...The Psychodynamic Approach This essay will discuss the Psychodynamic approach. It will address the psyche, unconscious and conscious, psychosexual stages of development, defense mechanisms and finally the strengths and limitations of the approach. The psychodynamic approach is about the unconscious processes which underpin our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. It is important in early childhood experiences (conscious and unconscious) in determining our later development because aspects of early relationships are transferred onto relationships in the present, which is known as transference. Psyche The psychodynamic approach is also about the ID, ego and super ego. The ID is like a little devil on your shoulder, which may include thoughts like sex, aggression, drinking and eating. The Ego is the conscious and is rational trying to balance things out between the ID and the super ego. The Super ego is like the angel on your shoulder it has a moral conscious and prevents us acting out ID’s wishes. Conscious and unconscious Freud’s ideas about the mind (as suggested in Cardwell psychology p886) have been used like an iceberg . The iceberg above the water is the conscious mind and the part underneath the water being the unconscious mind. Looking at the image, the ID is below the surface of consciousness, it cannot be controlled. The ego and super ego is partially conscious and partially unconscious. Nobody is aware of the unconscious influences. There are five...
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...relationship between symbol, unconsciousness and dreams. In his essay “ The Importance of Dreams”, Jung describes that man produces symbols unconsciously and spontaneously, in the forms of dreams. He says that dreams are outlet of unconsciousness. He describes that how human incompetence to define and inability to explain certain things which is beyond human reasoning always expressed using different varieties of symbols such as natural symbols, cultural symbols and religious symbols. Jung’s idea is valid because things beyond the range of human understanding stores unconsciously without our conscious knowledge in human psyche which is revealed to us in a dream as a symbolic image. Jung believes that human unconsciousness exists and it expresses itself through our dreams using symbolic language. He asserts that “whoever denies the existence of the unconsciousness is in fact assuming that our present knowledge of the psyche is total. And this belief is clearly just as false as the assumption that we know all there is to be known about the natural universe” (192). Jung is right here because human race doesn’t know all about the natural universe. Human psyche is part of nature and nature is limitless and infinite. Thus defining nature and psyche is just the belief that human describes and explains any psychic events as best as it can be but that is not the whole truth. As it is well known that human minds never perceive anything completely and this inability to comprehend...
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...Introduction Hypnotherapy has often been associated with being strange and mysterious, curing people by unknown means. In order to explain what hypnosis is, this essay will be considering both the psychological and the physiological aspects of hypnosis. It will start with a brief history of hypnosis before explaining a person’s different states of mind and how these states of mind can be measured. It will then go on to discuss the importance of relaxation as a technique in order to establish the necessary state of mind of a client for hypnosis. The client being in this state of mind can then be used to make the beneficial changes that an individual may wish to make in their thought patterns, their behaviors or their physiological state through suggestion. By discussing the psychological and physiological aspects of hypnosis, the essay will reach a conclusion of “what is hypnosis?” Psychology of Hypnosis Historically, hypnosis could not be explained, it seemed that people were being cured by unknown means. Mesmer in the1770s believed that these unexplained cures were down to the laws of magnetism, placing magnets on patient’s bodies or filling tubs with water and iron rods that induced convulsions during his therapy. He believed that the convulsions released a block that a patient had in their fluid flow. Mesmer’s therapy, known as mesmerism, was observed by the Marquis de Puysegur who witnessed that the patients were falling asleep and that he could talk to them...
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..."What is hypnosis?" Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in hypnotherapy. In order to address the essay title I will begin looking at what hypnosis is. I will look at a brief history of hypnosis and how it has developed through the years, now being recognised as a form of therapy. I will explain how people experience physical and psychological changes during their experience of hypnosis and how relaxation plays a key role. I will also address how, due to the physical and psychological changes, hypnosis can be used as a treatment for illnesses. Finally, I will conclude how relaxation is an important aspect of hypnosis and, without it, we would find it extremely difficult to reach the unconscious state of mind where suggestions are accepted in order to make positive changes to thought patterns and behaviours. One of the earliest known uses of hypnosis was by "shamans" who were also known as "healers". The healing process would involve the Shamans being strongly focused with heightened concentration. They would take themselves into a "lower world" where they would use powerful visualisations and suggestion in order to will healing for a sick person. Following from that, in the 1700's, Franz Anton Mesmer introduced the theory of "animal magnetism". Mesmer believed that there was an astrological influence on human health and that this was presented in the form of "cosmic...
