Psychoanalysis

How does the main character deal with her id ego and superego? Which part of the subconscious seems to dominate? I believe Ninas Id is the dominant because she constantly in the movie is doing what she can to satisfy what she wants she does what she’s told to do to get it and be able to do it correctly. How does the relationship she has with other people? Does there seem to be a childhood trauma or a childhood experience that has occurred?

She isn’t really able to have relationships with other people she doesn’t even have a good relationship with her mom I feel like she’s still some sort of child on the inside like a teen rebelling. I think this is probably because she didn’t really communicate with her mom as a child or have a dad around. What in the protagonist’s past has triggered her to be the way she is in her relationships now? I think Nina was probably isolated as a child that’s why she doesn’t really have that many relationships as an adult.

She still lives with her mom, which shows she doesn’t really know how to deal with regular daily things on her own. What does the protagonist dream about? What is the first thing she thinks about when she wakes up? What does this tell us about her? She had a sexual dream where she was receiving from lily. She believed it actually happened until lily tells her she left right after and didn’t stay the night. I think this shows that she was receiving love in a different way then she receives it from her mom since she doest really have any relationships like a boyfriend and friendships.

What core issues does the character have and where do you think they come from? I think these issues come from her childhood she obviously grew up without a dad and her mom shows how overprotecting she is with her. She does have a habit of scratching herself when something seems to overwhelm her. What are the fears of our protagonist and why? The fears Nina has are not being perfect and not playing the role she was given. And she fought for. She always wanted everything perfect.

I think she’s probably scared of herself as well since she scratches her self without realizing it most of the times. What are her desires and how do they affect her subconscious? I think her desires are to be the best at ballet and being the swan queen she wants to finish on top beating everyone else. Well throughout the movie this was what she wanted and she didn’t want lily to take that from her mainly. Which she thought was better and maybe she wanted to be more like lily since she saw how carefree she was unlike her.

How does the characters sexuality affect how people view her and why? Since Nina was a virgin she was viewed as innocent the goody goody ballerina. After her sexual dream I viewed her a little different as in she wanted to receive love in a different way then her mom she wanted to maybe break out of the shell she was in. What types of defense mechanisms do they use and what are they trying to repress? She constantly has to cut her nails because she scratches herself I think she uses this as a defense mechanism to avoid having herself having to deal with the other problems around her.

The Comparison of Sigmund Freud and B. F. Skinner One name that jumps out at the mention of psychology, or the study there of, is the name of Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud is also known as the “Father of Psychoanalysis. ” Freud was also known for having the tendency to trace nearly all psychological problems back to sexual issues. Although only parts of his theory of psychosexual development are still accepted by mainstream psychologists, Freud’s theory of the Oedipal Complex has become a cultural icon (Freud, Sigmund, 2012).

Freud is known for developing the use of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is based on the observation that people are often unaware of many of the things that determine their emotions and behavior. Psychoanalytic treatment demonstrates how the unconscious affects current relationships and patterns of behavior. It then helps track them back to past experiences, such as in childhood, and helps people to deal better with how past experiences then affect their current adult life (Freud, Sigmund, 2012).

Freud’s contributions that often comes to mind while thinking of psychoanalysis include the therapy couch, the use of talk therapy, and his theories about the unconscious which include the role of repression, denial, sublimation, and projection. (“The Individual”) Freud also incorporated the use of dream analysis and the study of dreams. While working with his patients, they began to spontaneously tell their dreams. Freud became interested in dreams and the revelations that they could provide as doors to the inner psyche (“The Individual”).

He soon systematically included interpretation of dreams in psychoanalysis, as well as hypnosis and free association of the dreams that had been revealed. Freud was one of the first psychologists to utilize hypnosis in therapy. Freud’s interest in what lay beyond the conscious mind and in the practice of hypnotism and what led hysteria eventually led him to study with the famous neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot of the Salpetriere Hospital in Paris (“The Individual”). When Freud returned to Vienna, he began using hypnosis, massage, and pressure on the head to get patients to dredge up thoughts elated to their symptoms. Only later did he ask them to say whatever crossed their minds. This he called “free association,” and had already been described as the “talking cure” (“The Individual”). Just as Freud is known as the father of Psychoanalysis, B. F. Skinner is often referred to ask the “the father of operant conditioning. ” B. F. Skinner is also known for major contributions to the field of psychology (About B. F. Skinner, Sept, 2012). Skinner was a prolific author, publishing nearly 200 articles and more than 20 books.

Skinner was most known for his work in behavior psychology. Behavioral psychology is the psychological practice that focuses on learning new behaviors and how to modify our existing behavior and how that takes place (About B. F. Skinner, Sept, 2012). One of his major contributions was his theory of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning means roughly, the changing of behavior by the use of reinforcement, either positive or negative, and which these reinforcements are given after the desired response (About B. F. Skinner, Sept, 2012).

Skinner identified three types of responses or operant that can follow behavior. While behaviorism is no longer a dominant school of thought, the work in operant conditioning remains today. Many different types of professionals utilize operant conditioning in society today. Mental health professionals often utilize operant techniques when working with clients (“The Individual”). Teachers frequently use reinforcement and punishment to shape behavior of their students in the classroom. Animal trainers even rely on these techniques to train dogs and other animals.

In order to study Operant conditioning and it’s affects on rats, Skinner developed a device known as the Skinner Box. This was used in lab experiments to judge the outcome of certain stimuli on rats and how their behavior would change from said stimuli (About B. F. Skinner, Sept, 2012). Skinner was an inventor of many things. He also worked on a product which he called, “The Baby Tender”. The “baby tender” was developed due to his wife’s concern that there was a need for a safer crib, where there wouldn’t be worries of the infant’s extremities getting caught in between the bars.

