleasure. He finally states that the superego, whose demands are controlled by the id has the responsibility for limiting the satisfactions and influences others, for instance, role models, teachers, parents as well as the impact of cultural traditions, society and race to the society. He states that an individual's instincts dictate the way he or she behaves. He states that the basic instincts that control an individual’s behavior are the death or destructive instinct and the Eros (Love) instinct. The function of the Eros is to develop and preserve the good relationship among individuals by encouraging the existence of unity among them (Elliott, 2015). On the other hand, the role of the death instinct is to unity and connections by causing destruction. The two instincts work in such a way that they can combine by attracting, or they can repel by operating against each other. Freud took several years contemplating and hypothesizing about the function of the dreams and their meanings. He states that the basic aim of psychodynamics theory is to eliminate neuroses and thence, to treat the patients by returning the ego that was damaged in a normal condition (Brackett et al., 2004). Approaches to Psychodynamics and it Could Affect My Life In my case, I find many possible illustrations for my continuing challenges in life. I will mainly focus on the four major areas that I find to be relevant for the study of psychodynamic theory. My early childhood experiences, my intense feelings, my approach to conflicts and other impulses and my unconscious relationship with parents, teachers and other members of the society defines my behavior. Sometimes I feel that I did not receive the care and the love, at critical psychosexual stages, particularly when I was young. These are the most fundamental things that every child in the society requires developing into a healthy and normal adult. At some points, my parents neglected me, at a given point I was under-stimulated, and I was left alone on most occasions (Stavrakakis, 2007). The result of this is that I felt that I was rejected and that I was not loved by everybody in the society including my parents and teachers. Sometimes I could cry showing my unconscious attempts to attract attention and to test my parents' and teachers' love for me. Furthermore, I trust that my continuous crying was an attempt to suicide, illustrating a reflection of the destruction instinct and the desire to punish myself for being neglected by people in the society. Many children react differently when neglected to attract the attention of their parents or someone closer to them to take care of them. There is a certain child who was neglected by his parents and was left to live on his own. The result of this was that the child felt rejected and unloved by his parents. I understand that it is unlawful for a small child to believe that he or she is neglected or is not loved by either his or her parent or someone who is closer to him or her. Although many children may not be able to be conscious of their feelings or may not be able to verbalize them to responsible persons, it is very important to understand that these children are deeply influenced by their parents' negative attitudes towards them. Those who have their parents paying attention to them are always jovial, and they reciprocate the same love of their parents (Weinstein, 2001). There are several criticisms of the psychodynamic approaches to individual's behavior. There is the need for learners to understand and interpret materials collected implying that psychodynamic psychologists are prone biases in most cases. These psychodynamic researchers tend to favor the data that they support and believe that is true. Some critics believe that psychodynamic approaches depend heavily on the theoretical framework, and, therefore, they maintain that it is difficult to prove. For instance, the information about the unconscious mind of the individual is difficult to prove beyond doubt (Weinstein, 2001). For a long period, Freud's original views have been modified, developed or criticized, leading to several different schools of thought and practice in the society regarding the behavior of an individual. Conversely, psychodynamic counselling has its foundation basing on Freud's views that true knowledge of individuals and their sufferings is possible through knowing certain areas of an individual's mind. The areas that are supposed to be known to understand an individual's behavior are: The Conscious- These are the things that everybody is aware of, and they could comprise of an individual's feelings or emotions, delight, anger, grief, sadness, happiness, surprise among other factors. The Subconscious- These comprise of the things that are far below the individual’s consciousness, awareness but can easily be accessed. For instance, effective questioning about the past event that had been forgotten by a client may be remembered and then brought back to an individual's conscious mind. The Unconscious Mind -This refers to the specific area of the individual's mind where there is suppressed memories, and this memory is normally very hard to access. Such kind of memories may comprise of critically traumatic series of events that have been blocked off and need a highly experienced expert to assist in recovering that memory (Eagle, 2013). Psychodynamic theories are significant in shaping the behavior of a person from his or her childhood. Therefore, the psychodynamic theory is unique in the way it addresses the events as they occur in determining the behavior of a given individual in the society. The psychodynamic model illustrates that, the early experiences of the child- comprising those that occur in the first weeks or the first months of life affects us even for some many years after the occurrence of the trauma. This is particularly of the sufferings that are beyond the normal range. For instance, when one loses a sibling or a parent at a tender age. Recently, several new psychodynamic frameworks have been established to illustrate behavioral development and dynamics. The most fundamental development is the object relations theory. This simply refers to "interpersonal relations theory." (Elliott, 2015). Despite the theory being surrounded by many controversies, the subject's perspectives on the individual's behavior has remained the same for more than one century, evolving itself in response to new established empirical and theoretical findings and the changing social structures. The psychodynamic theory has been modified to a large extent during the 20th century, and it is projected that it will continue evolving in the whole of the 21st century too. This theory is critical as it is used in explaining several issues such as normal, pathological roles, emotion, and motivation, individual and culture, childhood and adulthood among many other perspectives of life (Brackett et al., 2004) Conclusion I agree with the views of many critics who emphasize that the invalidity of the evidence of the Freud's theory originates from the fact that there is inadequacy empirical data and that he used the demographically restricted sample. I also agree that in some circumstances, it appears that if an individual does not apply common sense in psychodynamic studies, then there is a possibility of false assumptions being made more often. Additionally, some sections in the Freudian theory are very general and sometimes fail to leave enough room for exempting the general rule. Finally, from the theory, I find it very challenging to accept that all people suffering from mental illness have their sufferings stemming from issues that concerns aspects of sex and, therefore, I believe that this is a bold overgeneralization and exaggeration. Despite the theory having several weaknesses, I believe that the presence of many strengths is extremely fundamental in the study of psychodynamics or human behaviors. I, therefore, maintain that psychodynamics is a theory that should be regarded by every psychologist who have the objective of studying the human behavior in the societal focus. Because the theory was established a century ago and continues to be a critical and effective method of administering therapy to people who have mental illness, I am therefore contended that at least some significant sections of the theory are accurate and effective. References Brackett, M. A., Lopes, P. N., Ivcevic, Z., Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (2004). Integrating emotion and cognition: The role of emotional intelligence. In D. Y. Dai & R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), Motivation, emotion, and cognition: Integrative perspectives on intel- lectual functioning and development (pp. 175–194). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Eagle, M. (2013). Attachment and psychoanalysis theory, research, and clinical implications. New York: The Guilford Press. Elliott, A. (2015). Psychoanalytic theory: an introduction. London: Palgrave. Stavrakakis, Y. (2007). The Lacanian left psychoanalysis, theory, and politics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Weinstein, F. (2001). Freud, psychoanalysis, social theory : the unfulfilled promise. Albany: State University of New York Press. Read More