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...Abstract This essay discusses the mind-body question and the difficulty to explain how these two entities relate to philosophical and scientific inquiry. This discussion includes the difficulty scientists find with dealing with the mind-body question when discussing the conception of reality. The discussion will include Searle’s perception of the mind-body question and conclude with a personal perspective of the mind-body question and what it means to her. The conclusion of the essay after research is that this question is difficult to answer because of different views and perspectives. Mind-Body Questions Paper The mind-body question has been a source of examination for many years. This examination began in the seventeenth-century with the French philosopher Descartes. Many credit Descartes with beginning the mind-body problem. The mind-body question in essence deals with how the physical world interacts and relates to the mental aspects of the mind. Descartes considered that the mind existed only in the mental state with the body existing only in the physical state. He felt that the mind could not exist with the body (Schimmel, 2001). Many others have formed various opinions, including John Searle, which emphasizes consciousness when discussing the mind. This essay is a discussion of the difficulty poised by the mind-body question on philosophical and scientific inquiry. The essay will also include the perspective of Searle concerning the mind-body question and reality...
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...birth. It is comprised of urges and desires plus the effects and fixations of early childhood experiences. All memories are kept here. All of the power for the operation of the other two systems and is in close touch with the bodily processes from which it derives its energy. It represents the inner world of subjective experience and has no knowledge of objective reality. Operates on the unconscious level of the human mind. Avoiding pain and obtaining pleasure, the Id has its command two processes the reflex action and the primary process. Attempts to discharge tension by forming a memory mage of an object that will remove the tension. This form of memory image is called wish fulfillment and is the only reality that the Id knows. “I want.” Ego come into existence because the individual needs some type of conscious element with which to make contact with the objective world of reality in order to satisfy the needs for the body and the Id. It derives its power from the Id. The ego develops as the “self” develops and becomes conscious not only of itself but of the outside world. Superego The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learnt from one's parents and others....
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...told to write a beach essay for academic writing. It becomes a walk in the park especially for those who spend most of their leisure time, vacation, holiday, or afternoon siesta at the ocean. In order to start writing a beach essay one must have a clear conscious. High imagination for those who have never been to the beach will help to write the beach essay. The moments you start writing a beach essay always remember to put all the aspects and features found at the beach. Unlike in custom term paper or custom essay writing where one is guided with instructions one is at liberty to state own experience while at the beach. The journey to start writing a captivating beach essay that will leave the reader wants to visit the beach begins immediately one’s mind is in the ocean. Example of How a Beach Essay Should Begin. As the wind is blowing from east to west, men and women in swimming gear enjoy the sweet breeze, coconut trees obey the sweet moving air. The sound of the rising and falling tide can be heard from a far. As the ocean tide rises above, the surfers scream with excitement while they perform acrobatic moves, it astonishes everyone. Most people at the beach flock in pairs to feel the marvel of the place. It is also a good place for those who feel lonely and need a place to relive their pressure. If you need a calm place to rest and reduce stress then being at the beach will work magic. Tranquillity found at the beach will ease your mind and help you think positive...
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...This essay will examine the differences between psychology and common sense. It will also discuss the obstacles and drawbacks that primary experience and common sense beliefs can have on the epistemological advancement of any experimental science. The paper will start with a brief history of psychology and then discuss the different perspectives and approaches within the field. Giving examples throughout and briefly touching on the pioneers in the development of psychology, this essay will argue that the use of systematic and objective methods of observation and experimentation in psychology make it much more than just 'common sense'. The bathroom floor is somewhat colder than the bedroom carpet. Most people would agree with this statement and pass it off as just 'common sense'. But what if a thermometer showed that the bathroom floor was actually the same temperature as the bedroom carpet, and the real reason that the tiled floor in the bathroom 'felt' colder than the bedroom carpet was because the carpet is a better thermal insulator than the ceramic tile? Therefore feet lose heat to the floor more slowly on the carpet than on the tile floor, and consequently the cold receptors in the feet's skin are not stimulated to the same extent (Refinetti, 1992). This example, although not specifically a psychological one, shows that the element of primary experience and common sense beliefs in most humans can prove to be an obstacle in the development of any experimental science. The...
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...brain and mind. There are two important philosophers I will discuss in this essay; whose ideas and thoughts vary in comparison to what the knowledge of a self is. Descartes and Locke are two philosophers that have many thoughts and concepts to offer towards self, identity, and consciousness. Rene Descartes, commonly known as the “Father of Philosopher” seeks to find if the self exists. In Meditations on First Philosophy, he meditates on various...
