5.2.3 Dynamic psychopathology

Dynamic Psychopathology

Dynamic psychopathology explains personal traits by analyzing unconscious psychological processes. It holds that people’s behaviours, motives, and feelings stem from the unconscious mind. Dynamic psychopathology establishes that individuals are unaware of what is happening in their unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud divided human consciousness into three levels of awareness: the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. Each of these levels corresponds and overlaps with his ideas of the id, ego, and superego.

The preconscious mind has information that can become conscious but is not conscious since a person focuses on other issues. Freud explained that focusing on material in the preconscious brings them to the conscious. The conscious mind is what a person is thinking or feeling at the moment. It holds the information that an individual is thinking at that particular time. The unconscious mind holds anxiety-producing material that is repressed against entering the conscious mind. The repression results from a protection mechanism that prevents a person from feeling uncomfortable.

The material in the unconscious mind results from unresolved childhood problems. For example, the death of a loved one, such as siblings or parents, may result in personality issues. Freud proposed that childhood events, including those happening during the first weeks or months of life, and experiences determine behaviours in adulthood. Unresolved childhood problems influence people’s personalities later in life and can lead to psychological issues. The underlying issues are majorly traumatic or may be socially embarrassing and result in anxiety. They are in the unconscious mind because the mind represses them to avoid any effects on the person.

Cognitive structures, including the id, ego, and superego, explain how normal and abnormal personalities develop. The id strives to satisfy a person’s instincts and drives and develops first in the mind. An individual may have an impulsive personality, especially when instincts and the id predominate. The id is not concerned with societal moralities but somewhat interested in quick gratifications. The superego is the conscience, the proper norms, ideals, and ethics in a society that dictate how a person should behave. It intends to do what is morally right and provides standards of judgment. Therefore, the superego conflicts with the id since both have different drives. The ego balances the id and superego demands and avoids psychological issues.

In essence, the ego is a reality-oriented part of the mind that plays an integral role in psychological well-being. The ego helps manage anxiety through defence mechanisms, the mental reactions that emerge from the unconscious when a person feels threatened. The ego allows people to overcome events or experiences that could result in adverse consequences. Although ego is essential in psychological well-being, it leads to distortion of reality that can lead to severe psychological problems. For example, repression includes moving information from the conscious to the unconscious to block bad experiences or events. People may also deny that particular events occurred or are occurring, ignoring the potential effects of those events. Even though repression and denial help a person avoid destructive thoughts and feelings, the two defence mechanisms could lead to adverse psychological consequences when underlying issues are left untreated.                

References:

(1) Femi Oyebode (2022). SIMS’ Symptoms in the Mind: Textbook of Descriptive Psychopathology. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences.

‌(2) Bornstein, R 2021, The Psychodynamic Perspective, Noba, viewed 8 December 2022, <https://nobaproject.com/modules/the-psychodynamic-perspective>.