Psychoanalytic Approach

To start off, I think it necessary to define what exactly psychoanalysis is. Psychoanalysis is the "Procedure for the medical treatment of neurotic patients" (Pg. 17) Freud's lectures are now truly just an introduction to all that is known about psychoanalysis. Freud brought to the attention of his audience many great things that today make the lectures "indispensable for anyone who wishes to understand the mind and human life." (Pg. 13)

One main psychological concept is the one of hysteria. Freud believed that hysteria derived from a hereditary disposition. He believed that certain people were pre programmed to develop hysteria during their lifetime. Freud discusses how hysteria, in spite of its abundance individual traits, has an accumulation of common usual symptoms.. These symptoms seem to resist any easy historical origin. (Pg. 335)

Freud described is concept of Hysteria by saying that every hysteria case is the result of a traumatic experience that cannot be joined into that person's understanding of the world around them. The correct emotions to have as a result to the trauma are not expressed in any direct way, but do not disappear either. They express themselves as behaviors that in a indefinite way offer a response to the trauma. When the patient can be made aware of the meanings of his or her symptoms then the unexpressed emotions are released and therefore no longer need to be expressed as symptoms.

Currently there are two types of disorders, which are similar to what Freud described as hysteria. The DSM-IV describes somatoform disorders and dissociative disorders as around the same concept as hysteria. With somatoform disorders, the patient exhibits physical disorders but there is a lack of a physical cause. (DSM-IV Pg. 445) Both the somatoform disorders and the dissociative disorders have been linked to psychological trauma.

Feud proposed a mechanism called repression. He described repression as the process where desires and impulses are actively pushed into the unconscious mind. According to Freud, repression was a kind of defense mechanism. The desires and impulses when attempted to be brought into the conscious mind cannot be. Freud describes it as a process of resistance. (Pg. 364)

An impulse that is subjected to repression would retain its energy and no memory of it would be left behind. The process of repression goes unnoticed by the ego. The repressed memories are most likely traumatic and although hidden, they continue to have an effect on behavior. Anything that makes it just to the entrance of the conscious mind and is then turned away is considered repressed. An example of repression would be Freud's dream censor theory. In this theory, Freud states that dreams provide a way for normally repressed desires to be expressed while still disguising our real urges. Freud believed that the purpose of dreams was to allow us to satisfy the urges that society deems unacceptable in some way.

There is now the concept of "suppression". In suppression, we make a conscious choice not to think about a certain thought, feeling, or action. Suppression is very useful because it allows us to focus on what is necessary without being distracted by the things that pop up in our minds.

Repression and suppression are similar in that the unwanted thought, feeling, or emotion is not expressed. The difference is that is repression humans deny that the thought, feeling, or emotion even exists. They have been blocked because they are thought to be disruptive to our psychological stability. Currently, the idea of repression is very controversial but it still remains influential to this day.

Freud changed the study of dreams with his work on dream analysis. He believed that nothing you do occurs by chance and that some level of your unconsciousness motivates every action and thought. Freud wrote that

"Dream interpretations are made on the premises "that dreams in general have a sense, that is legitimate to carry across from hypnotic to normal sleep the fact of existence of mental processes which are at the time unconscious, and that everything that occurs to the mind is determined" (Pg. 177)

It is obvious that in order to live in society in a civilized way, it is necessary to hold back some urges and impulses. These repressed urges and impulses have to be released in some form. Freud believed that they are released through dreams.

Freud states that "dreams are a distorted substitute for an unknown content" (Pg. 167) While dreaming, your guard is let down and your unconscious mind has the chance to express your suppressed desires. It is common that sometimes the desires can be potentially psychologically