Introduction to Approaches in Psychology

1
Introduction to Approaches in Psychology

• Therapeutic Interventions

2
Aims and objectives

• To consider the basic concepts of the biological,
  psychodynamic, humanistic and cognitive
  behavioural models
• to assess diagnostic tools
• reading all of chapter 18 in Eysenck

3
Biological approach

• Biomedical model various names-medical organic,
  biological or disease model (see also chapter 17)
• psychological symptoms are due to biological
  problems e.g. organic biochemical (remember the
  neurotransmitters from last week)
• often thought that there is a genetic input

4
Diathesis-stress model

• Genetic pre-disposition stressors
• interaction
• therefore treat the underlying physical problem
• does this bring about a cure?
• Certainly the treatment is physical rather than
  psychological e.g.drugs ECTpsychosurgery

5
psychodynamic

• Many approaches e.g. Adler Jung Klein
• derived from Freud
• unconscious not passive but dynamic
• conscious life is informed by this unconscious
  but we are not aware of this
• psychic energy thanatos and eros
• id,ego and superego

6
Id, ego and superego

• Id primitive pleasure principle desire
  unconscious
• ego mediator between the id and superego
  conscious
• superegoconscience-rules, morals etc
• conflicts psychopathologies

7
repression

• Defence of the ego
• unconscious but deliberate forgetting of
  painful memories
• forgotten memory is in the preconscious which
  can be activated
• whereas with repression it is in the unconscious
• need therapy to access

8
Therapeutic techniques

• Free association
• dreams
• transference
• countertransference

9
Humanistic model

• Carl Rogers
• trained in psychodynamic therapy-dissatisfied
• fulfil needs and potentials
• conditions of worth
• therapeutic encounter empathy genuineness
  unconditional positive regard no diagnosis

10
Behavioural model

• Behaviour reinforcer likelihood of behaviour
  occurring again in the future positive
  reinforcer
• learnt behaviour
• reinforce appropriate behaviours
• systemic desensitisation
• imaginary in-vivo flooding

11
Cognitive model

• Beck Ellis Meichenbaum
• faulty cognitions
• Aaron Beck
• cognitive triad
• self,world,future
• negative automatic thoughts
• thinking errors e.g. over generalisation

12
Insight v. action-orientated therapies

• Insight viz. Psychodynamic and humanistic
• presenting problem a symptom of an underlying
  problem, therefore therapy tries to uncover
  this
• client-therapist relationship important e.g.
  transference
• action viz. Behavioural and cognitive
• problems taken at face value

13
diagnosis

• DSM-IV TR
• diagnostic and Statistical Manual
• ICD-10
• International Classification of Diseases,
  Injuries and Causes of Death

14
Why use these?

• Need some sort of assessment on which to proceed
• global sameness
• dimensions v. categories

15
DSM

• 5 axes
• major axis axis 1 classification of all the
  disorders e.g. anxiety, depression
• axis 2 person assessed regarding personality
  disorder
• axis 3-5 classify according to medical conditions
  relevant to the psychological disorder social
  and environmental conditions persons current
  level of thinking

16
Many other types of therapies

• Art therapy
• cognitive-analytic therapy
• drama therapy
• existential therapy
• feminist therapy
• gestalt therapy
• hypnotherapy

• Integrative psychotherapy
• lifeskills training
• multimodal therapy
• neuro-linguistic programming
• object relations therapy