Discuss the merits and limitations of a psychotherapeutic paradigm.

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Discuss the merits and limitations of a psychotherapeutic paradigm.

The psychodynamic paradigm.

When discussing the psychological system there are certain concepts which need to be defined, the first of these being the psyche. Freud traditionally defined the psyche as a two component entity, composed of the conscious and unconscious. Later on he changes this to a three component structure now consisting of the super-ego, ego and the id. His ‘structural’ theory attempts to bring together both biological and non physical (minds), and explains all three sub sections in this way. The Id is a correspondence of the unconscious in some sense and is a representative of some of the basic instinctual features of the psyche such as desires. The second ‘stage’ is called the Ego which can be described as the conscious mind and is linked with rational thought., it has been said that this is the intermediary between the id and super ego (i.e. what the self wants and what in reality the self can get) or sometimes described as the conflict between the devil and the angel in the mind. The third sub section is the superego which has been built up with the individual’s interpretations of parents and others that they have relationships with. This is sometimes described as the ‘voice of the parents and community’.

The psychodynamic paradigm suggests that from birth to maturity individuals move through 5 psychosexual stages. The first of which is the oral stage, after which they move through the anal stage, then the phallic stage. The last two stages are the latency period and the genital stage. Whilst going through these stages the psychic energy changes. It is claimed that if one gets fixated at either of these stages it affects them for the rest of their life unless they are treated. Also as part of his theory Freud also proposes the Oedipus complex which suggests that all children have an attraction towards the parent of the opposite sex and wish to get rid of the parent of the same sex. He also suggests that female children have penis envy, and therefore are frustrated because they are unable to acquire one. All these suggestions of what goes on in a child’s mind and the stages that they go through come together and assist Freud in explaining the human personality and its many components.

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The Psychodynamic theory is centrally concerned with conflict, defense and anxiety. They claim that a conflict arises when one is unable to fulfill ones desires immediately due to reality or the conscious not allowing it. This generates anxiety which arises when one feels that they are unable to cope, this can be both conscious and unconscious and is what gives rise to defense mechanisms, which are based in the mind and allow the individual to block of or hide away painful feelings and situations. This is what causes psychological problems. The Psychodynamic theory not only tries to explain what ...

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