Comparing Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Person-Centered Psychology

Psychodynamic and person-centred approaches to counselling have many differences in the way they understand the person and explain psychological distress. Part one below reviews both approaches separately, followed by a comparison of the main similarities and differences. Part two explains why I feel psychodynamic therapy appeals to me most.

Another stage in human growth and development is called the phallic stage. Sigmund Freud believed this stage took place from the age of three to six years old. This is the stage that children become more aware of the sexual regions of their bodies. Not only do they become more self aware but also start to notice their parents and kids around them. This helps them learn the difference in “boy” or “girl” male or female. During this stage it is not uncommon for a child to hook them self onto the parent of opposite sex and start a rivalry with the parent of the same sex (Garcia, 1995). “Individuals who show higher levels in phallic stage of psychosexual development fixation are more likely to develop sexually” (“ Sexual Compulsivity, Promiscuity and Phallic Stage of Psychosexual Development Fixation. ,” 2012, para. 3).

Within psychology there are many different theories that counselors should get to know in order to figure out which theory fits their own personal style of counseling. Some counselors stick to one specific theory, but many take on an integrative approach and use multiple theories within their practice. The four psychological theories that I am focusing on in this paper are the contemporary psychodynamic, theory, cognitive behavioral therapy, person-centered therapy, and the family systems theory.

He asserted that if these psychosexual stages are completed successfully, result is a healthy personality. However, Freud identified that if the psychosexual stages of development were in any way interrupted at a certain time, then this would cause problems in later life; he believed that it was possible to link the psychosexual stages to adult neurosis. If certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage, fixation can occur. A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. Until this conflict is resolved, the individual will remain "stuck" in this stage; the term "psychosexual infantilism," refers to those who become fixated in this way and fail to mature through the psychosexual stages into heterosexuality. For example, a person who is fixated at the oral stage may be over-dependent on others and may seek oral stimulation through smoking, drinking, or eating.

In this essay I will look at the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients. Firstly, I will outline what Person-Centred therapy is and look at what its originator, Carl Rogers’, theories behind this approach are. I will then discuss some of the criticisms that have been made about Person-Centred Therapy, and weigh them up to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this therapeutic approach. In the conclusion I will reflect on my learning, and on my own experiences and opinions.

While volunteering at the learning center, I was in the 3-4 year old age group; this specific age group should be in the phallic stage according to Sigmund Freud. The phallic stage is a personality theory that says children become very curious in genital areas. They discover what they have, compared to what other children have. At this point the opposite sex parent becomes the child’s favorite because they don’t know

The personality structures are similar in that the client must work toward some sense of conscious awareness in order to elicit change in behavior. According to Rogers,

Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory and Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory are two important psychoanalytic theories on human development

Person-Centered Therapy (PCT) embodies a humanistic approach, which is intended to increase a person’s feelings of self-worth, and reduce the level of incongruence between the ideal self and the actual self (Gelso, Cepeda & Davenport, 2006). This critical analysis is meant to examine various approaches and skills counselors/therapists would use when applying a ‘person-centered’ type of therapy. This analysis briefly outlines what PCT is, but focuses more heavily on the various approaches used by social workers throughout the therapeutic relationship. More specifically, PCT approaches such as, counselor/client congruence, empathic understanding, and unconditional positive regard are the main approaches highlighted in this analysis as they play an integral role in the counseling relationship.

From a Freudian perspective human development is based on psychosexual theory. From a psychosexual perspective maturation of the sex drives underlies stages of personality development (Shaffer et al., 2010). Ultimately, Freud believed that sex was the most important instinct and any mental disturbance revolved around sexual conflicts that were suppressed from childhood. Furthermore, Freud believed that parents permitting too much or too little gratification of sexual needs led

It starts shortly after birth, when the infant experiences nourishment for the first time. While feeding, the child learns that pleasure can be obtained from the very sensitive organ that is the mouth. The child might suck on his thumb, which provides pleasure even if there is no milk, which is the first form of auto-erotic pleasure that humans experience. Children will also experience their first frustrations in that stage, for example hunger and thirst, and their first aggressive impulses, such as biting, yelling, and crying (Kahn 42). The main conflicts that arise in that stage are weaning, feeding, and thumb sucking. Scheduled feeding, and ignoring the baby's cries to be fed outside of scheduled times, teaches the baby that his needs are less important than others'. Punishing a child for sucking his thumb teaches him that pleasure is shameful and bad. Weaning to early or too late might lead to an oral fixation (43). Severe oral fixations can lead to eating disorders and extreme passivity and dependence, will mild oral fixations lead to eating when stressed or lonely, mild passivity and dependence, and a craving for oral stimulation (Wood et al.

Person-centered therapy provides a pathway to self-actualization through the creation of an empathetic, trusting relationship between client and counselor. In the case scenario described, a woman struggles with anger and depression, which negatively impacts her relationship with her husband. This case study presents an overview of person-centered therapy and an explanation of how it could be used in the therapeutic environment to help this client successfully cope with her issues.

From birth to a year and six months, Freud theorized that children go through an oral stage. During this stage, children’s pleasure focuses primarily on the mouth with chewing and biting as the main sources of stimulation. Too much or too little satisfaction at this stage may cause the children to smoke or eat often as an adult. Next, children go through the anal stage from age one year and six months until age three. During this stage, pleasure stems mainly from bathroom activities as children deal with their want for power. In adulthood, anal fixation may cause anal retention or an extreme need for cleanliness. At three to six years, children experience the phallic period. The phallic period focuses on pleasure stimulation from the genitals.

The first group we are going to focus on is the newborn stage. This is a very interesting group because children at this age tend to learn daily and will go through several phases before turning one. Sigmund Freud best described this phase as the oral stage. He named it this because this age is the initial sucking, and oral satisfaction comes into play. The child also can realize that mother/parent is something separate from self (Potter & Perry, 2009, pg. 138). But Erik Erikson focused more on psychosocial stages whether than psychosexual stages. He felt that at this age, the infant would require a consistent caregiver who would be able to meet their needs. And from the trust the child builds in its parents, it will learn to trust itself. He also stated that the child 's sense of trust may be challenged during hospitalization and may need support from parents when returning home (Potter & Perry, 2009, pg. 139). When educating parents on how to care for children this age, it would be important to teach them about children wanting to put things in their mouths and how using a

Children who complete these stages successfully, grow to be calm and well centered adults (Ku,