One of the most recognized types of psychotherapy is the psychoanalytic psychotherapy. This type of therapy was designed based on psychoanalysis theories such as that proposed by Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theory suggests that factors influence behavior in an individual’s subconscious. The factors that Freud alluded to were unconscious feelings, thoughts, and desires (Zhang et al., 2023). The theorist believed hidden emotions in the unconscious actively contribute to the expression of behavior that matches the proposed hidden emotion.
The theorist answered two questions in their psychoanalysis theory: What is the context of the unconscious? How does the unconscious work? (Zhang et al., 2023). Sigmund Freud explained that the unconscious described aspects of being outside the consciousness (Zhang et al., 2023). These include desires, unacceptable or hidden ideas and emotions, and childhood experiences (Zhang et al., 2023). In describing how it works, Freud proposed a system for analyzing the unconscious processes, which divided it into three: structural, dynamic, and descriptive unconscious (Zhang et al., 2023). The role of each was explored, and the converging part of the unconscious is that it influenced behavior with the aim of psychoanalysis therapy to make the unconscious known to the patient to begin to understand factors that make patients act in a certain way and institute measures to promote healing.
Regarding growth and development, the psychoanalytic theory of development by Sigmund Freud developed the id, ego, and superego, which are crucial factors in character development for the individual (Cieri & Esposito, 2019). The theorist proposed that each aspect of the human psyche or personality develops at different stages of life, starting with the development of the id. Id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that houses impulsive needs such as sexual and other desires (Cieri & Esposito, 2019). The superego describes the moral conscience, and the ego provides reason between the id and superego by acting based on a realistic and logical point of view (Cieri & Esposito, 2019). These factors help individuals, such as nurses and other healthcare providers, to understand the personality differences demonstrated by the patient. They also help to address patient-expressed needs by prioritizing the most crucial and urgent needs, such as safety. The characteristic of the human psyche described by Freud helps to tell the differences between pediatric reasoning and that demonstrated by an adult based on the aspect of the human psyche that was developed at the time.
An example is the lack of sharing by a child at two years old or the demanding nature of the child wanting their desires to be met immediately. The healthcare provider will not reprimand the child but understand that at the level of development, the child is operating on id and hence the need to have their desires immediately sated. In contrast, an adult will demonstrate caution when addressing their needs, such as buying basic needs instead, such as food and shelter, before indulging in luxuries such as recreational behavior. The nurse working with the patient will realize that the patient has developed satisfactory levels of the human psyche, using ego to mediate between id and superego (Cieri & Esposito, 2019). Therefore, as a nurse, my role would be to use developmental theories to understand why patients behave as they do in the clinical setting. The application of the theories will provide answers to patient’s questionable behavior, thus helping the nurse to make informed plans of care for the patients.
References
Cieri, F., & Esposito, R. (2019). Psychoanalysis and neuroscience: The bridge between mind and brain. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(1983). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01983
Zhang, L., Yuan, X., & Cui, H. (2023). A new perspective on the relationship between body and mind in the unconscious: The comparison between Freud and Merleau-Ponty. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(1073362). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1073362
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