Compare your response with your colleague’s. Identify any insights you gained from your peer’s response
Respond to at least two colleagues:
- Compare your response with your colleague’s. Identify any insights you gained from your peer’s response.
- Explain whether or how to address values related to the development and use of other theories in general when working with clients.
1.
Katrina Nelson
RE: Discussion – Week 3
Evaluating Psychoanalytical Theory
Summarize Freud’s psychoanalytical theory
Freud has received a lot of criticism due to his personal beliefs which translated into his studies in the area of what is now known as psychoanalysis. His views have been considered unconventional, radical, and irrational. It has also been reported that he was a cocaine user. His teachings report that all human behavior is based on sex and are driven by unconcious energy. His ideology was that there are three parts of the personality, id (impulse/pleasure), ego (balance), and superego (wants to follow rules). He also believed that there are five psychosexual stages of development which include oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. His ideas were not based on empirical research or studies. The phallic stage is just one example of his bizarre ideas. During this stage he focuses on genitals. He believed that boys were sexually attracted to their mothers during the oedipus complex. He also taught that girls were sexually attracted to their fathers. In addition he has also been called sexist for stating that girls were jealous of boys which caused them to have penis envy. Whether people agree with Freud’s ideas or not he laid a foundation for the areas of psychology and theory. There has been a conception stage for every new idea known to mankind. Therefore, he was a catalyst to make others think outside the box. His ideas were thought provoking starting points whether someone was a supporter or a critic of his.
Is it appropriate to apply psychoanalytic theory to different groups?
I believe that psychoanalytic theory can be applied to women from various cultures as well as to inidviduals from different ethnicities and races. According to (Fleischer & Lee, 2016) This discussion opened up to consider various clients who might have different norms for expressing anger, which then enabled the class to position individual patterns of defenses within their cultural contexts (Fleischer & Lee, 2016).
Is psychoanalytic theory consistent with social work values?
Although Freud did not use empirical research or studies to back up his theories it is important to note that he was a catalyst for others to think out of the box. There are events through various stages of life that shape personalities or may have changed personalities altogether. Although many of his teachings were criticized, psychoanalytic theory is one of the top theories today (Fleischer & Lee, 2016). Psychoanalysis has aided social work in its comprehension of therapeutic relationships, interpersonal dynamic, etc.
Reference
Fleischer, L., & Lee, E. (2016). The analytic principle and attitude: Mobilizing psychoanalytic knowledge to maximize social work students\\\’ practice competence. Psychoanalytic Social Work, 23(2), 99–118. doi:10.1080/15228878.2016.1149776
2.
Shontelle Ramsay
RE: Discussion – Week 3
Summarize the assumptions of Freud’s psychoanalytical theory : Freud’s psychoanalytical theory focusing on the individual’s “personality development, through three fundamental structures, the id, ego, and superego” (Turner, 2017) His theory is about our internal struggles of right and wrong, the Id is like the kid in us, for example as a kid in we want everything, and we want it now. No matter the consequences, the super ego is like our parent telling us what we need to do and how we need to do it. For example, it is like when our parents said we are going to school, you are going to do your homework, you are going to get good grades, and follow the rules of society to a T. Then you have ego, the balancing act. Where the Id is saying party all the time, no matter the consequences. The superego is telling you to study and not have distractions, whereas the ego balances the two and says go to school throughout the week and then have your fun. Pleasing both the id and superego, therefore keeping the balance between the two. The theory addresses internal human struggles of good and bad that guide people to make final decisions. Another assumption of Freud’s theoretical framework is the emphasis on a multi-stage development process which individuals must progress through to achieve success as adults.
Explain whether you believe it is appropriate to apply psychoanalytic theory to women and individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups. Applying Freud’s psychoanalytical theory to women and individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups can be inappropriate and insensitive. According to (Yakushko, 2021) “Western psychologies of the Global North, are grounded in racist and colonial assumptions, and also profoundly sexist.”
I do agree with him that early childhood development is important, childhood experiences can shape who you are as an adult. For example, if a child was bullied as a kid over appearance or body size; they might be into dieting or obsessed with improving physical image because of past childhood experiences. On the other hand, this theory can be appropriate when the clinician approaches the client with cultural awareness and sensitivity. When clinician can approach all clients with cultural competency, they would understand what aspects of the theory to apply in each individual case.
Explain whether you believe the psychoanalytic theory is consistent with social work values and social work ethics. At the core, there were some things that he was right on some of his theories. However, he judged women harshly. How he felt about women and infants, it goes against social work values and ethics. Social workers are tasked to help people, not judge them and to set all personal feelings and beliefs aside. “To not discriminate over another person’s race, religion, culture, beliefs, color, gender, their age, a person’s physical or mental appearance, as well as their age or marital status” (NASW, 2021). It appears Freud disregarded minorities. I would say this theory is not aligned with the social works code of ethics due to discrimination towards minorities and women, but it does provide a foundation for us to understand certain issues. In this field we may not agree with some of the theories presented, but we take what we can and use it to increase our knowledge.
Answer preview to Compare your response with your colleague’s. Identify any insights you gained from your peer’s response
APA
297 words