Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using psychodynamic concepts of repression and resistance in understanding and treating psychological disorders.

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FP/E3/1 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using psychodynamic

concepts of repression and resistance in understanding and treating

psychological disorders.

The term “psychodynamic” suggests any explanation that emphasises the process of change or transformation and development, i.e., the dynamics (changeability) of behaviour or the forces that drive an individual to behave the way he or she does. “Dynamics” are the things that drive us or a machine to behave in particular ways.(Eyesenck & Flanagan, 2000. p 172). Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical theory is probably the best-known example of the psychodynamic model. His view was that psychological disorders did not have a physical origin but instead arose out of unresolved, unconscious conflicts, which formed essentially in early childhood.

All psychodynamic concepts arose from Freud’s theory of personality development in which he essentially argued that the mind is divided into three parts. First, there is the id, which consists of mainly unconscious sexual and aggressive, essentially selfish, instincts. The motivating force is the innate sexual drive found in every human i.e. the libido. Second, there is the ego, which is the rational and conscious part of the mind. Third, there is the superego or the conscience. These three parts of the mind are frequently at conflict with one another. Conflicts occur most often between the id and the superego, because the id wants instant gratification, where as the superego takes account of moral standards and decorum.

Since, conflicts cause anxiety, the ego defends itself against anxiety by using several defence mechanisms to prevent traumatic thoughts and feelings reaching consciousness. One of the major defence mechanisms is repression, which forces memories of conflicts and traumas out of consciousness and into the unconscious mind. Other defence mechanisms may include resistance, displacement and projection. Resistance is also another term to represent the process whereby thoughts and memories that are in the unconscious mind are prevented from reaching the conscious mind. Also within psychoanalysis, the term is used to refer to the way in which the person being analysed, offers resistance to the interpretations offered by the analyst (Cardwell,1996,2000). Displacement occurs when aggressive or other intense impulses are transferred away from a threatening person to someone or something non-threatening. Projection occurs when someone who possesses an undesirable characteristic or attitude, attributes it to other people. For example, someone who is very hostile may claim that other people are hostile to him or her (Eyesenck & Flanagan, 2000. p 173).

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According to Freud, psychological disorders can arise when an individual has unresolved conflicts and traumas from childhood. Defence mechanisms, such as the before mentioned, may be used to reduce anxiety caused by such unresolved conflicts, however, all they do is hide the conflict rather than resolve it.

This psychodynamic model proposed by Sigmund Freud was the first systematic model of mental illness/disorders that focused specifically on psychological factors as the cause of a mental disorder and on a psychological form of treatment. Before Freud, all explanations of mental illness were in terms of either biological (physical) causes or fantastic ideas ...

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