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...reflective essay illustrates Freud’s theory of dream analysis. It will begin with a brief overview of Freudian dream theory and will go on to describe the various components of personality structure and the unconscious from a psychodynamic perspective. This essay will analyse one of my personal dreams using Freud’s dream analysis theory and conclude with a critical reflection on the application of his theory as it relates to my dream. When Freud famously referred to dreams as being the ‘royal road to the unconscious’, he meant that dreams were a way in which to access the unconscious mind. Dream analysis in psychoanalysis is the process used to explore the role dreams play in the unconscious (Corey, 2005). The purpose of Freud’s theory of dream analysis is to gain better access to the unconscious in order to bring it into the conscious (Day, 2008). Freud believed that the mind represses painful events that the conscious does not want to remember due to the pain and anxiety they cause (Scharf, 2008). These repressed desires and motivations are freed through dreams which are a direct connection to the unconscious. Freud saw the unconscious as sexual and instinctual in nature and the dream as a disguised unfulfilled wish (Welsh, 1994). To better understand the dynamics between the conscious and the unconscious parts of the mind, Freud (1994) developed the structural model of the psyche which he called “the psychic apparatus”. Freud proposed that the part of the mind that structures...
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...The theory of innateness is a philosophical idea that was developed to explain how human beings have certain ideas that lead to knowledge. However, in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Locke claims that there is not satisfactory evidence to support this theory. In the first book of the Essay, Locke’s motive is to challenge the general assumption that the human mind innately possesses the basic truths thought necessary for the possibility of knowledge. Contrary to the widely held belief of innateness, Locke makes the argument that knowledge is derived from empirical experience. In An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke presents a systematic case against innate knowledge, and argues for the doctrine that sense...
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...In An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke does not offer a positive argument for or against the immateriality of the soul, despite rejecting the Cartesian claim that personal identity being attached to the soul (Heide 06 Apr). His own account of personal identity, while compatible with there being immaterial souls, does not depend on such entities existing. Instead, he connects personal identity to continuous consciousness, or memory, a position which does not rely on the soul to do any explanatory work. This paper will first explicate René Descartes's view of personal identity, and it will be argued that Locke's critique provides compelling reason to reject the argument that personal identity as tied to an individual soul. Locke's...
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...“What if the air we breathe is a drug that makes us see a dazed version of the world? But when people take real drugs, you see how real the world is” (calming_Giga). I have never smoked weed, taken any drugs and got high. But if getting high means having your mind, your conscious blown away and all that comes out of your mouth are questions after questions of the world that you live in? Then, yes. I have experienced that. And I’m pretty sure a lot of us have. To tell you the truth, if I wanted to experience what others have of getting high and seeing the “real world” – I don’t need the drugs, all I need is: This Will Make You Smarter. That’s all I need, to see the real world. It’s a book. It’s a big red book; maybe the same size as a “Harry...
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...People have to recognize psychologies’ “evolving history” (Goodwin, 2008). Knowing psychologies’ history and origins helps us to be aware of complications in the future. To “know thyself” in psychology is to understand psychologies beginnings, strengths, weaknesses, achievement, down falls, disciplines and so much more. This essay will take a look at four key milestones in the development of cognitive psychology. The four key milestones that will be viewed are behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanism and cognitive psychology. Along with the four key milestones this document will also go over the major importance of behavioral observation. Behaviorism Behavior is defined as a way in which on functions in “response to stimulation” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Founder of behaviorism John B. Watson is well known for his statement “Give me a dozen healthy infants well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select” (Cherry, 2012). John Watson was an American psychologist, who believed that psychology was not just the study of the human mind and but also behavior and its functions. Behaviorism is known as behavioral psychology based on a method of learning called conditioning. Conditioning is a form of...
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...THE MIND IN IDEALISM Philosophy of mind is widely considered a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness, and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind–body problem, i.e. the relationship of the mind to the body, is commonly seen as one key issue in philosophy of mind, although there are other issues concerning the nature of the mind that do not involve its relation to the physical body, such as how consciousness is possible and the nature of particular mental states. One of these issues that do not presume a relationship of a mind and body is the conception of mind in Idealism. Philosophically, idealism is the view that fundamental reality is the make-up of mind and ideas only. This essay will discuss at length what the mind generally means to the idealist especially in the classical sense as espoused by George Berkeley and then proceed to analyse the concept of mind or self in the radical transcendentalism of Joseph von Schelling and conclude with Edmund Husserl, a 20th century philosopher and reputed founder of Phenomenology Idealism is the form of monism that sees the world as consisting of minds, mental contents and or consciousness, according to Stoljar (2005). Idealists are not faced with explaining how minds arise from bodies: rather, the world, bodies and objects are regarded as mere appearances held by minds. According to Stoljar, accounting for the mind–body...
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