Focused on the presence of unconscious conflicts and the repression of instinct it is one of the most controversial theories that tries to explain, among other things, why we are who we are, think how we think and act how we act.
When talking about psychoanalysis we generally think of its founder Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalytic theory, but there is a great variety of theories that were derived from him and ended up constituting different types of psychoanalysis.
1. Freudian psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is not only a set of psychological theories, but also a research method and a mode and technique of psychotherapeutic treatment.
Psychoanalytic theory has its origins in the figure of Sigmund Freud, a Viennese doctor specialized in neurology. who lived during the Victorian era and who throughout his career developed various theories and explanatory models regarding the structure of personality, human development and psychopathology.
Unconscious
Freudian psychoanalysis and subsequently all types of psychoanalysis or psychodynamic theories have been characterized by dividing the psyche into three fundamental aspects, conscious, preconscious and unconscious, of which they have focused mainly on the study of the latter. The unconscious is the most determining part of the psyche, collecting the most primitive and instinctual desires, impulses and sensations. that we have been developing since childhood and be governed by the pleasure principle.
It, ego and superego
Furthermore, in this theory the psychic apparatus is configured by three main elements, called id, ego and superego. While the id is the instinctive and impulsive part that dictates what we want and that usually acts at an unconscious level, the superego is the part of our psyche that observes the morality of behavior and seeks to ensure that it is done in a responsible way. Finally, the ego would be responsible for making the id’s desires fall within what the superego finds acceptable, using various defense mechanisms to mediate between desires and reality.
Drives
For Freud, the main motor of behavior and psychic life is the libidinal or sexual drive. These instincts are repressed by the conscience based on the censorship caused by the superego on the id, which causes the ego to seek mechanisms to repress or sublimate desires. These defense mechanisms may not be sufficiently efficient when it comes to resolving internal conflicts, potentially generating various disorders.
In addition to all of the above, Freud establishes a development model based on the libidinal impulse, his genetic model of psychosexual development. In it the individual will go through the oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital phases, overcoming different complexes and anxieties until achieving complete psychosexual development and maturation. It is possible that regressions could occur that would result in different behaviors and pathologies.
Psychopathologies
Psychological problems are a symptom of the existence of unconscious conflicts which are generally due to repressed traumas or unresolved problems, appearing because defense mechanisms have not been able to reduce the tension generated by said conflicts.
Therapy
Regarding psychotherapeutic treatment, the Freudian approach places special emphasis on the relationship between professional and therapist. called therapeutic relationship. Given the importance given to sexual needs when explaining behavior, Freud considered that their repression and non-satisfaction could cause part of the libido to be directed towards the therapist, with the patient transferring the blocked emotions to the figure of the professional as a way of reliving repressed events. The projection mechanism is used for this.
Analyzing these transfers will allow, according to this theory, the patient to discover the repressed elements and existing blockages, being able to improve the patient’s condition. Likewise, the therapist’s reactions to the patient’s revelations or countertransference are also taken into account, which can allow interpretation of what is unconsciously expressed by the treated individual. This last aspect must be very controlled so that the therapeutic relationship is not contaminated.
2. Continuing with Freudian theory: the psychoanalytic tradition of the self
A large number of Freud’s disciples considered his theories to be correct and true, maintaining a certain continuity with the founder of the discipline in the development of psychoanalysis. However, That they accepted the theories of the father of psychoanalysis does not mean that they did not develop new perspectives and types of psychoanalysis. delving deeper into them and expanding into new areas.
In this sense, the psychoanalytic tradition of the self is characterized by expanding its scope of action, applying it to children and other severe disorders. More emphasis would be placed on the Self, and the focus would be placed on interpersonal relationships. There would also be some differences with Freudian psychoanalysis, such as greater directivity and activity on the part of the professional and a focus closer to what is real and social. An increase in the individual’s ability to adapt was sought and their decision-making capacity was valued.
Although multiple authors can be enrolled within this tradition, such as Anna Freud who greatly delved into the different defense mechanisms that we use, in general the components of the psychoanalytic tradition of the ego would accept most of Freudian concepts and theories. Some of the authors who had the most significant contributions are the following.
Winnicott
Winnicott’s contributions focused on the role of transitional objects and phenomena and the role of the mother and the mother-child bond in human development. This author considered that mental problems are due to failures in the provision of stimulation during childhood.
As the child develops, he establishes relationships with the environment and the different beings that surround him. Initially, they establish a series of behaviors or connections with objects (transitional) that make anxiety more tolerable, also allowing them to begin to differentiate between the self and the non-self.
The role of the mother in development is fundamental, with maternal concern being captured by the child and providing security and acting as an auxiliary self until the child manages to develop his or her own self. The child will go through several phases of dependency until he can be autonomous.
In cases where therapy is necessary, the therapist must act as a transitional object that allows development to be promoted and completed through transference and countertransference.