The “baby tender” was an enclosed and heated crib with a plexiglass window. Unfortunately, the “baby tender” was confused with the Skinner box that was used in experiments in rats (About B. F. Skinner, Sept, 2012). Skinner did not do conditioning experiments on babies in the baby tender; it was developed as simply a safer crib for newborns. Both the ideas of Sigmund Freud and B. F. Skinner have had major influences in the field of psychology and psychological practices.

Both Freud and Skinner have influenced how psychology is used in therapy on patients; as well as practical uses that leave the clinical realm, and can be used in everyday life. Resources “B. F. Skinner Foundation – About B. F. Skinner. ” B. F. Skinner Foundation – About B. F. Skinner. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. . “Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. ” Freud, SigmundA []. N. p. , n. d. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. . “SECTION TWO The Individual: Therapy and Theory. ” The Individual: Therapy and Theory. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. . “Sigmund Freud. ” Sigmund Freud. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012

One of the most influential social scientists of his time, Sigmund Freud and his theories on psychoanalysis remains relevant today in the study of human personality and the influence of the subconscious on human thinking and behavior.

Freud’s ideas on the significance of dreams, which was seen by him as the expression of human being’s innermost desire, were in fact borrowed by artists ascribing to surrealism who sought to imprint the subconscious. Surrealist paintings are thus characterized with the use of symbols and often have a dreamlike quality to them, where cannot always be taken at face value or by literal translation.

It is no wonder then that Freud’s ideas have been widely used in the interpretation of works of art or even of character sketches. Freud’s theory on how personalities are developed which revolves around the main ideas of id, ego, and superego, have, for instance, been used to explain how sex and libido may be transformed into other forms of energies, or how particularly traumatic life events may have a negative effect on both adults and children when not properly processed.

Likewise, Freud’s ideas of sexual repression and displacement were influential in the growth and development of the surrealist school, which drew on the rich imagery of one’s dreams, wishes, and fantasies to create their art. (West 185)

One of the most notable surrealist painters, Frida Kahlo, has been a classic example of an artist whose works could be interpreted using Freudian concepts and ideas. Kahlo’s tumultuous life, characterized by wild sexual affairs with both male and female lovers, a devastating divorce, and her inability to conceive children due to a series of back operations were mostly found in the bulk of her work which were fraught with symbolisms. (West 185)

In her painting entitled Self Portrait with a Necklace, Kahlo painted herself wearing a necklace of thorns and a dangling humming bird, which alludes to her suffering from divorce (as symbolized by the thorns) and to her quest for new love (as shown by the humming bird which is a traditional Mexican love amulet). (Erickson, 2005). In these self portraits,

Kahlo’s entire life was depicted in her paintings. She drew her own birth, for instance, and many other events including those connected with her pain and frustration. (Levine 273) Her husband Diego Rivera was also depicted in many of her paintings in different ways: in Frida and Diego Rivera (1931) which is supposed to be a painting of their marriage, she paints him as a father-figure and herself as his daughter, which is reminiscent of Freud’s Electra complex and reveals Kahlo’s insecurity at her own husband’s authority.

In another painting Retablo (1943), she captures the scene of the accident that left her under intense pain for most of her life (Kahlo and Kettenman 32) which she later depicts in Broken Column (1944) that “graphically expresses her physical agony.” (West 184)

Psychoanalysis therefore plays an important role in understanding and unlocking many surrealist artwork. In Kahlo’s case, the artist has rendered her own physical suffering in the metaphoric sense, mostly through the use of portraiture, to something that is haunting and beautiful, and one which outlasts even the pain and suffering of Kahlo’s troubled soul.

Works Cited:

Erickson, R. (2005). Freudian thought and the surrealist world. Downloaded from Associated Content, The People’s Media Company on March 16, 2007 <http://www.associatedcontent.com>

Kahlo, F. & A. Kettenman. (2000). Frida Kahlo 1907-1954: Pain and Passion. Taschen.

Levine, M. P. (2000). Analytic Freud: Philosophy and Psychoanalysis. United Kingdom: Routledge.

West, S. (2004). Portraiture. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Motivation can help and hinder the choices an individual makes, sometimes simultaneously. People act and behave various ways and some people may never be understood or why may never be pinpointed. However, every action or behavior is an impulse of an experience or the potential of that individual. Whether it is to achieve a goal, better themselves, or gain success people will act or behave certain ways through their specific form of motivation. Miley Cyrus’s actions evaluated

Most people that surf the Internet, watch MTV, or music television, have witnessed or seen the controversy over Miley Cyrus’s latest performance on MTV’s Music Video Awards (The Huffington Post, 2013). There were many controversies over her lyrics, clothing, and actions that pertained to her overall behavior during the performance (The Huffington Post). From her clothing of the bare essentials to her obscene gestures, she was obviously motivated by one thing or another.

The psychoanalytic view Assuming Miley was motivated by the psychoanalytic view of motivation, would suggest her decision to behave that way was of little or no control of her own (John Wiley & Sons Inc. , 2009). It would also suggest her actions were driven by either her unconscious instincts of life and sexuality or her unconscious instincts of death and aggression (John Wiley & Sons Inc.).

More specifically her unconscious need of an outlet for aggression or her unconscious need for sexual satisfaction (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ). For example: Miley behaved that way because she was upset about losing a boyfriend, and unconsciously let out her aggression through dancing seductively on another man (The Huffington Post, 2013).

