Neoanalytic

The Neoanalytic theory is very reminiscent of Freud’s theory but varies to some extent. The theory does not look to add new techniques but rather looks at new ways of discussing the techniques. Much of the theory comes from Freud’s daughter Anna Freud. They typically emphasize the relationship between the therapist and the client as curative in and of itself; this is beyond what is gained from transference analysis. There are four major categories of the neoanalytic approach: Ego Psychology, Object relations, Self Psychology, and Relational Psychoanalysis. Ego Psychology was created by Anna Freud and derived from much of her father’s work. Heinz Hartmann, a client of Freud’s, also played a significant role in the development of Ego Psychology. Theorists kept Freud’s model of the id, ego, and superego but emphasizes the ego functioning. Some saw the ego as more of a need to control id impulses bother others believed the ego developed independently from the id. Theorists accept Freud’s original model of a healthy person but add that health is observed in the quality of the ego’s adaptation to the environment. They also follow the Oedipal complex but place an emphasis on the early stages of life and the environment around the infant. Object Relations focuses on Freud’s concept of the target of instincts. Melanie Klein, R.D. Fairburn, and Donald Winnicott are some of the most significant theorists with the development of Object Relations. OR differs by rejecting the classic drive theory and argues that we seek objects instead, typically other people. But it is not a means of satisfying our instinctual drives. Objects are key in this theory but the key object is the internal object which is seen as a psychological structure formed early in life through the internalization of interactions with important others. The internal representation of relationships is known as the bipolar interapsychic representation, which is broken into three categories: the image of the self, an image of the other person, and associated emotions. Self-Psychology is the development of the self and was founded by Heinz Kohut. A key term is selfobjects which refers to parts of one self and individuals in the environment that are relevant to ones self. SP rejects many of Freud’s concepts of a healthy individual such someone who is heterosexual and the Oedipus complex. According to SP, the problems people face in life is self-related and can be traced back to deficits in early experiences with caregivers. There are three key dysfunctions with SP: the psychoses, narcissistic personality disorders, and structural conflict neuroses. With Psychoses, the basic self has not been developed. With NPD, there is a basic sense of self-formed but there are significant complications with it. The individual has developed neither the idealizing nor the grandiose aspects of oneself. Those with structural-conflict neuroses are those with problem coming from the phallic stage of development. At its core, the motor of psychological disturbance is a result of anxiety from faulty parenting. Relational Psychoanalysis is the most complicated of the four and it was founded by Sandor Franzecki. Harry Stack Sullivan is also considered a key individual in its development. At times, it is used to describe a contemporary view within psychoanalysis rather than a theory itself. Other times it refers to a specific theoretical approach, psychic structure is derived from the individual’s relations with other people. RP theorists will often rely on developmental theory, this theory emphasizes that early interactions are believed to lead to the development of oneself. Analysts are usually influenced by more than one approach in the neoanalytic theory. The four areas are overall less broad than a traditional analytic theory.

Psychoanalysis session part 2

In this video, the therapist is using the psychoanalysis technique of dream analysis. The woman is describing a dream to her therapist that she had about being in a river. She spoke about how she saw her professor, whom she recently ran into, but also her family along the shore. She said that her professor was the only one calling out to her. These are all forms of manifest content. The therapist then connects these into latent content. He helps her realize she felt the same way in the river in the dream as she did in the street when she saw her professor. He also points out how her professor knew her prior to her family, indicating why he was likely the only one calling out.

Object relations family sessions

I believe Pam is showing signs of the splitting technique in the video. Pam’s brother committed suicide and is having a difficult time dealing with it. They were both very close and she feels so has no one to talk to now. Now, Pam will always sit in-between her parents in the middle. Whether it be dinner, watching TV, or even in the session shown, Pam is always in-between her parents. Pam is splitting the good and bad parts of her family life. She surrounds herself with her parents to keep herself aware that they are still there and internalizes her brother who is now gone.