You are on page 1of 4

PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY

Chapter Six Applications & Limitations: Psychoanalytic Strategy


Sheila K. Grant, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
California State University, Northridge
1

PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT


Most psychoanalytic personality assessments are indirect because they assess unconscious processes that cannot be directly observed Two such indirect assessment methods are dream interpretation & projective techniques

Dreams: Royal Road to Unconscious

Psychoanalytic Dream Theory

Definition of Dream:

a mental experience during sleep that involves mainly visual images which are often considered real ("cinematographic" akin to movies that pass through our minds while sleeping)

Freud provides the first comprehensive account of dreaming, The Interpretation of Dreams (1900)

his dream theory largely based on self-analysis

Dreams are highly significant mental products, results of:


unconscious wishes censoring mechanisms of the ego events in waking life

Dreams are subtle & profound reflections of intrapsychic processes ("the royal road to the unconscious")

Manifest vs. Latent Content of Dreams

Manifest vs. Latent Content of Dreams

Manifest content:

Dream Work:

what a person can remember about the dream the dressed up version of the threatening components the set of underlying intrapsychic events that led to manifest content composed of unconscious thoughts, wishes, fantasies, etc which are expressed in disguised form in manifest content becomes manifest through dream work and symbolization

Latent content:

changes unacceptable latent content into acceptable manifest content involves condensation (combining and compressing separate thoughts), displacement (shifting emphasis), visual representation (translating wishes into images) allows latent content to become part of manifest directly in an unrecognizable & nonthreatening form most of Freud's symbols refer to sexual objects (See Table 6.1 for common symbols and their latent meanings)
6

Symbolization:

Freudian Dream Interpretation


Importance of Manifest Content


Unlike Freud, contemporary psychoanalysts have found manifest content to be rich with psychological meaning & people's concerns Dreaming as Problem Solving

Begins with person's report of the dream Person then asked to make associations to dream Final step is for psychoanalyst to use dream work, symbolization & individual's information to interpret latent content Function of Dreaming

wish fulfillment release of unconscious tension preservation of sleep (dream work and symbolization disguise threatening content so person may remain asleep)

Post Freudian analysts believe dreaming helps solve problems and plan future actions

PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES

PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES

Another method of indirect personality assessment arising from Psychoanalytic Strategy:


Used to find patterns of consistent themes Most fall into one of the following 4:

subjects are presented with ambiguous stimuli & asked to impart meaning to them revealing unconscious motives

association (inkblots or words) construction (TAT) completion free expression


stimulus is unstructured and ambiguous purpose of test, scoring of responses not disclosed to subject subject is told there are no in/correct answers responses assumed to reveal valid and significant personal information scoring & interpretation are lengthy and subjective

Ambiguity & the Projective Hypothesis Projective Hypothesis states that the unconscious is free to project meaning onto an ambiguous stimulus or situation
9

All share 5 important characteristics:


10

Rorschach Inkblots

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)


Developed by Henry Murray and Christiana Morgan Concerned with uncovering latent needs 20 pictures, TAT cards presented with instructions to tell a story Stories analyzed for recurrent themes and images

11 12

Created by Hermann Rorschach, 10 standard inkblots made by spilling ink on paper & folding in half 1st phase performance proper- examiner records subjects responses about inkblot 2nd phase inquiry- examiner asks subject specific questions about response from first phase (where, why) Scored & interpreted according to location, determinant, popularity-originality, content, form-level

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

The Process of Psychoanalysis

Basic Premise:
Neurotic symptoms arise from painful memories & emotions that have been repressed Symptoms are relieved when repressed memories are finally permitted open expression

Basic aim:

To make the unconscious conscious Involves the fundamental processes of:


free association Resistance Transference Interpretation insight

13

14

The Process of Psychoanalysis

The Process of Psychoanalysis

Free Association

One of the cornerstones of psychoanalysis Patient is encouraged to say anything that comes to mind while lying on couch (exercise: try to tell a friend or yourself anything for 5 minutes) Anything that impedes the progress of recovery Provides important information about patient Conscious or unconscious Unconscious resistance more significant
15

Transference: A Special Form of Resistance

Resistance

Positive or negative feelings that are actually displacements from significant others in the patient's life are transferred onto the analyst Patients begin to relate to therapist as they would to their mother, father, etc. Most important form of resistance, can impede or facilitate the therapeutic process Countertransference also possible

16

Interpretation
Analysts must discover hidden meanings & communicate them to patient when he is ready to hear them Two types of interpretation:

Insight

Involves gaining:

an intellectual understanding of neuroses an emotional acceptance of neuroses

Aimed directly at helping patients understand something about themselves Aimed at directing patient's conscious and unconscious thoughts toward a question analyst is unsure of

17

Final goal, expected to result in cure

18

Post Freudian Therapy

Object Relation Therapy

Some general themes exist:


More flexible & broader than Freudian analysis Shorter duration Focus on current functioning - present as well as past Consider patient's effective functioning as well as problem behaviors Consider strengths to devise treatment plan Emphasis on therapeutic alliance Less formal & restrictive Interpretations include psychosocial as well as psychosexual More concrete & practical 19 Less abstract and theoretical

Personality thought to evolve out of human interactions instead of biologically derived tensions Human beings are thus motivated by need to establish/maintain relations w/others Therapists attempt to understand & modify maladaptive patterns of adult Therapist works towards patient's acceptance of responsibility
20

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)


Limitations of the Psychoanalytic Strategy


An outgrowth of object relations, traced to Harry Stack Sullivan & Adolph Meyer Emphasis on understanding role expectancies in current interpersonal relations in context of short-term therapy Effective for treatment of

Psychoanalytic Assessment Has

Low Reliability & Validity

Projective techniques & dream interpretation


Low interrater reliability, internal consistency, & retest reliability Subjectivity & lack of standardization in administration, scoring & interpretation may be a cause

depression in areas of mood work performance apathy guilt

21

22

Limitations Continued
Poorly defined Untestable Prone to (3) Logical Errors

Limitations Continued
Theory is sex biased Case studies are unduly biased Does not recover historical truth Psychoanalysis has been criticized as being unscientific

Psychoanalysts fail to distinguish between observation & inference Psychoanalysts confuse correlation & causation Psychoanalysts use analogies to describe their observations, & analogies are not proof

23

It has been suggested that psychoanalysis should not be judged by standards of mainstream scientific psychology
24

You might also like