Psychological Theories Of Psychology And Psychology

Psychological Theories The field of psychology has evolved significantly due to the development of a wide range of psychological theories. Most of the mainstream psychological approaches fall under several main categories namely psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, and developmental approaches. These psychological theories play a significant role in psychopathology. This paper describes the psychodynamic approach and explains how the theory views the person in general. This paper also explains how the theory works with psychopathology and explains treatment modality in respect to this the theory. The psychodynamic approach originated from the works of Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalysis. However, the mainstream psychodynamic†¦show more content†¦This struggle begins from the outside where external drives such as aggression, sex, and the need for superiority begin to conflict with moral codes, laws, and social rules (Rathus, 2012). These social rules and laws start to develop inwards (become internalized) with time (Rathus, 2012). At this point, a person experiences an internal conflict between opposing inner forces in different parts of the brain (Hill, 2001). At any given time, these inner conflicts manifest in the form of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors (Rathus, 2012). Moreover, emotional drives such as sexual and aggressive drives play a significant role in shaping behavior (Hill, 2001). The mental structures that trigger this conflict include the ego, superego, and the id. These components develop during the psychosexual stages of development as identified by Freud. The id is a pleasure principle that develops at birth. It represents all primitive needs and desires (Plante, 2013). The ego develops at age one and represents the rational aspects of personality and helps people to adapt to a challenging environment (Plante, 2013). The superego develops at age five and represents the internalization of one’s norms and morals with respect to culture, family, and society (Plante, 2013). Constant conflicts among the three component of the intrapsychic world lead to anxiety, which in turn