The humanistic view

Assuming Miley was motivated by the humanistic view of motivation, would suggest her decision to behave that way could be because of a specific need, such as self-actualization or achievement that she consciously needed to fulfill (John Wiley & Sons Inc. , 2009). It would also suggest she was driven by her goals of fulfilling her full personal potential (John Wiley & Sons Inc. , 2009). (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ). For example: Miley was tired of her well-known Disney roles in entertainment that subdued her true self, therefore her behavior was an attempt to move toward her new goals of achievement and self-actualization.

The diversity view Assuming Miley was motivated by the diversity view of motivation, would suggest her decision to behave that way could be because of her individual goals and personal incentives (John Wiley & Sons Inc. , 2009). It would also suggest she behaved that particular way to fulfill a psychogenic need, or combination of the various needs simultaneously to fulfill her personal goal (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ).

For example: Her behavior was an attempt to fulfill her needs of achievement to increase self-regard, affiliation of being an adult instead of a child, and sentience to enjoy sensuous impressions (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ). To better explain: The diversity view of motivation by Henry Murray is the theory of needs. This theory states human lives have to be understood in the context of time, because people live in response to the past and their anticipation of the future (John Wiley and Sons Inc. , 2009).

Therefore, people organize their lives and bind their time through direct and select forces that resides within the person and their environment (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ). The direct forces are needs, specifically physiological (viscerogenic) needs and psychogenic needs (John Wiley & Sons Inc. , 2009). The physiological needs are basic human needs, such as air, sleep, and water (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ). The psychogenic needs are categorized into 20 basic needs, such as dominance, sex, order, and 17 others (John Wiley & Sons Inc.).

According to Henry Murray (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ), human behavior is organized by a single need or a combination of needs simultaneously, to fulfill a personal goal (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ). However, “The full dynamics of human behavior are revealed in the interaction of needs and press, producing a thema (John Wiley & Sons Inc. , 2009, p. 281). Therefore, when a need is built up overtime, it causes tension, which is released through thoughts and behavior by the individual (John Wiley & Sons Inc. ).

Conclusion

There is a purpose behind every person’s behavior, whether it follows the psychoanalytic, humanistic, or diversity view of motivation, it can be analyzed or evaluated through certain processes and theories to see the purpose (John Wiley & Sons Inc. , 2009). One thing stands to be true, all people are unique, but behave similarly and differently for various reasons. Whether it is to achieve a goal, better themselves, or gain success people will act or behave certain ways through their specific form of motivation.

There are always three sides to a coin when it comes to psychology. Two being the heads and tails, the other being the thickness of the coin represented here by the why factor. No action is ever considered to be an accidental behavior, thus making Hamlet an intriguing subject of analysis. Critics of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet often debate the cognitive processes of young Hamlet’s mind. To examine Hamlet through a psychological perspective, one must use knowledge of behavioral psychology, which is the study of behavior that reveals inner thoughts.

Hamlet is a complex character full of deep emotions and developmental problems it is revealed through his actions, thoughts, and words portrayed during the play. Traumatic experiences in a person’s life can have serious mental repercussions, such as disconnection from others, self-blame, or permanent mental instability. Accordingly, Hamlet’s behavior demonstrates textbook symptoms of emotional and psychological damage. With the loss of his father, and the quick remarriage of his mother, the dramatic changes in the familiarity of life become the triggers for Hamlet’s change in behavior.

These psychological triggers are very relevant in patient cases today such as the remarrying of a parent, the death of close friend, or development during adolescence. The triggered behaviors become dangerous, as the ability of being able to confide in someone else does not seem a possibility to Hamlet. Losing a loved one is never easy, in Hamlets case the loss leads to a downward spiral of behavior that ultimately affects many different people in his kingdom. This problem of seeking comfort or advice in times of need is crucial for the development during adolescence.

Psychologists agree that bottling up emotions can cause explosive and irrational behavior, such as in the case of Hamlet. “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go. ” A person’s actions revel to the world what is going on in his or her mind to a tremendous extent. Hamlet’s actions in the play depict a mix of complex planning with sporadic displays of mental instability. Such actions such as the hesitation of killing Claudius, the murder of Polonius, and Hamlet’s interactions with Ophelia reveal Hamlets true mental state. Many critics have scrutinized the delay of Hamlet not killing Claudius over the years.

“Freud offered what seemed to many a decisive answer to this riddle for the ages: that Hamlet is stymied by the weird coincidence of Claudius’s crime with his own oedipal wishes. ” (Kilgore) This quote represents the deep internal conflict of Hamlet’s actions because of his obsession with his mother’s sexual behavior. “Hamlet is able to do anything but take vengeance upon the man who did away with his father and has taken his father’s place with his mother — the man who shows him in realization the repressed desires of his own childhood” (Kilgore).

This quotation suggests that Hamlet wanted to be like Claudius subconsciously. In addition, this quote answers why Gertrude’s quick remarriage to Claudius is taken so heavily by young Hamlet. “Freud considered this complex the cornerstone of the superego and the nucleus of all human relationships. ” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia) Next, the action of killing Polonius is one example of Hamlet’s temporary insanity. Moments after Hamlet fails to kill Claudius as he prays because he is unshriven; he slays Polonius under the impression it was Claudius.

