50 Years Old Widow and Its Effects on Her Well Being
50 Years Old Widow and Its Effects on Her Well Being
Introduction to the Theoretical Model
Psychology study became more popular in the year 1900 than before. The contribution made by Sigmund Freud’s in his book “The Interpretation of Dreams” made psychology study and its application a great achievement towards understanding of the psychodynamics of mental dreams and other mental processes. All psychodynamic themes have a stem from psychoanalysis. The two major perspectives applied to psychology are psychodynamics perspective and cognitive behavioural perspective. Psychodynamic perspective also referred to as insight-oriented therapy explains on unconscious process as manifested in an individual’s behaviour.
The main objectives of the psychodynamics are for the client’s self-awareness and understanding the influence of their past on present behaviour. Such an approach helps the client to examine the conflicts and their symptoms that have not been resolved for long from experience. Cognitive behavioural perspective is a common form of psychotherapy whose goal is to change the way people think or their behaviours responsible for their difficulties in life. This method treats a wide range of conflict issues in their life.
Cognitive behavioural perspective method work by focusing on thoughts, images, beliefs and attitudes that we embrace and their influence on the way we behave as a solution to emotional stress. This method is short around seven months for most of the emotional problems. In many cases, the clients normally attend a session every week for less than an hour each.
During this conversation, the client and therapist engage in strategy to understand the problem and the possible solutions. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a combination of psychotherapy and behaviour therapy. This two understanding is important in mental stability of an individual. The behavioural attitude helps to understand the relationship between our problems and behaviour.
Jane is 50 years old is divorced and a mother of two adult children aged 27 years and 30 years. She has been a full time caretaker for her mother who has suffered the paralysis after an accident that killed her father when Jane was 29 years old. Unfortunately, Jane’s mother died several months ago. She has now been living lonely when her children moved away several years past. Jane has come to me as a psychologist about what she has gone through in her life.
Jane intends to move on with her life but faces difficulty with the fact that she lost her career as a nurse, which she gave up to take care of her sick mother. She is worried about whether she will meet the present nursing practice requirement having been away for a long time. In addition, she would wish to have a relationship. Even though she has to find it difficult to meet people and she is anxious about leaving home for long periods about what she has gone through. Jane has been undergoing treatment for depression. Her case analysis is through two major forms of analysis; these two approaches are from psychodynamics perspective and cognitive behavioural perspective.
Psychodynamic Perspective Approach to Jane’s Situation.
Psychodynamics perspective makes several assumptions in its implementations. Some of these assumptions include symptoms and personality difficulties have meaning that is either hidden or unconscious, people have a complex inner world of which they are unaware but interacts powerfully with their conscious personality. In the case of Jane, it can be through psychodynamic theory based on object relations theory. It states on how individuals learn and represent their relationship with others mentally.
The object in this case is the people whose moods and emotions influenced by the relationship they have experienced. These two theories embark on different approaches that earlier relationship tends to set the value for later relationships. According to this theory, depression is occurring in her their case due to challenges faced with such for a good relationship. It is evidently true that depression is due to the ongoing struggle that has affected people in search for the desired object. Anaclitic depression is believed to occur when people grief over their lost or broken relationships.
Psychodynamic Counsellor on the Case of Jane
In the case of Jane, the grief is because of the loss through death of father and mother. In addition, she focuses on her divorced husband and her distantly living children. This lost relationship is the major cause of her depression. Her care-giving duty to her mother is lost after she dies. People suffering from anaclitic depression cases have characteristic demonstrated through their feelings of helplessness and weakness due to the abandonment she experiences. On the other side, people suffering from introjective depression experience fear of losing approval, recognition and love from the objects she intends.
A depressed person's interpersonal behaviour leads to rejection by others. The interpersonal psychodynamic approach will help them break out from the negative spirals in their life. This can fully control the situation. It would restore the interaction she has lost with neighbours and friends during her state in depression and regain the contribution in her relationship. In the case of Jane, I would help her explore unsolved issues and conflicts and talk about important persons and their relationship with her. When she carries out transference with me, a large burden in her life will leave and a sign of relief with ease her in the process.
Cognitive Approach in Psychoanalysis
Aaron Beck, a psychiatrist and Albert Ellis, developed modern cognitive behavioural perspective. This approach believes in the argument that cognitions presented in the form of thoughts and preconceived decision. This process determines an individual’s emotional response. These approaches provide a focus on current problems that are relevant to the client. Effective relationship is necessary between the client and the practitioner. Cognitive approach is more of a psycho-educational forum whose mandate is to help the client new skills of personal management that they should apply in their lives to counter the problem. This helps them put into practice whatever they have learnt during the entire process.
Jane’s Encounter with Psychologist
The cognitive behavioural perspective would be more efficient when both Jane and the counsellor enjoy a fruitful relationship and openness. Confidently, there is the need for them to have a joint analysis the problem at hand the question about the things she has started doing to cope with her feelings of anxiety and depression. The main two reasons of working with the client help them to understand each of the challenges affecting her life. Furthermore, it will aid the counsellor to understanding the impact of depression in her life and enable the counsellor to understand the areas for their intervention. According to a vicious circle model, changing in any of the areas affecting her will lead to change in other areas of her life.
