Psychodynamic explanation of uni polar depression
- Created by: bethcx
- Created on: 18-02-16 16:17
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- Psycho-dynamic
- Fred believed that vulnerability to depression began in the oral stage.
- Either over gratification of under gratification can occur, which leads to oral fixation and an overly dependant personality type.
- He also believed the way in which someone deals with loss and dependancy in childhood will set the scene for how they deal with similar experiences in adulthood.
- He believed loss was key and this can be either real loss or symbolic loss
- Real loss= death of a parent or symbolic person
- Symbolic loss= a child's belief they've been abandoned
- Grief as a result of loss may be followed by feelings of desertion and rejection. The child irrationally interprets this as it being their fault.
- Therefore, a period of anger rage and guilt towards the loss occurs. These feelings can't be expressed outwardly so are turned inwardly and result in self-blame and self-punishment. He referred to this as introjection
- A period of mourning follows and separation is made. However, if the child has become orally fixated, the emotional bonds can't be broke and the separation can't be made.
- The anger and self blame continue to be turned inwards, leading to symptoms of depression.
- Therefore, both introjection and being fixated in the oral stage result in depression.
- The anger and self blame continue to be turned inwards, leading to symptoms of depression.
- A period of mourning follows and separation is made. However, if the child has become orally fixated, the emotional bonds can't be broke and the separation can't be made.
- Therefore, a period of anger rage and guilt towards the loss occurs. These feelings can't be expressed outwardly so are turned inwardly and result in self-blame and self-punishment. He referred to this as introjection
- He believed loss was key and this can be either real loss or symbolic loss
- Evaluation
- Supported by more recent cognitive explanations of depression that argue that depressed people have negative and irrational thoughts.
- Seligman's theory of learned helplessness also supports that depressed people are often highly dependent on others.
- Contributed to our understanding of the importance of loss in the onset of depression
- Depressed people often openly express anger and irritation which goes against Freud's idea of introjection
- Lacks empirical evidence
- Fred believed that vulnerability to depression began in the oral stage.
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