The contradictory nature of these two decisions shows in behavioral psychology that Hamlet is emotionally unstable. This action also demonstrates that aggression has taken over reasoning. Emotions are one of man’s greatest strengths but can cause the greatest downfalls. For example, In Hamlet, Polonius’s murder eventually leads to Hamlets death at the hands of Polonius’s son. Hamlets lack of cognitive reasoning ultimately conflicts with his short-term plans as Hamlet is sent away from the kingdom by the man who he is trying to murder.

This shows that the catastrophe occurs as a result of instinctive reactions rather than pre-meditation. “To inhibit actively one’s behavior is stressful and disease related; when individuals do not or cannot express thoughts and feelings concerning a traumatic event (i. e. , when they engage in behavioral inhibition), there is an increased probability of having obsessive thoughts about the event and of having illnesses in the long run” (Kelly). Keeping secrets from people or being burdened by others secrets is an action that can be harmful in every aspect of health.

Hamlets action of keeping secrets from others is representative of his mistrust in people. Hamlet has no one to confide in which leads to irrational decisions and obsession. Most psychologists agree that having someone to confide in is crucial in the developmental process. The act of not revealing such traumatic information destroys Hamlet from a mental perspective and causes Hamlet to slip in and out of sanity. The relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is an example of the destructive nature secrets can cause.

Good relationships are built on the fundamentals of trust and communication; neither of which is demonstrated in their relationship. Hamlet’s subconscious mistrust in the ability of people to keep secrets is projected into the communication of their relationship. Ophelia thinks that Hamlet has gone insane, and this lack of communication drives her into madness and her death. Secrets can inadvertently destroy many people, making them more dangerous through the subconscious influences. All authors project their own life experiences and thoughts subconsciously in to their literature.

“Shakespeare had a son named Hamnet who died of the bubonic plague years before the play Hamlet. ”(Wheeler 127-153) It is through this loss of Shakespeare’s own child that the play takes on a deeper psychological aspect. Hamlets “to be or not to be” soliloquy can be viewed as a projection into the troubles facing Shakespeare during his own life. The loss of a loved one is a powerful influence and subconsciously can cause feelings of depression and suicide. This soliloquy is one of the most recognized worldwide due to its contemplation of life and death due to the struggles that face Hamlet.

“To be, or not to be-that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them”. (Shakespeare) Hamlet is clinically depressed and overwhelmed by the troubles in his life. Not even being able to kill the murderer of his father, he is unlikely that to kill himself. “Shakespeare presents us with a vivid recital of the thought processes of a man making up his mind about a critical step in his life”.

Thus many people believe that hamlet is overthinking the problem. Thus if this soliloquy was recited to a psychiatrist he would recommend anti-depressant medication. Contemplating life and death is a process that we all do at different points in life. However, it is the manner in which we approach our lives and deaths that define us as individuals. Hamlet has received a liberal education; thus his learned critical thinking and questioning about every action causes obsessive self-criticism.

Hamlet’s soliloquy of Act 2 Scene 2 shows his innermost feelings of self-disgust about his inaction. “But I am a pigeon-livered and lack gall to make oppression better, or ere this I should have fattened all the regions kites with this slave’s offal. ” (Shakespeare) Thus, this harsh self-criticism leads to Hamlet making irrational decisions. In teenagers the frontal lobe is still in the developmental stages, and affecting his self-perception in addition to his decision making. Hamlet is the perfect storm of decisions based on pathos rather than logos.

Hamlet’s decisions, although sometime requiring calculation, often are unrealistic and impetuous representing the trial and error method of learning. Hamlet’s words are invaluable to the shaping of his character. His attitude towards the murder of Polonius disconnects him from the norms of society. Making jokes about the body of someone whom he just murdered demonstrates almost a psychopathic tendency brought about by intense levels of stress. In addition to this, Hamlet is in a position where his actions do not have repercussions evidenced by the town looking the other way on his actions.

The psychological effect of having no consequences for actions starting at a young age can have disastrous effects of the development during adolescence; and often in cases can lead to the development of Oppositional defiance disorder children. Children with ODD “have little (or no) regard for what their parents or society expect of them. ”(Abraham) Hamlet does not care about how he should behave in society and does as he pleases. Hamlet feels entitled to manipulate the lives of others for his own personal success and has no regard for anyone’s welfare but his own.

Hamlet was set up for failure in societal norms from childhood. Other insights into Hamlet’s mental state can be examined through Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship. The words” I loved Ophelia forty thousand brothers/ could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. ” (Shakespeare 296). Hamlet is under false pretenses of what love means due to his adolescence, demonstrated by his harsh words to Ophelia and inability to communicate his distresses and concerns with her.

In addition Ophelia’s and Hamlets relationship is skewed by how he perceives own mother and women in general. This is demonstrated by Hamlet’s command “Get thee to a nunnery,” which reveals that he holds the belief that all women are whores. Nunnery was a colloquium, which meant brothel in Shakespeare’s day. The projections of past experiences to present experiences dramatically affect his relationships. Hamlet’s unkind attitude and words to others ultimately affect the lives of people around him substantially.

In conclusion, Hamlets complexity and behavior is attributed to adolescence and going through life crises that trigger developmental and textbook psychology issues. Using Hamlets actions, thoughts, and words gives the reader a microscope for further examination the character. Shakespeare was a master of creating complex characters, some based on his real life experiences. Hamlet’s reactions to the changes in hi+s life much reflect the type of behavioral changes people in real life experience after similar trauma. Hamlet has been a popular subject for psychoanalysis since the discipline became popular.

1. Which personality type does Myra display, according to Freudian theory? Provide evidence for your answer. What caused it?

