Psychodynamic Approach To Anxiety

Words: 1518
Pages: 7
Open Document
One aspect in today's world that is quite misunderstood are mental illnesses, more specifically: anxiety. Anxiety is when someone is in fear or nervous about something leading to increased hypervigilance, common examples can be a case of having a phobia or obsessive compulsive disorder. In order to deal with anxiety disorders, some psychologists and scientists have attempted to approach the disorders in several ways.

The first approach is behavioral; this is the attempt of explaining behavior in terms of observation and in terms of what can be learned (1). Behaviorists, people who may accept the existence of feelings but instead feel that someone's behavior should be the subject of matter (2), believe that phobias are learned responses to stimuli. Skinner in 1938 attempted to prove that anxiety arises by a learning process by making a distinction between classical and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is where a response is triggered by a particular stimulus, whereas operant conditioning is when responses are learned by the consequences of a certain behavior (3). A classic conditioning example is Pavlov (1928) dogs which learned that the ring of a bell would lead to food being served, this then meant the dogs would salivate. Soon the dogs begin to …show more content…
One of the main drugs is SNRI's which are serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, this means that the neurotransmitters will stay in a person's system for longer before being reabsorbed. These cause an increase in happiness which obviously reduces fear and thus anxiety. Another drug which is being prescribed is benzodiazepines; these act as sedatives which increase the effect of a chemical known as GABA. GABA reduces the activity of brain areas which lead to emotions and memory, which eventually means that a person will be less able to recall on past feelings which lead to anxiety, known as anterograde amnesia
Show More

Related Documents: Psychodynamic Approach To Anxiety

Psychodynamic Model

behavioral model shares similar ideologies with the psychodynamic, behavioral and humanistic- existential approach. The main concept that both the cognitive-behavioral and the psychodynamic model agree on is the development of a person's anxiety. The psychodynamic model associated anxiety with experiencing trauma unconsciously. While the cognitive-behavioral model believes that we create our problems and develop irrational beliefs, therefore, anxiety is based on ourselves.…

Words 948 - Pages 4

Case Study Essay - Critical Analysis of Cbt and Psychodynamic Appoaches

both a psychodynamic counselor and cognitive behavioral therapist (CBT) would view the case study of Jane from their perspectives. Consideration will be given from both a psychodynamic approach and CBT approach of how a therapist might work with Jane. The main similarities and differences of both the psychodynamic and CBT approaches will be analyzed. This will lead into an evaluation of which is the most appropriate approach in working with Jane by…

Words 2474 - Pages 10

Week 2 Psychodynamic Approaches To Counselling Essay example

Theories & Approaches to Counselling Week 2: Psychodynamic Approaches to Counselling There are four factors that account for the process of change within an individual: 15% treatment 15% Placebo effect 40% Personality i.e. resources, agency (personal impetus), previous experiences, environmental factors, family, culture 30% therapeutic relationship Therapist should be neutral with client and provide them with the ‘tools’ for them to make an inner change Transferrance Counter-transferrance –…

Words 955 - Pages 4

The Psychodynamic Approach To Organizational Behavior In Health Care Settings

The Psychodynamic Approach to Organizational Behavior in Health Care Settings Bradley F Sorte Florida Atlantic University Dr. Alan Whiteman HAS 6118-001 April 10, 2014 Of the psychological theories that describe human behavior, psychodynamics has for the most part been relegated to the sidelines when applied in the organizational setting. However, to ignore the complex emotional and dynamic reenactments that occur in the organizational setting, and as such guide organizational behavior…

Words 2543 - Pages 11

Essay about Assignment: Psychology and Psychodynamic Approach

supervisor. He reports experiencing feelings of anxiety and depression. The client reports these cognitive issues have manifested themselves into somatic complications. Two Approaches During the next two sessions the therapists offer varying difference of approaches, the Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioral Approach. The Psychodynamic Approach focuses on the unconscious processes as it is manifested in an individual’s present behavior. The goal of psychodynamic is to enhance the client’s self-awareness…

Words 1075 - Pages 5

Difficulties in Disorders Essay

triggered by high anxiety and used as a coping method. Mood disorders, somewhat different, are usually the cause of chemical imbalances in neurotransmitters, but can also be related to high stress, genetics, and possibly environment. Treatment for these disorders will vary based on the therapist, may be long and painful, but can be successful. The psychodynamic view for dissociative identity disorders believe that the patient creates another identity to either cope with the anxiety or to express…

Words 1457 - Pages 6

This thing calld love Essay

5th, 2014 Psychodynamic and Humanistic Perspectives As we know, the study and field of Psychology has grown exponentially over the last century. In terms of studying mental processes and behavior, Psychologists now have developed several approaches or perspectives in their quests to explore the human psyche. Each approach comprises its own beliefs and dynamics, they all have a certain basis to start from and guide the psychologist, affecting his or her opinions and theories; psychodynamic, behaviorist…

Words 1130 - Pages 5

Selective Mutism Research Paper

being abused that causes the child to go silent (Campasano, 2011). But, studies have shown that a traumatic event does not cause the selective mutism. Another theory is that anxiety disorders that mainly run in families and "parents of children who have selective mutism are likely to exhibit signs of moderate to severe anxiety" (Campasano, 2011, pg 47). Most people mistaken shyness for selective mutism. But the two are very different in many ways. Shyness is something children can overcome when they…

Words 609 - Pages 3

Essay on Psychology: Sigmund Freud and Psychodynamic Approach

Discuss the psychodynamic approach in psychology (10 marks). The psychodynamic approach states that behaviour is determined through unconscious processes in the human brain. We cannot explain what happens inside the unconscious, we can only predict what the outcome will be. We are unaware of actions of thoughts and mental processes and have no control over our behaviour. This suggests that as humans we have no free will, in that certain behaviour is ‘spontaneous’ such as ‘Freundin slips’, where…

Words 1044 - Pages 5

1Psychoanalysis 1 Essays

to the age of six. In the year 1896, Sigmund Freud was the age of forty years old he published Aetiology of the Neuroses and also Heredity. During 1896 he had lost his father, Sigmund Freud than focused his attention to the plentiful creation of anxieties and dreams which supplemented his mourning. In the next year in 1897 he dedicated himself to a rigorous and intense self-analysis, moving forward he decided to abandon his theory of infantile and trauma seduction in support of the developing of Oedipus…

Words 1807 - Pages 8