Psychodynamic/ Psychoanalysis Theory

This blog is part of the series for my reflections on studying different therapy theories. For any citing or quotation, please email nicoyu.w@gmail.com

Psychoanalytic or psychoanalysis theory, developed by Sigmund Freud, is the most well-known psychotherapy theory. Like other psychotherapy theory, psychoanalysis was affected by Freud’s personal experience. The foundation of this approach is the theory of personality development in the first six years of life, the needs of each development stages, and the deprivation of the needs in each stage that causes the personality problems later in life. This theory emphasizes on the structure of personality (id, ego, and superego), the conflicts between id, ego, and superego which triggers anxiety, and how human use defense mechanisms to reduce the anxiety. The treatment involves different techniques, such as free association, interpretation, dream analysis, analysis and interpretation for resistance and transference (Corey, 2017, pp.73–76).

Traditionally, psychoanalytic treatment focuses on the long-term reconstruction of personality than with short-term problem-solving. This therapeutic approach has the advantage of taking the issue at present into a deeper level — the development of personality, and how the realization and association of the childhood memory or trauma with the present event, can help the client to improve their present self or social skill. Due to this nature, psychoanalytic treatment has the benefit of dealing with personality disorders, such as borderline and narcissistic personality disorders (Corey, 2017, p.82). However, it has a few shortcomings. First, psychoanalytic treatment is costly due to the extended period of treatments. The limited-time version, the brief psychodynamic therapy (BPT), is not suitable for every personality problem, including severe characterological disorders, or severe depression (Corey, 2017, p. 84). It brought the second short-coming of this approach. Psychoanalytic treatment is not the best way to assist clients in solving the problem here and now. Psychoanalytic treatments are long-term processes that usually start with an ambivalent, nondirectional conversation, which aimed to observe unconscious information from the client. Some ethnic groups, either due to cultural differences or socioeconomic limitations, they are looking for counseling sessions to provide structured and prompt solutions. The last shortcoming, I would argue is the fact that the effectiveness of the psychoanalytic treatment depends on how well the therapist handles and interprets countertransference. If the therapist is not comfortable or experiences in this phenomenon, the effectiveness of this treatment might be inhibited.

The other psychodynamic approach is Adlerian Theory, which considers the clients as psychological discouraged instead of mentally ill (Corey, 2017, p. 124). Adlerian Theory, or Individual Psychology, emphasizes not only the experience of the past but also on the influence of social context, including birth order. This theory takes the holistic approach and considers the alignment or misalignment of the client’s social goal with reality. However, Individual Psychology suffers from similar drawbacks as psychoanalytic theories: it originated from the western nuclear family culture and might not be applicable for clients coming from other cultural backgrounds. Also, some clients are looking for a faster and prompt suggestion rather than exploring their lifestyles (Corey, 2017, p.120).

In summary, psychodynamic treatments are excellent methods for understanding a client’s personality and how it causes a current struggle. However, it is arguable whether all interpersonal problems are arising from personality issues. The unexpected loss of a job, or the pressure from socioeconomic status, might cause depression or anxiety to an individual who did not experience personality problems before this event. Before applying this treatment approach, the therapists should confirm that the client’s issue is characterological which psychodynamic is the best approach; also, the therapist should disclose the cost, process, and duration of the treatment to the client carefully.

References

Corey, G. (2017). /Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Student Manual (10th edition)./ Boston: Cengage Learning