Psychodynamic Theory and Counseling Practice Psychodynamic Theory, Essay

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Psychodynamic Theory and Counseling Practice

Psychodynamic theory, also known as Freudian psychoanalysis was an original theory of human psychology introduced by Viennese psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) shortly before the turn of the 20 Century (Mitchell & Black, 1995). Its central theoretical construct is that abnormal human psychology is the product of frustrations and other psychologically traumatizing experiences occurring very early in life. According to Freud, the principal mechanism of psychological dysfunction was the suppression or repression of frustration and anger into the psychological subconscious and the subsequent re-emergence or expression of those reactions through perceptions and behaviors (Mitchell & Black, 1995). More specifically, Freud suggested that frustrations occurring during infancy, particularly in the area of mother-infant bonding (Lewis & Feiring, 1989) and in connection with predictable stages of early development set the stage for latent psychological problems, many of which manifest themselves in the direction and nature of sexual urges (Mitchell & Black, 1995; Murdoch, 2009).

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Foundational Concepts and Constructs

Freud believed that the predominant themes of human infancy characterized by the stages of oral and anal fixation were the most significant sources of latent psychological issues, along with the Oedipal Complex and the Electra Complex, by which he referred to the desire of very young children to have their same-sex parents all to themselves and not to share their affections with the other parent (Mitchell & Black, 1995; Murdoch, 2009).

Typically, Freudian theory predicts that the maladjusted individual will develop psychologically dysfunctional behaviors, or "neuroses" in Freudian terminology, that have little connection, at least on the surface, to external reality (Mitchell & Black, 1995; Murdoch, 2009). In effect, the early traumas and frustrations that result in the suppression and subsequent manifestation of neuroses control the perceptions and behaviors….....

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"Psychodynamic Theory And Counseling Practice Psychodynamic Theory ", 06 October 2013, Accessed.20 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/psychodynamic-theory-counseling-practice-123941