Relevancy of Psychoanalysis
The Concept of Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a theory of psychopathology and treatments for mental disorders whose development is accredited to Sigmund Freud. According to Freud’s beliefs, the event in an individual childhood tends to have a significant influence on the subsequent years of their adult life. For instance, anxiety originating from past traumatic experiences in individual life is stored with the consciousness of the person and might have detrimental effects during adulthood in the form of neuroses (MacLeod, 2008). Thus, our ability to explain our behavior to others tends to give a false account of motivation. In this context, Freud psychoanalysis aim at explaining human behavior through the use of the topographical model of the mind, which aims at describing the features of the mind structure and function. In this case, the development of the analogy of the icebergs is credited to Freud, who emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and primary assumption to form the basis of understanding human behavior. The concept of psychoanalysis, as developed by Freud, has been marginalized and is struggling in the modern-day hostile and academic and clinical environment (Paris, 2017).
Relevancy of Psychoanalysis
Arguably, Freud’s theory on human behavior and the focus on the conscious mind are compatibles with modern neuroscience. However, the relevancy and ability of a scientific theory depend on its ability to withstand changes over time. To a greater extent, this explains why the theory of psychoanalysis, as developed by Freud’s, is on the decline and has gained very little empirical support. Thus, it’s worth noting that the relevancy of the Freud theory is on the decline due to increasing evidence and empirical research that refutes Freud’s idea on the conscious states of the human mind. Paris (2017).argue that the psychoanalysis theory is in self-imposed isolation and can be considered to be pseudoscience. In this context, the theory is supported by a hypothesis that cannot be refuted by empirical evidence.
Also, the irrelevancy of psychoanalysis in the current clinical practices is attributed to the inability to produce scientific evidence. Taking into consideration other theories derived from psychoanalysis, their relevancy in clinical practices is backed by scientific evidence (Fonagy, 2003). For instance, even though the attachment theory has an inherent weakness, the theory has extensive scientific literature and evidence to support the relationship between attachment and mental health. In this context, the attachment theory becomes relevant due to empirical evidence compared to the psychoanalysis theory.
References
Fonagy, P. (2003). Psychoanalysis today. World Psychiatry, 2(2), 73.
MacLeod, S. (2008, February 5). What are the most interesting ideas of Sigmund Freud? Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html
Paris, J. (2017). Is psychoanalysis still relevant to psychiatry?. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(5), 308-312.