Psychodynamic Model

(Sigmund Freud)

I. View of Human Nature

 Dynamic with the transformation and exchange of energy within the personality
(Hall, 1954).
 People have a conscious mind (attuned to an awareness of the outside world), a
preconscious mind (that contains hidden memories or forgotten experiences that can
be remembered), and an unconscious mind (containing instinctual, repressed, and
powerful forces).
 Personality consist of three parts:
a. Id – comprised of amoral basic instincts, which operates according to the pleasure
principle.
b. Ego – the conscious decision-making “executive of the mind” which operates
according to reality principle.
c. Superego – the conscience of the mind that contains the values of parental figures
and that operates according to the moral principle.
 If the ego mediates successfully, we can go on to the higher intellectual and creative
pursuits of life. If it is unsuccessful, and the id or the superego becomes too strong,
conflict will overtake us and psychological disorders will develop – these conflicts
are all in the within mind (intrapsychic conflicts).

II. Defense Mechanisms (APA, 2000)

 Denial: Refuses to acknowledge some aspect of objective reality or subjective

experience that is apparent to others.
 Displacement: Transfers a feeling about, or a response to, an object that causes
discomfort onto another, usually less-threatening, object or person.
 Projection: Falsely attributes own unacceptable feelings, impulses, or thoughts to
another individual or object.
 Rationalization: Conceals the true motivation for actions, thoughts, or feelings
through elaborate reassuring or self-serving but incorrect explanations.
 Reaction Formation: Substitutes behavior, thoughts, and feelings, that are direct
opposite of unacceptable ones.
 Regression: When individuals are under stress, they often return to a less mature way
of behaving.
 Repression: Blocks disturbing wishes, thoughts, or experiences from conscious
awareness.
 Sublimation: Directs potentially maladaptive feelings or impulses into socially
acceptable behavior.
III. Goals of Counseling

 Primary goal is to help the client become more aware of the unconscious aspects of
his or her personality and to work with through current reactions that may be
dysfunctional (Tursi & Cochran, 2006).
 Second major goal is to help a client work through a developmental stage not
previously resolved.
 Final goal is helping clients cope with the demands of the society in which they live
(strengthen the ego so that perceptions and plans become more realistic).

Sources:

Samuel T. Gladding, Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession, 2013

David H. Barlow & V. Mark Durand, Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 7th
Edition, 2015

Prepared by:

Joseph Angelo R. Duran, RPm

Master of Education in Guidance