Psychology Articles on Psychoanalytic Therapy

Psychoanalytic therapy, commonly known simply as psychotherapy, is a form of psychological treatment based off ideas developed by Sigmund Freud in the early years of the 20th century. Though psychotherapy (along with most of Freud's ideas) has fallen out of favor with psychologists in modern times, it remains relatively popular with the general public.

Underlying Principles

• While a complete examination of psychoanalytic theory is beyond the scope of this article, its basic idea is relatively simple: our behavior is governed by unconscious fears, traumas and desires. Psychotherapy treats mental disorders and destructive behavior by exposing a person's past experiences and fostering conscious acknowledgment of those circumstances from the patient. Put very simply, psychotherapy is the process of bringing the previously "unconscious" into "consciousness."

Types of Psychotherapy

• Essentially, there are two basic schools of psychotherapy. The first is strict Freudian psychoanalysis, in which a therapist makes a diagnosis of a patient's condition and suggestions for his treatment based on Freudian interpretations of his behavior, thoughts and dreams. The goal of psychoanalysis (on a macro level) is to provide the patient with insight as to the nature of his problem--once the patient possesses this insight (or so the theory goes), he will be able to correct his behavior. Cognitive and cognitive behavioral therapy are centered around teaching patients coping mechanisms that allow them to "self-correct" their thoughts and behaviors.

How Psychotherapy Works

• Psychotherapy is based around a conversational relationship between patient and therapist. Treatment sessions will essentially involve the patient sharing recent or past experiences, and the therapist suggesting possible meanings of those experiences, with the ultimate goal of helping the patient understand the reasons behind her behavior. The patient is encouraged to contribute her own thoughts, suggestions and theories throughout treatment. Cognitive and behavioral therapy often take the process a step further by forcing a patient to confront her trauma or fears (patients afraid of flying, for instance, may be taken for short plane flights).

Criticisms

• All psychoanalytic theory is criticized for the same fundamental reason: Freud's theories were not developed through the rigors of the scientific method. Essentially, Freud developed a theory and set it down in books, offering anecdotal evidence but no truly scientific exploration of his theories. Thus, many psychologists literally regard psychotherapy as "made up." There is even greater debate over the effectiveness of cognitive therapy, which has even come under fire from psychotherapists as ineffective or even harmful. Nonetheless, patients continue to seek psychotherapy in spite of its disputed legitimacy.

The "Cure"

• Another criticism of psychotherapy is that it almost always leaves the patient to decide when he is "cured." The patient then stops treatment. Obviously, this is a highly subjective interpretation to be left to someone who feels psychologically unstable. Furthermore, unethical therapists have sometimes been known to literally take over patients' lives by using their "interpretations" to shape the patients' behavior. The best defense against this kind of malpractice is to choose an ethical therapist by thoroughly researching his qualifications.