Myra must have experienced neurotic anxiety in the presence of her husband’s “authority” as she previously must have experienced unconscious feelings of destruction against her parents because of fear of punishment, so she exaggerates her cleanings and frequently portrays herself as a martyr who does so much for others and asks so little for herself, when in reality she usually over sees the cleaning and tells others what to do, and her husband or children help her.

This same neurotic anxiety makes her aggressive towards her neighbor as once grass went flying into her garden from her neighbor’s while mowing; and as a result Myra threw a fit and did not talk to the neighbor for two years. Myra displays a disturbing pattern of establishing relationships and then ending them by being rude. She sometimes criticizes people to their faces, or she just stops calling them. Moreover, this neurotic anxiety makes her concerned about spending money and she refrains from expending it despite being middle class and really not poor. As a defense mechanism, Myra has developed an anal fixation, which manifests in her obsession with neatness and orderliness.

2. Why does Myra feel that cleaning the house is her responsibility? How would Jungian theory explain Myra adopting this traditional role? According to Jung the mind or psyche has two levels; conscious and unconscious. Unlike Freud, Jung believes that collective unconscious refers to humans’ “innate tendency to react in a particular way whenever their experiences stimulate a biological inherited response tendency.”

This explains why Myra unexpectedly reacts with love and persistence to the house cleanliness, tidiness and orderliness although she had negative or at least neutral feelings toward the job, especially when we know that her mother always took care of their house and thought that it was the woman’s responsibility to do so; and Myra has learnt how to clean “correctly” from her mother who punished her when she did not clean something thoroughly enough.

Of course, her mothers belief of house cleanliness was passed to her from her mother and so on through generations until it became a collective unconscious which Jung sees as autonomous forces called archetypes which, when evolved, “can be conceptualized” into persona, shadow, anima, animus, great mother, wise old man, hero, and self.

3. How could radical behaviorism explain Myra’s cleaning behavior? Find examples of reinforcement of punishment that might have influenced Myra’s cleaning behavior.

According to Freud, Myra’s ego which is “the only region of the mind in contact with reality” and it is governed by the “reality principle” has made the decision on cleanness and neatness of her house and yard, besides arranging things in order. And because the ego is partially conscious, partly preconscious and partly unconscious, her ego can make decisions on each of these three levels. Myra exaggerates in cleaning her house, tidying her yard and garden and arranging her things in order as her ego consciously motivates her to choose excessive neatness, tidiness and arrangements because she feels comfortable and proud of her estate and things being like this and people compliment her for this.

Meanwhile she may be, on her preconscious level, only dimly aware of her previous experience when her friends or neighbors first praised her for the way she cleans the house, tidies the yard and the garden and arranges her things. Besides, she may be unconsciously motivated to be excessively clean, neat and orderly “due to her childhood experiences of the toilet training” and cleaning the house with her mother so as to avoid pain resulting from her parents punishment and gain pleasure of their love and security. Also it has been settled in her superego what she should and should not do because of her experiences with reward and punishment she must have received from her parents during her childhood. Thus she can be dominated by the superego, which results in her “guilt-ridden or inferior-feeling person;”

4. How could Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory explain Myra’s traditionally feminine cleaning behavior? According to Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, the way we react to expected events is usually more powerful than the event itself. Myra’s traditionally feminine cleaning behavior can be explained on the basis of her observing her mother cleaning and perhaps financially managing the house as well as having the same belief that her mother had as housework is the main responsibility of a woman.

Myra’s behavior is also reinforced by the compliments she receives from her neighbors and friends who overtly express their admirations of her clean house, tidy yard and beautiful garden. This accords with Bandura’s idea that reinforcement can be vicarious whether it is direct or indirect. According to that includes behavioral, environmental, and personal factors, Myra has the capacity to regulate her life; and her behavioral cleanliness has turned into a consistent way of evaluating and regulating her social and cultural environment, seeing that her house is cleaner, tidier and more beautiful than any house in the neighborhood or any of her friends or relatives’ houses.

5. Which of Horney’s needs motivate Myra? Which of Horney’s neurotic trends does Myra demonstrate? Provide evidence for you answer. In accordance with Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory, Myra has been influenced by cultural impacts of her society. Modern culture is based on completion (her exaggeration in cleanliness, tidiness and orderliness compared to others) which triggers off basic hostility (in dealing with her friends and neighbors), which, in return, results in isolation, (her break up with friends and not participating in productive volunteer work), that brings about “intensified needs for affection” (her feeling of doing everything alone without being helped by anyone and illustrating herself as martyr or victim).

Childhood at any stage is considered the source of most problems as a result of traumatic events. During her childhood Myra was physically punished by her parents; the thing which generated a feeling of lack of genuine warmth and affection and developed into anxiety and hostility towards others. From her behaviors of exaggerated cleanliness, hostility, saving money, and refraining from participating in productive volunteer work, Myra demonstrates some basic neurotic needs:

(1) Need to restrict her life within narrow borders: she does not participate in any productive activities such as volunteer work, and she prefers to spend all her time and energy working on her house and yard. (2) Need for security and power: she economizes on everything and does not spend money, which represents a source of power to her. (3) Need to exploit others: she breaks up with friends and relatives who do not return her invitations to meals. (4) Need for social recognition or prestige: she tries to be the best at cleaning and orderliness and criticizes others as not equal to her.

(5) Need for personal admiration: she likes people admiring her house cleanliness, her yard and garden tidiness and beauty, and her orderliness. (6) Need for perfection and unassailability: she always cleans, tidy and rearrange her house, garden, yard and things so as not to be criticized; on the contrary she always criticizes and blames others.

