Psychodynamic Theory

Introduction

Mark Johnson is 30 years old. He maintains proper oral hygiene, but he has recently observed that he occasionally feels a strong discomfort. Though he can go to the dentist with confidence, he is a little reserved when it comes to sharing information. According to the facts of the case, the patient is anxious, which causes him to conceal some information. This syndrome is explained by Psychodynamic Theory, which states that emotional difficulties experienced as a kid will plague the individual in adulthood unless they are resolved (Starkstein, 2018). Psychodynamic theories hold that the development and disruptions of human personalities are rooted in the interplay or dynamics of psychosocial energies like instinct, drives, and desires within the individual. As a result, anxiety is explained by psychodynamic model as a struggle between the ego and id (Starkstein, 2018). Impulsive and aggressive drives may be perceived as inappropriate, leading to repression. These suppressed desires may breakthrough, causing involuntary uneasiness. Therefore this study will link Johnson's carefulness when it comes to disclosing personal information (anxiety) with Psychodynamic Theory.

Freud developed Psychodynamic Theory based on how the human mind works. He felt that elements outside of a person's awareness (unconscious thoughts, experiences and feelings) influenced their emotions, conduct, and actions, as well as their past experiences and their future (Grecucci et al., 2020). The Psychoanalytic Theory emphasizes the significance of unconscious mental processes and the difficulties of childhood development. We keep the internal issues that we do not want to address in our unconscious mind. As a result, psychoanalytic treatment forces the patient to access these unconscious feelings via procedures such as free association, dream analysis, and transference.

Anxiety, according to Cohen and Kaplan (2020), is the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of danger. Patients suffering from anxiety condition tend to imagine the worst-case scenario and avoid circumstances they perceive to be dangerous. As a result, it is a sign of life and experience, and it does not always have to be associated with illness. Anxiety is a psychological, physiological, and behavioral state that humans experience in response to a threat to their well-being or survival. Anxiety can cause a person to withdraw, become hyperactive, and become more conscious (Grecucci et al., 2020). As a result, psychodynamic theory and therapy focus on identifying and then overcoming defense mechanisms. These are the emotions and activities that a patient employs to escape painful thoughts and feelings. From the scenario, there is an increased possibility that Johnson's anxiety in sharing information is an unconscious strategy used to escape painful thoughts and feelings.

Conclusion

The psychodynamic approach focuses on people who behave in a certain way because they have buried emotional feelings deep within their unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud, a psychologist, created the theory. However, Johnson's fear of disclosing personal information appears to be a signal that comes when stimulating certain past instances of danger and is a manifestation of the ego, which is utilized to initiate defensive measures against drives emanating from the id or its representations. As a result, patient anxiety occurs as a reaction signal for the aim of preparing a person for a potentially dangerous circumstance, causing the patient to conceal some information despite being confident in seeing the dentist.

References

Cohen, J.N. and Kaplan, S.C., 2020. Understanding and Treating Anxiety Disorders: A Psychodynamic Approach. In Clinical Handbook of Anxiety Disorders (pp. 315-332). Humana, Cham.

Grecucci, A., Sığırcı, H., Lapomarda, G., Amodeo, L., Messina, I. and Frederickson, J., 2020. Anxiety regulation: from affective neuroscience to clinical practice. Brain Sciences, 10(11), p.846.

Starkstein, S., 2018. Sigmund Freud and the psychoanalytical concept of fear and anxiety. In A Conceptual and Therapeutic Analysis of Fear (pp. 231-257). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

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