The openness in the evaluation of the challenges affecting her will also be helpful to her. She will be able to identify the effect of depression in her life. The process of noting their symptoms will be helpful to her since she can look at them objectively. She will therefore learn how different challenges she has been going through affects every part of her life. Learning about the causes of her depression, Jane can now identify where she went wrong and rectify the situations in her life. The lessons learnt in her interaction with the practitioner should be in practice continued. Intermediate beliefs will normally have influence on their view to generate automatic thoughts. These causes extended thoughts that lead to depression. With the knowledge in this, she would consider the driving agents and resolve them in the right way at the right time.
Differences between Psychodynamic Perspective and Cognitive Behavioural Perspective
In regard to Jane
The major differences between psychodynamics and cognitive perspective mainly occur in the approach and solution. For example, short-term psychodynamics will normally focus more on exploration of the experiences and its relation to the present. On the other side, cognitive behavioural perspective mainly involves a combination of behavioural intervention and cognitive restructuring. CBP is normally associated with specified behaviour outcomes or goals. CBP does not focus mainly on making the unconscious conscious, but it also emphasizes on the ability to establish insight in the problem.
The psychodynamic therapy focuses more on individuals unconscious in e childhood that is affecting their maturity stage. The forces that drive us originate from the unconscious. They always drive us to cause repeating patterns of behaviour. The cognitive behavioural approach focuses on the mode in which an individual’s thoughts and perception affect how their emotions and behaviour about themselves. Finally, the other difference between the two is the theoretical rationale psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural perspectives. Psychodynamics tries to cause the client to uncover the experiences reveal the present. On the other side, the cognitive behavioural approach here and now and is always goal oriented. That is, cognitive sees behaviour as learnt or acquired. In the case of Jane, these two differences are well illustrated. She might be suffering from issues that she faced on her childhood (psychodynamic approach) or from her life experiences after losing those who were close to her (cognitive behavioural approach).
Similarities between psychodynamic approach and cognitive behavioural approach
As in the case of Jane
Though psychodynamics and cognitive behavioural approaches are different at a large extent, there are various similarities associated with them. The most well established similarity between the two is that both of them try to explain on human mentality, explanation of mental illness, and determination of the best way to manage it if necessary. This explains why they are important in psychology. In the case of Jane, she suffers the same mental suffering. Even though the issues are interrelated, there is the need to provide the best possible solution to problems.
Best priority method for Jane
The two methods or approaches are fitting the problem Jane is experiencing. However, applying both methods in her case cannot necessarily carry out. The most effective method with Jane would require would be through the cognitive behavioural approach. This is because, from her case it is evident that her life has accelerated by the illness,s and death of her parents at different instances. She had a better life when she was working, and her children were around her. This argument proves that it is the experiences she faces while going through the occurrence are the cause of her depression. Such instances destabilize her mental soberness adult that stresses her to the level of her depression. Another happening that affect her is the divorce with her husband. All these issues come into her life while mature. She is therefore unable to function normally.
Conclusion
Going through this psychological counselling will help, she relates with others well, reform the life that has been in ruin, is able to make rational decisions and fulfil her life expectations. This would be a great step in the reformation of her shuttered dreams and expectations. Counselling the emotionally disturbed individuals have been of help to them, their neighbours and those close to them. Counselling psychologist works with various clients including children, adults, families and other people in need. The two methods are proven to be effective in managing emotional concerns. They help in trying to help their clients solve the conflicting problems in people’s life.
References
American Psychological Association Division 17. (2013). Cociety of Counselling Psyschology. What is Counseling Psychology , 1.
APassIsOK. (2012, july 13). Case Study Essay - Critical Analysis of Cbt and Psychodynamic Appoaches. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.studymode.com: http://www.studymode.com/essays/Case-Study-Essay-Critical-Analysis-1045987.html
Ben Martin, P. (2011). In-Depth: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Psych Central , 1.
Cognitive behavioral therapy. (2013, Feb 21). Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.mayoclinic.com: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/MY00194
Dombeck, M., Reiss, N. S., & Nemade, R. (2013). Depression: Major Depression & Unipolar Varieties. Emergence Health Network , 1.
Garland, A., & Williams, C. (2013). A cognitive–behavioural therapy assessment model for use in everyday clinical practice. Advances in Psychatriac Treatment , 1 and 2.
Graeme Whitfield, A. D. (2007). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Explained. Oxon, United Kingdom: Radcliffe Publishing.
Michael Herkov, P. (2011). About Cognitive Psychotherapy. Psych Central , 1-2.
Rashmi Nemade, N. S. ( 2007, Sep 7 19th ). Depression: Major Depression & Unipolar Varieties. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.mentalhelp.net: http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=13024&cn=5