Counseling Theory: An Amalgam Model, 2008, Name, affirms that science proves what the Bible has long understood and says about man or human nature; that Scripture alone has the correct diagnosis of the sickness and potential outcomes of his endeavors and challenges as well as the results especially, of a fallen nature. The author uses the scientific researches that show how the truths of Scripture are explained and made manifest in the lives of men and women.

Practitioners who make use of this model that there is neither competition nor confusion as to the pre-eminence of Scripture; rather, it presupposes that science complements what the Biblical writers as revealed, have long known the real and lasting solutions to the “sicknesses” that man ahs encountered. I. Introduction Psychology has made great strides in the development of principles and methods and the discovery of facts which find useful application in various aspects of everyday life.

The objectives of psychology are : (1) to understand human behavior; (2) to predict human behavior by means of observation and experiment; (3) to influence or alter the behavior of he individual or group in desirable ways so that he can achieve the goal he desires. Behavior is described and analyzed. On this basis, an attempt to predict behavior is possible, and although this may not thoroughly and completely be accomplished in some endeavors, the basic understanding then is that there are certain expectations concerning how any person would act or decide upon things that are within his conscious awareness.

Psychology is of great importance to man since psychological problems are common to group relations, in whatever framework a person or group of individuals come from. The thrust of this paper is to develop my own theory of behavior and putting these in the context of the helping relationship. It starts with a basic understanding of human behavior coming from various viewpoints or perspectives. Then it discusses the reasons why an individual becomes mentally sick or develops unhealthy patterns of behaving towards anything that affect him.

This includes the maladjustments that are usually prevalent in a person’s day-to-day functioning especially if and when he has not learned or developed the skills of rightly apprehending the tests of life, so to speak. The work of a counselor is a privilege since the counselee or client will be unfolding his life and makes himself vulnerable to a stranger. It is not an easy choice to make hence, all the training and knowledge would be indispensable to help the client reveal and trust himself to another. Counseling is not a very easy job.

But it can be facilitated well when there is a clear vision of what and how it unfolds in the relationship that is established with the client. II. Discussion The paper is divided into different parts and meant to answer to the requirements stated as follows. A. Summary of my overall approach Psychology is the scientific of human behavior and mental processes; a study which is of considerable interest to almost all people. In the pursuit of this study is the important feature of understanding the goals or objectives.

To describe, explain and predict behavior and if possible control or modify it, are the main objectives of this scientific discipline. These objectives confine as well as broaden student’s approach towards a deeper perspective of the field in the sense that he/she will have a grasp on the variety of subject matters that psychology provides, the advances or breakthroughs it has attained, its inadequacies and shortcomings, as well as forthcoming challenges the discipline faces. Since human individuals are complex and changing, the study is fascinating yet possesses a certain degree of difficulty.

Fascinating because it explores all the facets of being human and possessing a certain degree of difficulty because of its multifarious sub-disciplines. Sigmund Freud offered a psychoanalytic viewpoint on the diagnosis and understanding of a person’s mental health. Other perspectives, the behavioristic paradigm offers to see this in a different light. The psychoanalytic perspective emphasizes childhood experiences and the role of the unconscious mind in determining future behavior and in explaining and understanding current based on past behavior.

Basing on his personality constructs of the Id, Ego and the Superego, Freud sees a mentally healthy person as possessing what he calls Ego strength. On the other hand, the behavior therapist sees a person as a “learner” in his environment, with the brain as his primary organ of survival and vehicle for acquiring his social functioning. With this paradigm, mental health is a result of the environment’s impact on the person; he learns to fear or to be happy and therein lies the important key in understanding a person’s mental state.

Considering that the achievement and maintenance of mental health is one of the pursuits of psychology, the following is a brief outline of what psychologists would endorse a healthy lifestyle. The individual must consider each of the following and incorporate these in his/her day to day affairs: 1. The Medical doctor’s viewpoint – well-being emphasis than the illness model 2. The Spiritual viewpoint- a vital spiritual growth must be on check. 3. The Psychologist’s viewpoint- emotional and relationship factors in balance.

4. The Nutritionist’s viewpoint – putting nutrition and health as top priority. 5. The Fitness Expert’s viewpoint- Exercise as part of a daily regimen. The theory I have in mind then is an amalgamation of several approaches, primarily the integration of the Christian worldview and the theories set forth by Cognitive-behaviorists and psychoanalytic models, and biological/physical continuum. There are other good models but a lot of reasons exist why they cannot be “good enough;” a lot depends on my own personality.

Being authentic to who you are, your passion, is effectively communicated across an audience whether it is a negative or positive one. The basic way of doing the “amalgamation” or integration is that the Christian worldview takes precedence over the rest of the approaches. Although many of the concepts and premises of each theory mentioned are sound and at times efficacious, when it clashes with the faith-based theory, the former must give way to the latter.

It is understood then, that I thoroughly examined each of the theory and set them against the backdrop of spirituality. Interpreting a problem that a client suffers for instance, entails that the theoretical viewpoint that I am convinced with, has better chances of properly understanding the maladjustments that the client had been suffering. To come up with the balanced worldview (an integration in other words), the balance between the realms mentioned, including the true frame of human individuals and the true nature of God (or theology) are properly considered.

Thoroughly accepting the fact that there is no contest between the natural and the spiritual; only that troubles arise when one realm is overemphasized at the expense of another. This thin line or slight tension between the two levels is best expressed in the personhood of Jesus Christ, who was a perfect man as well as God. If we start to equate ourselves with that notion (which is usually happening) and we start to think that we are balanced, then we surely lack understanding or real self-awareness of the fact that we are deeply and seriously out of balance and this is one reason why we need help.

