Psychoanalytic Model Paper1

Psychoanalytic Model Paper

PSY/310

Psychoanalytic Model Paper2

Sigmund Freud made up the name psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is an

arrangement that is a therapeutic and interpretation analysis and treatment for
psychological disorders. The beginning of psychoanalysis was created after Freud had
researched hysteria, to which he believed was not caused by biological manifestations
within the nervous system, however by a distortion in the emotions. Freud wrote two
papers on the subject of hysteria, this was the beginning of his work on psychoanalytic
theories. He used this method mainly to treat people that suffered from different types of
mental disorders. Jung and Adler joined Freud. Jung and Adler made contributions to
the field. In 1913, both were not recognized due to theoretical differences with Freud
and his strong sexual motivation.
Psychoanalysis is a concept of the unconscious mind, and in hysteria patients
tend to disappear after material was forgotten. Freuds vision was of the unconscious
mind having psychic abilities. These abilities could influence the personality and
behavior, but could operate the material and not the subject. He figured there were
defense mechanisms which included repression, regression, displacement, and
rationalization. These defense mechanisms help to defend the part of the mind that is
conscious from parts of real life that may attempt pain. Freud made a recognition of this
consciousness within the experiences that were forgotten, and it was the base of
psychoanalysis therapy.
Hypnosis is one of the original methods that was used in order to delve into the
mind while it was unconscious. Later it was thrown out due to the limit of effectiveness it
had. Free association took its place. During free association a patient will lie still of a
couch, and is encouraged to speak openly about their everyday lives, no matter how

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embarrassing some moments may be. Freuds main goal during free association was to
bring conscious awareness to thoughts or memories that may have been repressed,
which may be the reason for the patients strange behavior. Freud viewed dreams as
significant wish achievements, which are to main keys to the mind while it is
unconscious. The interpretation of dreams was a very important part of Freuds therapy.

Foundations and Influences

There were three main sources of the influence of the psychoanalytic movement,
the evolutionary theory, the early ideas about psychopathology, and the philosophical
speculations about the unconscious psychological phenomena. Freud was not the first
to research about the unconscious human mind. In the 18 th century, Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibnitz developed monadology. Monads are not physical atoms, but were still
considered to be the individual elements of reality. Each of these monads was an
unextended psychic entity. Leibnitz believed that mental events (which are composed
of the activity of monads) had different degrees of consciousness ranging from
completely unconscious to clearly conscious (Schultz, 2011). The next century, Johann
Friedrich Herbart refined the Leibnitzs notion of unconscious into the thought of a
threshold of consciousness. He argued that any ideas that were below the said
threshold, were unconscious. An idea must be compatible with the ideas that are
already in consciousness to be able to cross over the threshold.
There were many cases of mental illnesses, dating back to 2000 BC.
Babylonians believed mental illness was caused by possession of demons, while the

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Ancient Hebrews believed that mental illnesses was based on strict punishment for sins.
It was Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle who began to think that mental illnesses derived
from mental thought processes. A trend, The Emmanuel Movement, approached mental
illness in the United States by the Emmanuel Church Healing Movement. They strictly
focused on the benefits of talk therapy. They were able to make the public and medical
community aware of how important psychological factors that caused mental illnesses
were. Hypnosis was another phenomenon when it comes to the growing focus on
mental illnesses. Franz Anton Mesmer considered that the human body contains a
magnetic force that operated like magnets. Animal magnetism was adequate to
penetrate objects and act on them from a distance. It was also believed that animal
magnetism was able to cure nervous disorders.

Contributions
There have been many contributions to psychoanalysis. But, the main
contributions studied are, the Attachment Theory, Transference, Resistance, and
Trauma.
The Attachment Theory can be used to describe a bond between and infant and
a primary guardian. The amount of attachment evolves from direct contact with one
another, and also part of the guardians thoughts towards the infant, and the infants
needs. John Bowlby, also known as the father of the attachment theory, believes that
this theory has four specific categories, the proximity maintenance, the separation
distress, the safe haven, and the secure base. Proximity maintenance means to want to

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be physically closer. The separation distress, meaning can also be classified as

separation anxiety. The safe haven is when an infant may go to the guardian when
he/she starts feeling danger or starts to feel anxious. Lastly, the secure base, is exactly
how it sounds, the infant feels completely protected when with the guardian.
Transference is known as the concept that can refer to the natural response to
certain situations in unique and predetermined ways. It can also describe the tendency
for a person to base some of their perceptions in the present day relationships of their
earlier attachments, mainly involving parents, siblings, and spouses. Transference can
lead to distortions within interpersonal relationships.
Resistance, as uncomfortable thoughts/feelings begin to get close, the individual
will automatically resist to self-explore, which would bring them completely out in the
open. An individual may experience life at a massive intensity, because they may be
burdened by transferences that potential derive from a previous source. These people
use resistances to avoid their personal emotions as they begin to intensify.
Trauma is known as a sever shock to the system. This shock can be both
physical and/or mental. The after effects of the psychological trauma can be helped by
counteracting with psychoanalysis. May emotional wounds may take a while to get
under control, but a psychic trauma can remain idle. If the trauma is massive, such as a
death, normal emotions such as mourning or anger will not respond sufficiently. The
lack of resolution can cultivate a repetition of convulsions, or a revisit to the trauma
through dreams.

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Criticisms
Freud used a method of gathering data that was constantly criticized. He drew
data and conclusions from his patients while they were undergoing psychoanalysis. He
did not take notes while with the patient, but would instead write notes several hours
after seeing the patient. Some original data from the patients may have been lost with
the time that passes before notes were taken down, which can lead to distortions and
omissions within the patients history. He may have also reinterpreted the original words
of his patients. In other words, he may have only written what he wanted to hear.
Freuds analysis was proceeded on a people in a small group, who chose to undergo
psychoanalysis with him. Most of the patients were similar in the ways of, being young,
unmarried, educated, and upper-class women. Freud made few attempts to confirm the
accuracy of his patients reports. Many critics claim he could have interviewed other
people such as relatives, or friends. Lastly, Freud never explained his reasoning behind
his reports. His data could not be analyzed due to lack of reasoning.

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Reference:
Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2011). A History of Psychology (10th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.