Humanistic and psychodynamic perspectives are two broad approaches to understanding and addressing human behavior and mental processes. These perspectives have some similarities and differences, and they have both influenced the field of psychology in significant ways.
The humanistic perspective is centered on the idea that people are inherently good and have the potential to grow and achieve their full potential. This perspective emphasizes the subjective experiences of individuals, including their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. It focuses on the present moment and encourages self-exploration and personal growth.
The psychodynamic perspective, on the other hand, emphasizes the unconscious mind and the role that past experiences and unconscious conflicts play in shaping behavior and mental processes. This perspective was developed by Sigmund Freud and his followers, and it suggests that unconscious desires, fears, and motivations can influence behavior and decision-making in ways that people are not aware of.
One key difference between these two perspectives is the focus on the individual versus the focus on the past. The humanistic perspective emphasizes the present and the potential for personal growth, while the psychodynamic perspective emphasizes the past and the unconscious conflicts and desires that shape behavior.
Another difference is the focus on the self versus the focus on relationships. The humanistic perspective emphasizes the importance of individual self-awareness and personal growth, while the psychodynamic perspective emphasizes the role of relationships and interpersonal dynamics in shaping behavior and mental processes.
Despite these differences, both perspectives have contributed significantly to the field of psychology and have influenced the way we understand and address mental health and well-being. The humanistic perspective has led to the development of therapies that focus on self-exploration and personal growth, such as person-centered therapy and gestalt therapy. The psychodynamic perspective has influenced the development of therapies that focus on unconscious conflicts and the role of the past in shaping present behavior, such as psychoanalysis and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Overall, both the humanistic and psychodynamic perspectives offer valuable insights into human behavior and mental processes, and they have both influenced the way we approach mental health and well-being. While they have some differences, they can also be complementary and can be used together to better understand and address the needs of individuals.
Psychoanalytic Versus Humanistic: Comparative Analysis
He suggests 8 life stages infancy, early childwood, preschool, school age, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood and maturity of which young adulthood 19 to 40 years is manifest by the conflict of intimacy against isolation, accompanied by significant changes in lifestyle and increase of responsibilities. By the same token emotional and SDHEAH, 2013 infers that Identity, followed by intimacy and generativity are concerns in young adults. Example: A child who is constantly abused or not receiving any love attention from parents may turn into a big bully at school where he replaces his own anxiety -reaction formation to have misbehavior personality such as vandalism, aggressive or bad temper. Humanistic theory is centred around behaviour and mental process they criticised psychoanalytic theorists of being too focussed on the unconscious mind. Berne also said that each person is made up of three alter ego states: Parent - This is our ingrained voice of authority, absorbed conditioning, learning and attitudes from when we were young. They involve not only an outwardly obvious physical form, the body, but also the mind and spirit, less clearly defined subjects. Person centred counselling or humanistic counselling tends to focus on the more positive emotions and stress how growth is important, where in the other models it seems to focus more on the negatives.
Psychodynamic and humanistic
These are seen as the cause of emotional disturbance and are not able to be explicitly voiced due to a coping mechanism of internal repression. During the phallic phase, the young boy enters the Oedipus phase where he fears his father and castration while simultaneously fantasizing about sexual relations with his mother The young girl, in contrast, enters the Electra phase, where she experiences penis envy, which often culminates in her turning away from sexual life altogether. Theories Two major theorists with this approach are Ibrahim Maslow and Carl Rogers. He believed that the conscious level of the mind was similar to the tip of the iceberg which could be seen, but the unconscious was mysterious and was hidden. Bibliography Jacobs, M, 2004.
Explore the psychodynamic and Humanistic approach
Get Help With Your Essay If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! In the arena of mental health care, it has become common knowledge, based on an expanding foundation of research, that older adults can and do benefit from psychotherapy for a variety of mental health needs. This is also linked Low frustration tolerance where they believe they cannot tolerate any frustration, and would rather remain as they were than go through pain to change. The Personal Unconscious — This is material that was once conscious but has become forgotton or suppressed. Strachey 1964 , London: Hogarth Press and institute of Psychoanalysis. Attachment theory states that attachment is a developmental process based on the evolved adaptive tendency for young children to maintain proximity to a familiar person, called the attachment figure. .
