Evaluate the Extent to Which Freud's Theory of Psycho-Saxual Development Can Help Us to Understand a Client's Presenting Issues?
“Evaluate the extent to which Freud 's theory of psycho-sexual development can help us to understand a client 's presenting issue?”
Sigmund Freud, born in 1856 was a well established Austrian neurologist who would later go on to found the discipline of psychoanalysis. He is best known for his theories of the unconscious mind and repression and his concept of the dynamic unconscious suggesting that it is our unconscious minds that indeed determine how we as people behave, also establishing sexual drives as the dominant motivation of human life. He saw the unconscious mind as being the source of mental energy which determined behaviour, basing these findings on the results of his use of hypnosis where he found that he was able to produce and remove symptoms of hysteria. There have been numerous approaches in the field of psychology that have put forward the belief that behaviour is directed by an individuals goals but the idea behind a goal-directed unconscious is an original Freudian concept. The main underlying belief of this theory is that any individuals behaviour is the direct result of the influences that prior experiences have had on them. These influences having an even greater effect if they are from our childhood. Freud believed that our early experiences formed the solid foundations on which we would form the structure of our life and that the adult personality is indeed formed in childhood according to the situations, treatment and feelings experienced as a child. Freud defined the human psyche as comprising of three parts, the unconscious or sub-conscious containing material that we are unable to bring into our conscious awareness and therefore unknowable. The preconscious which consists of information that is not at the present moment in our conscious awareness but is stored in our memory and can if need be easily recalled to the conscious level. And the conscious part of our mind which is where all current and new incoming content is
Sigmund Freud, born in 1856 was a well established Austrian neurologist who would later go on to found the discipline of psychoanalysis. He is best known for his theories of the unconscious mind and repression and his concept of the dynamic unconscious suggesting that it is our unconscious minds that indeed determine how we as people behave, also establishing sexual drives as the dominant motivation of human life. He saw the unconscious mind as being the source of mental energy which determined behaviour, basing these findings on the results of his use of hypnosis where he found that he was able to produce and remove symptoms of hysteria. There have been numerous approaches in the field of psychology that have put forward the belief that behaviour is directed by an individuals goals but the idea behind a goal-directed unconscious is an original Freudian concept. The main underlying belief of this theory is that any individuals behaviour is the direct result of the influences that prior experiences have had on them. These influences having an even greater effect if they are from our childhood. Freud believed that our early experiences formed the solid foundations on which we would form the structure of our life and that the adult personality is indeed formed in childhood according to the situations, treatment and feelings experienced as a child. Freud defined the human psyche as comprising of three parts, the unconscious or sub-conscious containing material that we are unable to bring into our conscious awareness and therefore unknowable. The preconscious which consists of information that is not at the present moment in our conscious awareness but is stored in our memory and can if need be easily recalled to the conscious level. And the conscious part of our mind which is where all current and new incoming content is
References: Frankland, Alan and Sanders, Pete (2006) Next steps in counselling PCCS Books Ltd Rogers, Carl (2003) Client-centred therapy Constable and Robinson Ltd http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/ss/psychosexualdev.htm http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Human_Centred_Psychotherapy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosexual_development