Brief Overview of the History According to Brackett et al. 2004, Freud was the first person to come up with psychodynamic theory and was a true pioneer who recognized the significance of unconscious mental activity among different individuals in the world. Freud's theories about the inner functioning of the mind of human beings, which appeared so revolutionary at the end of the century, are currently and widely accepted and applied by various schools that deals with psychological studies. Freud came up with the concept of psychodynamics in 1896 and for the next forty years that followed, the theorist focussed on developing the main principles of the theory, its techniques, its objectives, and methodology (Weinstein, 2001).

The author had many writings illustrating his ideas on mental life, encompassing the structural theory of the individual's mind, the interpretation of the dream, the technique used in the psychoanalysis and the combination of other studies. At a given point, the psychodynamic theory began to evolve and by mid-1920s, it established its roots around the world. Freud left behind a legacy that no any other expert could match, and his legacy continues to spread to this day. Whereas there are many ideas that have been established in the field of psychodynamics and other new techniques have been adapted and modified for over a long period of years, psychoanalysts in the current world believe that the field of psychodynamics is the most effective way of getting knowledge of an individual's mind.

Through psychodynamics, patients are treated from challenging mental disorders and attain greater understanding about themselves and others in the society (Eagle, 2013). Principles of Freud's Theory of Psychodynamics and Goals of the Approach In his illustration, Weinstein (2001), demonstrates the principle tenets of where psychodynamics theory is based. Freud starts with illustrating about the three forces of psychical apparatus; that is the ego, the id, and the superego. He argues that the id has the ability of being unconscious and that it has almost everything that is inherited from one individual to the other, it has everything that exists at birth and all the instincts (Brackett et al., 2004). He continues to argue that the ego contains the quality of an individual being unconsciousness and, therefore, it has the responsibility of controlling the id's demands and the instincts of an individual.

The ego is aware of the existing stimuli and serves as a linkage between the external world and the id. Additionally, the response of the ego to stimuli is by either adaptation or it regulates activity or flight and struggles to obtain pleasure and prevents unpleasure. He finally states that the superego, whose demands are controlled by the id has the responsibility for limiting the satisfactions and influences others, for instance, role models, teachers, parents as well as the impact of cultural traditions, society and race to the society.

He states that an individual's instincts dictate the way he or she behaves. He states that the basic instincts that control an individual’s behavior are the death or destructive instinct and the Eros (Love) instinct. The function of the Eros is to develop and preserve the good relationship among individuals by encouraging the existence of unity among them (Elliott, 2015). On the other hand, the role of the death instinct is to unity and connections by causing destruction. The two instincts work in such a way that they can combine by attracting, or they can repel by operating against each other.

Freud took several years contemplating and hypothesizing about the function of the dreams and their meanings. He states that the basic aim of psychodynamics theory is to eliminate neuroses and thence, to treat the patients by returning the ego that was damaged in a normal condition (Brackett et al., 2004). Approaches to Psychodynamics and it Could Affect My Life In my case, I find many possible illustrations for my continuing challenges in life.

Read More