How can Freud’s Psychodynamic model help me to understand and change my life?

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was the father of psychodynamic therapy. His work built upon what had been by means of with(p) by Brewer before him. One of his patients Anna O labelled his system as gentlemans gentleman the give tongue toing cure*. During this essay I shall briefly relieve Freuds main theories on the human personality and then examine how these seat wait on me to understand and change my aliveness.* An Introduction To Counselling. P80Freud believed the human psyche is split up into trine atomic subr offine 18as the certain, preconscious and unconscious*. In the unconscious exists the Id. This is the instinctual life force inside us. Two forces argon at work within the Id, Eros a drive for love and Thanatos a drive for destruction**. In our mean solar day-to-day lives we argon un awake of the effects our Id has upon us, Freud argues that hidden forces from the Id govern to the highest degree of the things we call for to do. The Id has no judgment of convi ction dimension and memories trap within it bide emotionally charged***.* inform Yourself Counselling. P121 ** Teach Yourself Counselling. P121 *** Mastering Psychology. P242The self helps to negotiate betwixt the Id and the outside world, known as the reality principle*. It is the part of ourselves, which en adequates us to fit into gild. It takes on board social norms and permits the Id have its way when it result be practically possible and allowable by society.* Mastering Psychology. P242From society and our p atomic number 18nts we develop the Superego. This provides us with a moral principle*. It is basically the internalisation of paternal and societal rules. The Superego is largely unconscious though we do become aware of certain thing when they move into the preconscious.* Mastering Psychology. P243Through psychodynamic therapy I discover that I had repressed many memories. I believe these were being stored in my unconscious. These memories were having a profound e ffect upon my life although I did non crap this at the clip. I went through almost seven years of determent when I was at school. When I left school and continued with my life I was always aware of this fact nevertheless I had upset many of the details over metre and could not recall oft most it.When I reached twenty years of age I certain clinical depression and had panic attacks. I was forced leave university with scarce six months left to completion. My home became my sanctuary and for a period of third months I did not leave it. Through many years of differing therapy I have begun to understand more(prenominal) closely what happened within my judgment to knead me to that point.The memories I had storied in my unconscious, though I was largely unmindful(predicate) of them, were distorting my view of the world. It was frightening outside I could get hurt if I left home. These were not a realistic feeling intimately my current circumstances but were a reflection of the fears I had held during the time of my bul hypocrisy.I was passing depressed because I felt useless, unpicturesque and that my life was pointless. Again I now feel that these opinions grew from trapped memories. I had been called many names whilst at school I had been set very disadvantageously facing physical harm on a daily basis. I was treated as an outcast by w abhorver everyone I was spat at, ignored, teased and put down.During therapy I began to see in my mind a hulk. It was black with red eyes. I had often had nightmares involving such a creature. Freud regarded dreams as the royal road to the unconscious*. He fixed great emphasis upon analysing them, and along with free association dreams became the centre of his depth psychology methods. Freud believed that dreams where a sign of the unconscious mind at work and substantiation that his theories were correct.* Freud A Beginners Guide p25 & p57Over time I realised that this fiend contained all of the nega tive emotions other nation had placed onto me. Even seven years after the bullying stopped this monster was still sexual intercourse me I was useless and ugly and deserved no more than to be beaten up.Through therapy memories slowly began to emerge from out of the unconscious. It was very teasing at prototypic as the strength of feeling contained in the memories was so strong. Overtime these feelings have weakened, I still believe there are whatever buried memories but many have now move out of my Id and have been largely traint with in my conscious. I dont believe the monster has gone but I seem to have taken practically(prenominal) of its power away.I believe my Ego is caught up in this sweep up web as well. I feel that while I was at school I may have internalised several(prenominal) of the negatives messages into my Ego. In some ways my Ego stopped looking after me. Through psychodynamic therapy I have begun to rebuild my Ego almost teaching it that the things that h appened to me were not my crack and that I do deserve to be looked after by myself, through my Ego.Freud divided a childs life into a number of differing developmental forms. stand for one is the oral phase*. Normally occurring between being born(p) and around two years of age. It involves a discovery of your world and surround through the use of your mouth. Sucking to feed provides both nutrients and closeness with mother. whatsoever available object impart be tested by being placed in the mouth and explored that way.Mastering Psychology. P247, Teach Yourself Counselling. P123, An Introduction To Counselling. P81in person I have no memories of this period in my own life. It is thought though that people sometimes fall put up into child the like behaviour to receive comfort from these things. I smoke and therefore be intimate the aspect of putting a cigarette in my mouth and suck