Paper Topic:

psyhcology

What Psychodynamic Theory Has to Contribute to Our Understanding of

Counselling in a Multicultural Society

If counsellors are to discern very well their clients of diverse backgrounds or culture and their place in a multicultural society psychodynamic theory may be particularly helpful in this respect Theories and techniques used in counselling are diverse and it is imperative for counsellors to know how to use their knowledge of psychodynamic theory in conceptualising systems for both counselling and therapy

In psychodynamic therapy , which is an approach in counselling based on psychoanalytic theories

, it is postulated that conscious and unconscious influences mold human behavior and social relationships

This concept of the unconscious is often associated with Sigmund Freud whose contribution in psychoanalysis can not be discounted Psychoanalytic theory though , is not exclusively Freudian . Freud 's brilliant ideas and theories , though controversial , gave rise to other psychoanalytic theories as well . Carl Jung was famous for his collective unconscious and his oriental approach was unorthodox for Western psychoanalytic theorists . D .D . Winnicott 's transitional objects and good- enough mothering for instance , are interesting contributions to psychoanalysis as well . Melanie Klein , although was an initial follower of Freud , eventually developed her unique approach with her object relations theory . It should be fascinating to explore these theorists contribution to systems and approaches of multicultural counselling . In as much as these theorists ' perspectives seem to have distinct or even conflicting orientations , we may have the chance to look upon their theories , in many ways , complementary in the practice of counselling in a multicultural society

Sigmund Freud

Psychoanalytic approaches to therapy and counselling originated from the works of Sigmund Freud . He viewed that people are driven by unconscious influences , a part of their inner world of which they are not aware of . He theorised that repressed unconscious thoughts and feelings could manifest through dreams , fantasies and odd behavior Until after these repressed forbidden desires , hurtful memories and experiences are brought to conscious awareness , these were presumed to lead to irrational and maladaptive behavior . Based on this concept effective counsellors can effectively draw upon these repressed thoughts and emotions through psychotherapy to ease their client 's depression or anxiety and to rebuild their client 's self-esteem

Freud 's concept of eros (sexual and life instincts ) and thanatos (aggressive and death instincts ) are considered motivating factors of personality , with the term libido referring to basic energy of life associated with Eros . Life instincts may manifest for instance in /as ____________ . Whereas , troubled individuals may manifest death instincts through destructive behavior such as , alcoholism , substance abuse , and even suicide

Freud theorised that the individual 's behavior is assumed to result from the interaction of three components of the personality : id , ego and superego . The id is said to be the source of instinctual drives and operate in terms of the pleasure principle . It is capable of eliciting mental images and wish-fulfilling fantasies (Coleman , 1980

The second personality component is the ego , which intercedes between the demands of the id and the external...

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