B. Philosophy and Basic Assumptions ~What does a mentally healthy person look like and how are his traits different from those who are mentally ill or are developing a certain form of illness. Personality is more than poise, charm, or physical appearance. It includes habits, attitudes, and all the physical, emotional, social, religious and moral aspects that a person possesses. However, to be more precise, the explicit behavioral styles covered in the course, perhaps, best captivate an individual’s personality and how he/she is understood.

With the different behavioral styles, an overall pattern of various characteristics is seen. Like a “psychograph,” a person’s profile is pulled together and at a glance, the individual can be compared with other people in terms of relative strengths and weaknesses. The term mentally ill is frightening to many people. Movies, books, and magazines often depict mental illness in frightening ways. In some cases, adolescents suffering from a mental illness do act unpredictably or even dangerously. With proper diagnosis and treatment, most of the symptoms of mental illnesses can be controlled.

It is tempting to distinguish healthy adolescents from adolescents with mental illness problems. However, there is often a fine line between mental health and mental illness. It is important to understand that mental illnesses vary in their severity. For example, many adolescents suffered from various levels of anxiety or depression. Others have suffered from serious mental disorders with biological origins. Education about the adolescents` mental illness is vital for those with mental health problems as well as for the adolescents` friends and family.

Many of the disorders or mental illnesses recognized today without a doubt have their psychodynamic explanation aside from other viewpoints like that of the behaviourist, or the cognitivists. From simple childhood developmental diseases to Schizophrenia, there is a rationale that from Freud’s camp is able to explain (Kaplan et al, 1994). ~ What constitutes a mentally/emotionally healthy person and what causes a person to become dysfunctional? The Christian point of view argues that man is not necessarily or inherently good and that starts him off to a bad start.

The environment further either encourages that innate evil or tones it down. However, the basic idea is that there is a spiritual aspect and this is addressed in what the Christian Scriptures declare as the “renewing of the mind. ” Because this is an integrated approach, it recognizes the work of science with the concept or understanding that it only confirms what Scripture recognizes or identifies all along. Psychology reminds us of the differing opinions of experts in this field. It talks about personality which represents all that the mind, or the mental and affective aspects of a person.

People talk a lot about personality or behavior as if it’s such an uncomplicated and unfussy concept, but they end up having difficulty defining it when asked. They are apt to say that it (behavior or personality in general) is something a person “has. ” They describe the behavioral components of particular people in words like “friendly,” “nice,” “forceful,” or “aggressive,” to paint a picture of what they mean by the term and as a result end, instead, in vague descriptions of how a person usually behaves with other people.

On the other hand, when we base our descriptions on concrete and observable actions that people commonly do or adapt, we come up with what experts call as “behavioral profile. ” There are different styles of behavior as well as there are no right and wrong profile. When we come up with correct profiling, the expected result is that we develop ways of getting to know a more concise and accurate picture of ourselves, or people in general. Personality is more than poise, charm, or physical appearance. It includes habits, attitudes, and all the physical, emotional, social, religious and moral aspects that a person possesses.

However, to be more precise, the explicit behavioral styles covered in the course, perhaps, best captivate an individual’s personality and how he/she is understood. With the different behavioral styles, an overall pattern of various characteristics is seen. Like a “psychograph,” a person’s profile is pulled together and at a glance, the individual can be compared with other people in terms of relative strengths and weaknesses. A healthy personality does not mean it does not have any difficulties at all. It means that a person has the capabilities to withstand any turmoil or stress that come his way.

He has learned the skills to make him adjust to the internal and external stresses; minimizing conflicts from within and without but in a healthy and normal functioning way. ~ How does personal growth occur in the context of your therapy? Personal growth occurs in the context of self-insights; insights concerning the workings of one’s mind in relation to the structures and stimuli around the person. He self-insight is very significant and crucial to the client for him to be able to work well with those who are there to assist in his recovery and eventual personal growth. • What makes your theory work?

Christian counselors are prepared to help their clients sort the distinctions and similarities between psychology and the Christian faith? This is important because basic to therapy success is that when therapist and client share similar worldviews, the therapy may then advance. Moreover, do Christian counselors and those in this kind of profession really pursue real interest and deep thirst for a systematic and regular study of the Bible? If they do not do so, they will be deficient of the overall grasp of the Bible’s structure and content and lack a working knowledge of basic biblical doctrines.

A deep and thriving relationship and commitment to an equally gifted Bible – believing church will also benefit the counselor in his/her personal life and practice, thus a necessary requirement,. C. Key Concepts ~ Explain the primary points of your theory as if you were to summarize it quickly for someone The Psychodynamic perspective is based on the work of Sigmund Freud. He created both a theory to explain personality and mental disorders, and the form of therapy known as psychoanalysis.

The psychodynamic approach assumes that all behavior and mental processes reflect constant and often unconscious struggles within the person. These usually involved conflicts between our need to satisfy basic biological instincts, for example, for food, sex or aggression, and the restrictions imposed by society. Not all of those who take a psychodynamic approach accept all of Freud’s original ideas, but most would view abnormal or problematic behavior as the result of a failure to resolve conflicts adequately.