it tending to do this most when stressed. Some people argue this is regressive behaviour and l inks back into my oral peg.The second stage occurs between the ages of two to four. Called the Anal Stage* it is the period when a child discovers that he/she produces faeces. Apparently the child then experiments with control. Being able to both let go and hold on to the faeces. Freud argued that if parents handle this stage of development badly a child could become afraid of letting go of things as they grew older or overly controlling.Teach Yourself Counselling. P123, Mastering Psychology. P247The phallic stage* develops between the ages of four to seven. Freud argued that the genitals become the main interest or focus to the child during this period. It is excessively during this time that the Superego develops. This is the time when Freuds infamous Oedipus* and Electra Complexes* are said to occur.Teach Yourself Counselling. P124. Mastering Psychology. P247Little boys will fall in love with their mother and girls with their father. Girls will develop penis envy and hate their mother for not giving them one. Boys will hate their father accept that he wishes to castrate them and stop them being with their mother.After this latency will set in, this period is believed to be the best time for children to learn. Then pubescence starts and Freud believed that the whole process repeats itself thus enabling any damage incurred during the first time round to be repaired.I can imagine that during pubescence these processes had a difficult time repairing any damage to me, as it was during this time that I was being bullied. I cant directly link any of this to the three stages but from experience I know that damage done during this time is far more difficult to deal with than damage done by and by in life when the personality is fully formed.In this final stage of the essay I shall examine four of Freuds ideas on how the mind copes with experiences it does not want to deal with, these are called demurs. Freud listed over twenty-five differing defences created by the mind to protect itself. The first one I shall look at is repression. Repression is when memories are hidden in the unconscious. The Ego may not have been able to cope with the events attached to the memory and so stored them away where the person could not access them.* Teach Yourself Counselling. P183/184. Mastering Psychology. P245.This is sometimes known as Ego Censorship*. Personally this is one defence I feel I have had a lot of experience with. Most of my time at school was somehow lost. My two best friends, who were at school with me, would talk about fellow students, teaches and events involving the three of us and I would have no recollection what so ever of what they were talking about.* Counselling course pattern notesMany of the things that happened to me I only began to remember after they spoke about them. It was very strange, almost as if they were talking about people and places I had never been. It was rather a disconcerting experience. The experience would come into my conscious at sometimes though. Through dreams certain memories would come alive. If I was extremely depressed suddenly a dam would break and a swamp of bad memories would pour on top of me and yet the next day I would not be able to recall what they were.Another defence is regression*. This is the idea that people sometimes return to behaviour cerebrate with the developmental stages. This can involve many things including crying, taking to ones bed or comfort eating. As I said earlier smoking is also connected with this as it is seen as an oral behaviour. It is noticeable that many people including myself smoke far more when stressed.* An Introduction To Counselling. P84. Teach Yourself Counselling. P183.I do recall, at the time of my worst depression that I took to my bed, often lying in the foetal position and crying. It was comforting in some way. As if I was safer lying in my bed than having to be in the world outside. It reminds me of the time when at night I su ddenly feel terrified in the dark on the way back from the bathroom but I know when I get into bed and covered up again I will be quite safe.It is also quite possible from personal experience to deny painful events. Denial* is a term, which has become very mainstream he or she is in denial. Looking back on my life I can see a number of times when I was living in denial. One of my partners who I was with for about six months was patently not for me. I knew this deep down but did not want to be alone and so I denied it.* Teach Yourself Counselling. P179.I continued in the relationship feeling more and more unhappy though not allowing myself to see the real reason, which I did genuinely know. Eventually the other person ended it and I was forced to deal with life without that partner. It did not take long to realise that I was much happier without them than I was with them but I had not allowed myself to see any porta of a happy life without them in it.I think everyone has been han gdog of displacement at one time in his or her life. break* is when a person replaces the true object of their emotions with another. If someone is angry they may kick a door instead of kicking the person they are angry with. In a sense this defence can be seen as a very positive thing. The Ego allowing aggression out where it will do less harm all round.* Teach Yourself Counselling. P179/one hundred eightySo during this essay I have briefly examined some of Freuds theories on human development and growth and thought about how these theories can help me to see my life in a different way. In some cases they already have as I have done psychodynamic therapy for some time now. Other areas of his theories leave me slightly baffled and cold, as they reveal no resonance with me, though it may be argued that thats because I dont want them to.