Analyzing Psychological Methodologies
When
considering counseling and psychotherapy various approaches are utilized. Among these, thought-focused treatment
systems, psychoanalytical methods, and psychodynamic approaches are employed in
effort to treat psychological dysfunctions.
Therefore it is imperative for the clinician to be aware of the
differences amongst these in order to appropriately apply to the case in
question. In addition, it is beneficial
to consider irrational beliefs and cognitive disorders which inhibit clients
from achieving their basic goals.
Understanding and utilizing shaping
and token economies is advantageous
as well. The following will examine
these terms and practices.
The foremost concern is understanding
thought-focused treatment systems, psychoanalytical methods, and psychodynamic
approaches, and recognition of the variances between them. First, thought-focused
treatment systems refer to approaches which deem thoughts and cognitions as the
principal conduit to change. “Cognitive
clinicians believe that thoughts lead to emotions and behaviors and that,
through awareness and modification of their thoughts, people can change their
feelings and actions” (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010, p. 241). Second, psychoanalysis, commonly referred to
as mind investigation, enables the
clinician to explore the client’s conscious and more importantly their
unconscious mind. Freud first dubbed the
term in explanation of his study of neurology, psychological disorders and
their treatment (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). Third, “psychodynamic therapy, also known as
insight-oriented therapy, focuses on unconscious processes as they are
manifested in a person’s present behavior” (Haggerty, 2006).
The objective of this approach is to increase the client’s
self-awareness and recognizing how their present behavior was shaped by their
past. Although each of these approaches
are similar, considering they focus on the client’s thought process, they
differ as well. To begin with, thought-focused
treatment systems encourage people to be aware of their thoughts and change
their thought process in effort to alter their behavior in the future, while
psychoanalysis and psychodynamics examine how contemplation affects the
client’s current or past behavior. Subsequently,
“the theory supporting psychodynamic therapy originated in and is informed by
psychoanalytic theory” (Haggerty, 2006).
Hence it is a branch which stems from psychoanalysis. What separates the latter two is the fact
that psychoanalysis examines both the conscious and subconscious of the client,
while psychodynamic approaches solely consider the subconscious. Furthermore, psychoanalysis focuses on
previous life experience, the past, as well as behaviors at present. However, psychodynamic therapy specifically centers
on present behaviors and thoughts. Each
of these systems relates the client’s thought process to their actions, yet
they utilize differing measures and time periods to varying degrees.
Next, one must reflect on irrational
beliefs used by Rational Emotive Behavior (REBT) therapists. There are eleven as prescribed by Albert
Ellis. The following beliefs shape one’s
behavior and emotions, hindering them from attaining their fundamental goals:
- It is a dire necessity for adult humans to be loved or approved by virtually every significant other person in their community.
- One absolutely must be competent, adequate and achieving in all important respects or else one is an inadequate, worthless person.
- People absolutely must act considerately and fairly and they are damnable villains if they do not. They are their bad acts.
- It is awful & terrible when things are not the way one would very much like them to be.
- Emotional disturbance is mainly externally caused & people have little or no ability to increase or decrease their dysfunctional feelings & behaviors.
- If something is or may be dangerous or fearsome, then one should be constantly & excessively concerned about it & should keep dwelling on the possibility of it occurring.
- One cannot & must not face life's responsibilities & difficulties & it is easier to avoid them.
- One must be quite dependent on others & need them & you cannot mainly run one's own life.
- One's past history is an all-important determiner of one's present behavior & because something once strongly affected one's life, it should indefinitely have a similar effect.
- Other people's disturbances are horrible & one must feel upset about them.
- There is invariably a right, precise & perfect solution to human problems & it is awful if this perfect solution is not found (Ellis, 1994).
An example of one’s past history
indefinitely affecting them to the same degree would be an individual who was
physically abused as a child having continued intimacy issues and abusing their
significant other or children. An
indecisive adult living with their parents since birth, unemployed and not
actively seeking work, without a driver’s license, thus having their parents
provide food, clothing, transportation, and shelter on their behalf, is an
example of an overly dependent individual.
Now,
when considering Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Behavior Theory (CBT), one must take
into account common cognitive distortions or faulty thought patterns, which
induce depression. “These inaccurate
thoughts are usually used to reinforce negative thinking or emotions - telling
ourselves things that sound rational and accurate, but really only serve to
keep us feeling bad about ourselves” (Grohol, 2009). Beck composed a listing of fifteen
distortions as follows: Filtering,
Polarized Thinking, Overgeneralization, Jumping to Conclusions,
Catastrophizing, Personalization, Control Fallacies, Fallacy of Fairness,
Blaming, Shoulds, Emotional Reasoning, Fallacy of Change, Global Labeling,
Always Being Right, and Heaven’s
Reward Fallacy. If an individual is
constantly holding others responsible for their failures, shortcomings,
circumstances, or unhappiness, they are exemplifying the blaming distortion. An
example of catastrophizing would be
an individual exaggerating two cars bumping in a parking lot as if it were a
near-fatal accident.
It
may also be necessary for the clinician to employ shaping and token economies. Token economies were first used in mental
institutions, yet are currently used in schools and treatment centers in effort
to shape and modify behavior. It “is a
system in which targeted behaviors are reinforced with tokens (secondary
reinforcers) and are later exchanged for rewards (primary reinforcers)” (Maycock,
2010). In effort to exercise this
technique, the practitioner may offer the client a marble for exemplifying
positive behavior. Once they have
amassed a certain number of marbles, they may exchange them for a free session. Another example would be a practitioner
offering the client a penny every time they arrived on time. Then every five pennies they would receive a
restaurant gift card as compensation.
In
conclusion, it behooves the clinician to possess an array of techniques within
their repertoire. Each client’s needs
will vary; therefore the approach should be tailored to their particular
case. The clinician is responsible for
being aware and understanding various strategies of therapeutic processes. In effort to treat those with psychological
dysfunctions the clinician may utilize thought-focused treatment systems,
psychoanalytical methods, or psychodynamic approaches. Also, understanding irrational beliefs and
cognitive distortions will assist them in treating and comprehending their
client’s behavior. In addition, the
token economy system may be used to encourage the client to comply and express
positive, favorable behavior. Each of
these strategies and factors are relative and beneficial to counseling and
psychotherapy.
References:
Ellis, A. (1994).
Ellis’ Irrational Beliefs. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from
Grohol, J.M.
(2009). 15 Common Cognitive Distortions.
Retrieved March 14, 2011, from
Haggerty, J. (2006).
Psychodynamic Therapy. Retrieved
March 14, 2011, from
Maycock, D.
(2010). How to use a token economy to
shape your child’s behavior.
Retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://www.everparent.com/articles/2010/11/06/how-to-use-a-token-economy-to-shape-your-childs-behavior/.
Seligman, L. W.
& Reichenberg, L. W. (2009). Theories of counseling and
psychotherapy:
Systems, strategies, and skills (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