3. Melanie Klein’s object relations theory
Melanie Klein’s work in child psychoanalysis is widely known. Focused mainly on the practical aspect rather than the theoretical, this author is considered the founder of the theory of object relations, according to which the individual relates to the environment depending on the type of links established between subject and object.
unconscious fantasy
One of the most important types of psychoanalysis focused on the development of children, a very important concept for the author is unconscious fantasy, understood as that expression of desires and instincts that exist from the beginning of life. These fantasies are what direct the child’s behavior and allow us to understand her attitude and way of acting.
When evaluating and treating children, the use of symbolic play is especially important. as an element to extract information from children. given that free association cannot be applied as we do not have sufficient resources and maturity to do so. However, in the game, the unconscious fantasies that direct behavior are projected, in a manner analogous to what would be done through free association. Furthermore, the interpretation of the meaning of the game can serve to modify the infant’s anxiety.
Regarding the way of linking to objects, it establishes two positions: The first is the paranoid-schizoid position in which the individual is not able to distinguish between the self and the non-self and therefore is not able to integrate that the same object can sometimes be rewarding and sometimes be absent or painful, so each object is divided into two (one good and one bad). You have a concrete and partial thought.
The second is the depressive position, in which objects begin to be seen as a whole, sometimes good and sometimes bad, and with which comes the fear of losing the loved object.
In object relations the life drive would be seen through gratitude while that of death through envy and jealousy. This is especially important for the resolution of the Oedipus conflict.
It also indicates that the Ego has four basic functions: experiencing and fighting against the anxiety caused by the death drive, establishing object relations, integrating and synthesizing the self, and acquiring and emitting through introjection and projection of attitudes and characteristics. external or internal.
4. Neo-Freudian tradition: divergences with Freudian psychoanalysis
Freud’s theories initially attracted numerous scholars who would be trained in the complexities of the human mind under the school of psychoanalysis.
However, in many cases important differences would end up emerging in the way of conceiving various aspects of the psyche. For example, many authors opposed the concept of death drive. Likewise, others had a greater interest in the conscious aspects of the person. The identification of sexuality as the main driver of behavior and development would also be widely discussed, being considered secondary in the determination of behavior. Furthermore, Freudian psychoanalysis does not delve into or give excessive value to social and cultural aspects, nor to the patient’s current situation, which is mostly derived from childhood traumas.
For this reason, many authors ended up abandoning classical psychoanalysis and establishing their own lines of thought, emerging new types of psychoanalysis. Some of the most notable authors are the following.
5. Jungian analytical psychology
Carl Gustav Jung was one of Freud’s disciples who, although he began his career with the father of psychoanalysis, would end up disagreeing with him in many aspects, separating from his school and developing what would be called analytical or depth psychology. For Jung, although libido was present in human beings, it was only a secondary part of his being and not his main driving force.
It is one of the best-known types of psychoanalysis, with psychic energy being the main driving force of human action. This energy is expressed in thinking, feeling, intuiting and perceiving.
Two types of unconscious
Another of the main differences is that analytical psychology considers the existence of two types of unconscious : an individual one in which repressed experiences can be found and another collective one from which the knowledge and knowledge of the ancestors is partly inherited. In the first, complexes derived from childhood traumas can be generated, always existing in the individual a part of which we are aware and show to the world, the person, and a part called shadow in which our instinctive and unconscious side is censored and hidden. to the world.
Collective unconscious
With regard to the collective unconscious, based on it we can see the existence of various archetypes or universal and shared psychic expressions that act autonomously in the face of external events and that are expressed in different ways in our lives, allowing us to relate our self with the environment until the individuation process is completed.
Personality
Personality is forged from basic processes, mainly in the development of relationships between subject and object at the time, which will determine our level of introversion or extraversion, in the rational capacity in regard to the ability to reflect or feel. and in the irrational processes when establishing whether we are more sensory or intuitive.
Depth psychology gives great importance to the symbolic and spiritual l, working largely through the artistic and spontaneous expressions of the unconscious. For this reason, the analysis of dreams is of great importance, which have a compensatory and clarifying function of consciousness.
The final objective of treatment in this type of psychoanalysis is to achieve the correct development of selfhood or individuation, from a collaborative relationship between patient and therapist.
6. Adler’s Individual Psychology
As would happen with Jung, Adler would consider that Freud’s theory gave too much importance to the sexual sphere. Furthermore, unlike Freud, he considers that although the unconscious and the past are important, the human being is himself an active being with the capacity to create and decide in the present, not being determined by his past.
here and now
This type of psychoanalysis focuses more on the here and now, with the conscious self having great importance in Adler’s thought and the individual being aware of their possibilities and limitations. That is why would end up separating from traditional psychoanalysis and establishing individual psychology.
