Chapter 2 - Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is a theory pioneered by Sigmund Freud. Freud was somewhat of a pessimist and had a negative view of human nature. He believed that people were self-sabotaging and it took an experience analyst to stop the destructive process. The theory emphasizes unconscious sexual urges, the impact of the past on the present, and the constant development of humans. Freud believed that a great deal of a person was determined by age six. Also, Freud believed that people aren't good at knowing the reasons for their actions. One of the most famous aspects of the Psychoanalytic Theory is the ID, Ego and Superego. The ID acts as the instincts of humans. For example, a baby operates primarily on the ID because they want what they want, when they want it. The Ego is used by humans to restrain those instinctual urges. and finally, the Superego is the conscience that balances the ID and the Ego. I always think of the ID as the devil on a cartoon shoulder, the Ego as the angel on the cartoon shoulder, and the Superego as the person deciding which one to give in to.

The techniques associated with the Psychoanalysis Theory are: Free Association, Interpretation, Analysis of the Resistance, Dream Analysis, and Analysis of the transference. In Free Association, clients are encouraged to relate whatever comes into their minds during the analytic session, and not to censor their thoughts. In Interpretation, the counselor is to analyze the clients responses as it relates to his or her conflicts from the past. It is important for counselors to not jump to conclusions and use Interpretation too soon, also it is important to realize that what the client is portraying isn't about the actual counselor-client relationships, it is a reflection of past relationships of the client.. Analysis of the resistance is important because counselors must be aware of subtle signs of resistance, such as a client missing an appointment or two. If the technique isn't used, the clients resistant behavior could spiral out of control. Dream Analysis is used to interpret dreams. According to Freud, dreams are actually symbolic representations of a neurotic symptom. Finally, Analysis of Transference is a clients tendency to unknowingly transfer qualities of other individuals from their past onto the counselor.

Video: Delays in Psychoanalytic Stages
I believe this video relates to the chapter in two ways. First, the counselor used the interpretation technique with the client. She used what he said about his past experiences and made inferences about his current life. She asked a lot of questions about his childhood and his relationship with his mother. Also, she used his experiences of having puberty late as information to understand his development. His past relationships with his mother and peers influenced his current personality.