Psychodynamic approach

• The psychodynamic approach is based on the idea that our unconscious mind has an impact on our thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
• Psychodynamic therapy aims to uncover unconscious conflicts and resolve them through insight into past experiences and relationships.
• Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis as a form of treatment for psychological disorders.
• During these stages, children develop different types of fixations or neuroses related to their sexual drives.
• Later stages include latency period (7-12 years) and genital stage (puberty and beyond).
• Freud's theory suggests that humans have three parts - id (unconscious), ego (reasonable part), and superego (moral conscience).
• Freud's theory of personality development includes three stages: oral stage (0-18 months), anal stage (2-3 years), phallic stage (4-6 years).
• Freud's theory emphasizes the importance of early childhood experiences and their influence on adult personality development.
• Id operates according to the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification without regard for consequences or reality.
• Freud believed that childhood experiences shape adult personality development.
• Repression involves pushing unwanted thoughts out of conscious awareness.
• Ego defense mechanisms are used by individuals to protect themselves from anxiety caused by repressed desires.
• According to Freud, there are three levels of consciousness - conscious, preconscious, and unconscious.
• Freud's theory suggests that individuals may become stuck at certain developmental stages due to traumatic events or negative experiences during those periods.
• Fixation occurs when an individual becomes emotionally attached to a particular phase of development, leading to emotional instability and maladaptive behaviors.
• Examples of fixations include oral fixation (excessive eating), anal fixation (hoarding/obsessiveness with cleanliness), phallic fixation (overemphasis on power and control), and genital fixation (sexual dysfunction).
• The conscious level includes all information we can currently perceive or recall at any given moment.
• Id represents instinctual desires, while superego represents moral values learned from parents/society.
• Defense mechanisms are used by the ego to protect against anxiety caused by conflicting impulses.
• Ego mediates between id and superego, balancing pleasure seeking with reality.
• The Oedipus complex is the desire for the parent of the opposite sex and jealousy towards the same-sex parent.
• Castration anxiety occurs when boys fear losing their penis due to their desire for their mothers.
• Electra complex refers to girls who identify with their mother and want to replace her by having an affair with their father.
• Superego represents internalized moral values and societal standards, guiding behavior towards what is considered right and wrong.
• During the oral stage, infants experience intense pleasure through sucking and biting.
• Psychoanalysis aims to uncover unconscious conflicts and resolve them through therapy.
• The preconscious level contains thoughts and memories that are not actively being thought about but can be easily recalled if needed.
• Unresolved psychological conflicts can lead to neurotic disorders like obsessions, compulsions, and phobias.
• The unconscious level is the largest part of our mind and contains thoughts, feelings, and memories that have been pushed out of awareness because they are too painful or threatening to acknowledge.
• Repression is one of the ego defenses used to keep these unwanted thoughts and emotions hidden from conscious awareness.
• Psychosexual Stages: Oral Stage (0-18 months), Anal Stage (2-3 years), Phallic Stage (4-6 years), Latency Period (7-12 years), Genital Stage (puberty)
• Anal stage involves toilet training and control over bowel movements, with fixation causing hoarding or obsessiveness with cleanliness.
• Denial involves refusing to acknowledge reality, such as denying illness or death.
• Psychosexual stages involve different body parts being erogenous zones during development.
• Freud's theory suggests that men develop an unconscious sense of inferiority as they grow older.
• Oral stage is characterized by sucking and biting behavior, with fixation resulting in excessive eating or smoking habits.
• Transference is the process where patients transfer emotions they feel about significant people onto the therapist.
• Psychoanalysis involves exploring unconscious thoughts through free association, dream analysis, and interpretation.
• Displacement redirects intense emotions towards less threatening targets, like taking anger out on objects instead of people.
• In the anal stage (18 months - 3 years), children develop control over bowel movements and may become stubborn or defiant if they feel pressure from others.