The Modern Psychoanalytic Psychodynamic Approach: Focus on ObjectRelations Theory

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The Modern Psychoanalytic/ Psychodynamic
Approach Focus on Object-Relations Theory
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Freudian Origins

• the chief part in the mental lives of all
  children who later become neurotics is played by
  their parents. Being in love with the one parent
  and hating the other(Freud, 1900. Interpretation
  of dreams)
• Today
• 35 psychiatrists
• 33 social workers
• 18 clinical psychologists
• 12 counseling psychologists
• 11 counselors

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Psychodynamic thought

• Freud psychoanalysis
• Neo-Freudian psychodynamic
• Principles common to all humans
• The unconscious (affects thinking, feeling,
  behaving)
• Life stages (Erikson, 1950)
• Mental life as ID, EGO, SUPEREGO
• Psychological energy comes out
• Motives sex (love), aggression (death),
  fending off anxiety
• Humanism - movement toward values, capacities
  worth of people

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Essential Concepts Psychoanalysis (S.Freud)

• Goal bring the unconscious into consciousness
  (insight orientation)
• How through use of transference
  countertransference
• Key ideas
• Determinism (drives, Oedipal Electra)
• Id (pleasure), Ego (reality), Superego
  (conscience)
• Conflicts ego managing anxiety
• Defense mechanisms management tools

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Ego psychology (A.Freud, 1936)

• Goals build ego strength, see the outside world
  as it is
• How? relieve internal stress analyze defense
  mechanisms
• Key ideas
• Ego not merely a mediator (has energy)
• Improve relations with the outer world
• Psychosocial development
• Defense mechanisms
• Child developmental stages

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Object relations (Winnicott, 1965. Mahler, 1968)

• Goals conflict free ego, revise impaired
  object-representations (distinguishing self from
  non-self)
• How enhancing ego strength handle frustration,
  helping evaluate whether thinking, feeling,
  behavior
• Key concepts
• Disruptions in early relationships (splitting)
• Objects are mental representations of people
• Produce adult psychopathology (BPD-301.83)
• Mother significant 18-36 months (object
  constancy)
• Age 3 temperament predicts problems/ successes at
  age 21

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Other related theories

• Self Psychology (Kohut, 1977)
• Mirroring (accurate reflection)
• Ego ideal (what youd like to be like)
• Grandiose self (child is center of attention)
• Goal wait for gratification
• Jungian (C. Jung, 1914)
• Collective unconscious
• Archetypes (anima/animus/shadow)
• Self-actualization drive
• Process confession/elucidation/education/
• transformation (therapist changes self)
• Dream analysis as the basic of treatment

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The therapeutic process

• Initial stage transference/ countertransference
• Interpretation
• Confrontation
• Resistance
• Middle stage working through
• Recapitulation of earlier interpretations
• Final stage termination
• Revisiting material in the present
• Reminisce over previous material

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Differences in approaches

• Freudian neutrality/abstinence/ anonymity
  (cool/aloof/unsupportive)
• Ego psychology substitutes interpretation
  clarification of defenses for transference
• Object relations a good object (therapist) to
  be internalized by client
• repairing past disturbed relationships (w/o
  abandonment)
• Self psychology empathic immersion in clients
  inner life
• listen from clients perspective
• empathy introspection (model perfect
  parent/contribute as a person during the therapy)
  

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Watch objection relations

• Think about the techniques employed (therapeutic
  process)
• Observe the client-therapist relationship
• What is the theme that repeats during the
  session?
• What did/didnt you like?

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Small group activity

• Discuss the problem-treatment matching
• Brainstorm a list of typical problems
• Which psychodynamic approach would be appropriate
  for each problem?
• How would you choose which one to use?
• Which approach is best for you to use based on
  your personality and philosophy?
• DOES THIS APPROACH FIT WITH YOUR PERSONAL STYLE
  BELIEF SYSTEM?