Many of the disorders or mental illnesses recognized today without a doubt have their psychodynamic explanation aside from other viewpoints like that of the behaviourist, or the cognitivists. From simple childhood developmental diseases to Schizophrenia, there is a rationale that from Freud’s camp is able to explain (Kaplan et al, 1994). In the psychodynamic theory, the following three assumptions help guide a student of human behavior or an expert in this field determine the underlying factors that explain the overt manifestations of specific behaviors.

These assumptions therefore, help guide the diagnosis of the presence or absence of mental illness. They are the same assumptions that guide the therapist in choosing what treatment that will better help heal, cure or alleviate the symptoms. These assumptions are: – “There are instinctive urges that drive personality formation. ” – “Personality growth is driven by conflict and resolving anxieties. ” – “Unresolved anxieties produce neurotic symptoms” (Source: Kaplan et al, 1994). The goals of treatment here include alleviating patient of the symptoms which specifically works to uncover and work through unconscious conflict.

The task of psychodynamic therapy is “to make the unconscious conscious to the patient” (“Models of abnormality”, National Extension College Trust, Ltd). Employing the psychodynamic viewpoint, the therapist or social scientist believes that emotional conflicts, or neurosis, and/or disturbances in the mind are caused by unresolved conflicts which originated during childhood years. In the psychodynamic approach the treatment modality frequently used includes dreams and free association, at times hypnosis (as preferred by either the therapist or by the client).

The therapist actively communicates with the client in the on-going sessions. The scenario appears that a given patient may have up to five times a week session and runs up to five years in length (Rubinstein et al. , 2007). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy postulated primarily by Ellis and Beck “facilitates a collaborative relationship between the patient and therapist. ” With the idea that the counselor and patient together cooperate to attain a trusting relationship and agree which problems or issues need to come first in the course of the therapy.

For the Cognitive Behaviorist Therapist, the immediate and presenting problem that the client is suffering and complaining from takes precedence and must be addressed and focused in the treatment. There is instantaneous relief from the symptoms, and may be encouraged or spurred on to pursue in-depth treatment and reduction of the ailments where possible. The relief from the symptoms from the primary problem or issue will inspire the client to imagine or think that change is not impossible after all.

In this model, issues are dealt directly in a practical way. In the cognitive approach alone, the therapist understands that a client or patient comes into the healing relationship and the former’s role is to change or modify the latter’s maladjusted or error-filled thinking patterns. These patterns may include wishful thinking, unrealistic expectations, constant reliving and living in the past or even beyond the present and into the future, and overgeneralizing. These habits lead to confusion, frustration and eventual constant disappointment.

This therapeutic approach stresses or accentuates the rational or logical and positive worldview: a viewpoint that takes into consideration that we are problem-solvers, have options in life and not that we are always left with no choice as many people think. It also looks into the fact that because we do have options then there are many things that await someone who have had bad choices in the past, and therefore can look positively into the future. Just as the cognitive-behavioral model also recognizes the concept of insight as well, this is only a matter of emphasis or focus.

In behavioral/cognitive-behavioral therapies the focus is on the modification or control of behavior and insight usually becomes a tangential advantage. Techniques include CBT through such strategy as cognitive restructuring and the current frequently used REBT for Rational Emotive-Behavior Therapy where irrational beliefs are eliminated by examining them in a rational manner (Corey, 2004; Davison and Neale, 2001). Whereas in insight therapies the focus or emphasis is on the patient’s ability in understanding his/her issues basing on his inner conflicts, motives and fears.

Coaching the patient on the step by step procedure of CBT is a basic and fundamental ingredient. Here the client is enlightened as to the patterns of his thinking and the errors of these thoughts which bore fruit in his attitudes and behavior. His/her thoughts and beliefs have connections on his/her behavior and must therefore be “reorganized. ” For instance, the ways that a client looks at an issue of his/her life will direct the path of his reactivity to the issue. When corrected at this level, the behavior follows automatically (Rubinstein et al. , 2007; Corey, 2004). D. Therapeutic Goals

~ What are your general goals in therapy? Christian counseling admittedly embraces in reality, a basic integration of the biblical precepts on the view of man and psychology’s scientific breakthroughs in addressing the dilemmas that beset human individuals. Depending on the persuasion of the practitioner, especially whether he or she comes from either the purely theological or “secular” preparation, Christian counseling can either lean to certain degrees of theology or psychology. According to Larry Crabb, “If psychology offers insights which will sharpen our counseling skills and increase our effectiveness, we want to know them.

If all problems are at core spiritual matters we don’t want to neglect the critically necessary resources available through the Lord by a wrong emphasis on psychological theory” (Crabb in Anderson et al, 2000). Dr. Crabb’s position certainly ensures that science in particular, has its place in counseling in as much as theology does. He made sure that all means are addressed as the counselor approaches his profession, especially in the actual conduction of both the diagnostic and therapeutic or intervention phases (Crabb in Anderson et al. , 2000).

Trauma inducing and crisis triggering situations have spiraled its occurrence and in its primacy in the US and in many other countries in recent years. Its broad spectrum ranges from the national disaster category such as that of Hurricane Katrina or the 911 terrorist strikes in New York, Spain and England, to private instances such as a loved one’s attempt at suicide, the murder of a spouse or child, the beginning of mental illness, and the worsening situation of domestic violence (Teller et al, 2006).

The acute crisis episode is a consequence of people who experience life-threatening events and feel overwhelmed with difficulty resolving the inner conflicts or anxiety that threaten their lives. They seek the help of counselors, paramedics and other health workers in crisis intervention centers to tide them over the acute episodes they are encountering. These are defining moments for people and must be adequately addressed else they lead lives with dysfunctional conduct patterns or disorders (Roberts et al, 2006).