Psychoanalysis Therapy

This chapter focused on the Psychoanalysis theory by Freud. The theory discusses the struggle between the conscious and unconscious mind. Some of our most primal drives that Freud discusses is the libido (sexual drives) and Thanatos (destructive drives). However, these drives on their own are no socially acceptable, and as we have evolved our psyche has suppressed them. Freud believed that our mind is broken into three areas: the id, ego, and superego. The id is our unconscious mind, the ego our conscious mind, and the superego is our conscience. The id categorizes some of our most primal and unconscious desires that are not always socially acceptable. The ego seeks to satisfy these desires in a manner that is acceptable to society through our conscious mind. The superego is our conscience, helping the ego best satisfy the id's desires. It can be seen as a parent in some ways, reminding the ego of rules and giving us a sense of guilt and right from wrong. Freud described our psychological development in several stages that he labeled as psycho-sexual stages. The stages occurred in the erotogenic zones of: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. Freud believed that the phallic stage was the most significant as this was the stage where children realize the anatomy of the opposite sex. Psychoanalysis is often related to the Oedipus complex in which problems adults have later in life are often related to sexual issues that occurred as a child with their parents. This is also where "penis envy" that psychoanalysis says women experience stems from.

Free association is one of the main technique that is used in psychoanalysis in which clients are completely honest and open with their therapists, revealing everything that comes to mind. They are not to worry about making sense or connections, just being honest and open.

Interpretation is used by the therapist in order to make connections between what the client reveals and parts of their past. This often causes resistance in patients, and therapists wait until the client is ready to hear the interpretations before revealing them to the client.

Analysis of resistance is something that therapists must be aware of when treating a client. Clients are likely to resist in some manner (skipping appointments, not talking). It is important for the therapist to analyze these small forms of resistance in order to prevent them from getting in the way of treatment. 

Dream analysis comes in two forms: latent and manifest. The content that the client tells the therapist is the manifest content. The latent content is the content that is unacceptable to the conscious mind. The therapist must listen for the manifest content and interpret it into latent content for the client.

Analysis of transference is something all therapists must be aware of when treating a client. It is likely that the client will transfer qualities from significant people from the client's life onto the therapist. It is up to the therapist to catch these feelings early on and explain to the client they are not real, but are likely rooted in the clients past with the associated people.