The Psychodynamic Approach Assumption 1
Freud likened the mind to an iceberg. The tip that can be seen above the water is
the conscious mind. The conscious mind is what we are aware of and is rational.
The rest beneath the water that cannot be seen is the unconscious mind which is
what we are not aware of and is not rational. The unconscious mind is hidden
from us as it contains traumatic memories that are too harmful to the conscious
mind. Freud explained that we cannot access the unconscious mind directly but
can through psychotherapy such as dream analysis. Freud said that dreams are
the “royal road” to the unconscious
The unconscious mind has unresolved conflicts that can harm our ego. To protect
the ego, we have ego defense mechanisms. They are:
Regression- reverting back to a previous psychosexual stage
Repression- burying traumatic memories into the past
Displacement- redirecting feelings of hostility towards a less threatening target
Projection- a mental process when you attribute what is in your mind to someone
else
Denial- refusing to accept reality
An example is if I child experienced a traumatic experience whilst the ego was not
fully developed it can cause the child to repress the memory and later on the child
could suffer from depression or anxiety.
Freud likened the mind to an iceberg. The tip that can be seen above the water is
the conscious mind. The conscious mind is what we are aware of and is rational.
The rest beneath the water that cannot be seen is the unconscious mind which is
what we are not aware of and is not rational. The unconscious mind is hidden
from us as it contains traumatic memories that are too harmful to the conscious
mind. Freud explained that we cannot access the unconscious mind directly but
can through psychotherapy such as dream analysis. Freud said that dreams are
the “royal road” to the unconscious
The unconscious mind has unresolved conflicts that can harm our ego. To protect
the ego, we have ego defense mechanisms. They are:
Regression- reverting back to a previous psychosexual stage
Repression- burying traumatic memories into the past
Displacement- redirecting feelings of hostility towards a less threatening target
Projection- a mental process when you attribute what is in your mind to someone
else
Denial- refusing to accept reality
An example is if I child experienced a traumatic experience whilst the ego was not
fully developed it can cause the child to repress the memory and later on the child
could suffer from depression or anxiety.