Feeling of inferiority
For this author, problems arise from the understanding that one’s own desires are beyond the individual’s reach, giving rise to the feeling of inferiority. Thus, individual psychology is based on the desire for power as a way of trying to compensate for feelings of inferiority. Human beings tend to seek the feeling of belonging to the community.
For this author it is necessary to treat the individual holistically having great importance in his beliefs and concepts of himself and the world. It works from a change in lifestyle, trying to make conscious a vital guideline that, by changing the orientation towards life events, the individual wants to follow and strengthen it through self-confidence.
7. Sullivan’s Interpersonal Psychoanalysis
It is one of the types of psychoanalysis most focused on the relationship between people. placing the focus of interest on the ability to establish interpersonal relationships and communication. The interpersonal comes to assume and provoke the intrapsychic, understanding these relationships as the main driver and modifier of behavior.
Under interpersonal psychoanalysis, personality is and is due to the stable pattern of interpersonal situations that characterize the human being. This pattern is composed of dynamisms, personifications and an ego system developed from experience.
Dynamisms and needs
Dynamisms are ways perpetuated over time in which the individual transforms his energy, directing it to attempt to satisfy a need. whether self-satisfaction or security (understood as anxiety relief). These dynamics reduce the tension produced by the presence of a need, but if they are not effective they will generate anxiety that will lead to destructive behaviors.
Personifications are the way we interpret the interpersonal, reactions and attitudes of others. These are schemes developed from repeated experience with others that will be fixed to our internal structure, forming part of our personality.
As for the Ego system, it is a personality system developed through life experiences and whose objective is to protect our self-esteem through the satisfaction of the people we love.
Symbol
With all this, it is possible to observe that the main emphasis of this type of psychoanalysis is on the use of the symbol as a communicative element and in the expression of mental and physical contents.
For Sullivan, the events we experience are processed internally in different ways as we grow. The first of them would be prototaxic, typical of newborns, in which the environment is felt as something undifferentiated over which we have no control. Later we would see the world in a parataxic way, being able to make associations between elements of the environment and predictions as we acquire experience and symbolic capacity. Finally, as adults and in the case of achieving correct development, we would experience the world syntactically, being able to share symbols correctly and actively and basing our actions on logic and adaptation to the context.
Psychopathology
Psychological problems such as mental disorders are for this type of psychoanalysis product of maladaptive relational patterns or mismatched dynamics having to be treated taking into account therapy as a type of interpersonal relationship that must provide security while facilitating changes that make personal relationships more adaptive and in which the patient expresses himself in an adaptive way and free of inhibitions.
8. Fromm’s humanistic psychoanalysis
Traditional psychoanalysis is mainly based on the power of the unconscious over the behavior of the individual, treating and focusing on the existence of conflicts and pathological thought processes. Erich Fromm, however, believed that to understand the human mind it is necessary to know how we find meaning in our lives, exploring the positive and motivational side of the psyche.
It is one of the most humanistic types of psychoanalysis. and linked with positive elements without rejecting the importance of human pain.
However, another characteristic of Erich Fromm’s psychoanalytic perspective is that he incorporates an important social component in his ideas, and does not focus so much on individuals.
affection and love
For this author, the human being is capable of coping with pain by granting a sense or meaning to both it and life itself. Fromm considered that interpersonal problems are the main source of discomfort, in a struggle between our personal desires and objectives and the desire for connection with others. For humanistic psychoanalysis, to overcome discomfort it is necessary to develop affection, acceptance of the other and love.
The main objective of Fromm’s humanistic psychoanalysis is based not on the treatment and avoidance of suffering, but on the search for happiness and the enhancement of one’s own strengths and strengths through the establishment of life goals.
9. Returning to the origin: Lacan’s psychoanalysis
Regardless of whether they followed Freud or ended up diverging from him, most theories after classical psychoanalysis represented significant advances in different areas of knowledge.
However, one of the types of post-Freudian psychoanalysis is in favor of returning to a classical approach closer to the initial one, the rest having moved excessively far from the fundamental pillars of the paradigm. This is Jacques Lacan’s approach.
Pleasure, suffering and tension
The contributions of this author go through the distinction between the concepts of pleasure as an activity aimed at avoiding suffering or reducing tension and enjoyment as a pleasurable element linked to increasing said tension, unconsciously enjoying what would cause us discomfort. Recovers the concept of the death drive (introducing it into the idea of ​​enjoyment).
It reinterprets the psychic structure in real, imaginary and symbolic. The real would be what we do not know and that we are not able to express with language, the imaginary would be what is represented in dreams and fantasies, and the symbolic would be everything that is born from consciousness and in which we use codes such as words, forming the superego and structuring the ego.
So, Language is of great importance, allowing the discourse of the unconscious to be united with the conscious. He also proposes that the truth, as something real, is not bearable for the ego and it is only possible to know a part of it as it is restricted by the symbolic.
