Psychodynamic & Humanistic Therapies (College Board AP® Psychology): Revision Note

Focus & techniques of psychodynamic therapy

The focus of psychodynamic therapy

• Psychodynamic therapy originates from Freud’s psychoanalysis and focuses on uncovering unconscious thoughts, feelings, and conflicts

• The main goal is insight

  • This involves understanding the unconscious causes of psychological problems

• Psychological symptoms are viewed as manifestations of unresolved unconscious conflicts, often rooted in childhood

• Therapy aims for deep, long-term change rather than just symptom reduction

  • Therapy typically extends over months or years

Techniques used in psychodynamic therapy

• Free association is the primary technique of psychoanalysis

  • The client is encouraged to speak without censorship, saying whatever comes to mind

  • The therapist looks for patterns, pauses, or slips that reveal unconscious material

  • Free association is thought to bypass the ego's defenses and allow unconscious content to surface

• Dream interpretation is another core technique

  • Manifest content is what the dream appears to be about on the surface

  • Latent content is the hidden, symbolic meaning of the dream

  • Dreams are seen as revealing unconscious wishes or conflicts

• Resistance occurs when a client becomes defensive around certain topics

  • Psychodynamic therapists view resistance as indicating an important unconscious conflict

• Transference occurs when the client projects feelings about significant people in their life (e.g., a parent) onto the therapist

  • This technique is used to reveal relationship patterns and unresolved conflicts

• Countertransference is when the therapist projects their own feelings onto the client

  • Psychodynamic therapists are trained to recognize and manage any risks involved

The role of the therapist

• The therapist maintains professional detachment to avoid influencing the client

• They provide interpretations rather than direct advice

  • This helps the client arrive at their own insights rather than telling them what to think or feel

• The insight process is typically slow and often meets resistance

  • It is not a linear or immediate process

Focus & techniques of humanistic therapy

The focus of humanistic therapy

• Humanistic therapy focuses on self-understanding and personal growth, with the goal of self-actualization

  • Humanistic psychologists believe people are inherently good and capable of growth, but distress occurs when this growth is blocked

• Humanistic therapists focus on the client's present experience and conscious processes

  • This is unlike psychodynamic therapists, who focus on the past or the unconscious

• Person-centered therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, is the most widely practiced form of humanistic therapy

  • Clients (not “patients”) are seen as capable of self-direction and growth

Techniques of person-centered therapy

• Unconditional positive regard is the cornerstone of person-centered therapy

  • The therapist shows acceptance and non-judgment

  • The client is helped to develop self-acceptance

  • As a result, the client can move toward good psychological health

• Rogers believed that many people develop distress because they have only received conditional positive regard

  • This is where acceptance is dependent on meeting others' expectations

  • This is linked to the development of psychological distress

• Active listening is the therapist's tool for communicating unconditional positive regard where the therapist:

  • listens attentively and reflects back the client’s thoughts

  • demonstrates understanding and encourages openness

  • is open and authentic in interactions (genuineness)

• Humanistic therapists are nondirective

  • They do not tell clients what to do or how to solve their problems

  • They help support the client's own self-discovery

Other humanistic approaches

• Gestalt therapy emphasizes the importance of the whole person (thoughts, feelings, actions)

  • Therapists encourage clients to explore bodily sensations and to enact psychological conflicts in the present moment

  • The focus is always on present awareness and lived experience, rather than past history

• Existential therapy focuses on helping clients develop a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives

  • Distress arises from a loss of meaning or avoidance of life's realities

  • The therapist supports clients in developing a vision of their lives as purposeful and worthwhile

Effective uses of hypnosis

• Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness involving:

  • focused attention

  • deep relaxation

  • increased suggestibility

• Hypnosis was originally used in psychodynamic therapy to access the unconscious before replacing it with free association

  • Now hypnosis is used as a standalone or complementary technique across several therapeutic approaches

Evidence-supported uses of hypnosis

• Pain management: hypnosis has shown effectiveness in reducing the perception of pain, e.g. chronic pain and medical procedures

  • Hypnotic suggestion can alter how the brain processes pain signals

  • It reduces the sensory intensity and the emotional distress associated with pain

• Anxiety reduction: hypnosis has shown effectiveness in reducing anxiety, e.g. phobia-related anxiety and medical anxiety

  • Often used alongside systematic desensitization to deepen the relaxation response

What research does not support

• Memory retrieval: research does not support the use of hypnosis to retrieve accurate memories

  • Studies show hypnosis increases confidence in recalled memories but does not increase their accuracy

  • Hypnotically retrieved memories are susceptible to suggestion and can produce false memories

• Age regression: research does not support the use of hypnosis to genuinely regress a person to an earlier age or recover accurate childhood memories

  • People under hypnosis may behave as if younger, but this reflects role play not true regression