What is the difference between the psychoanalytic theory and cognitive theory

I am going to research the psychodynamic and Cognitive theory thoroughly, using different resources with this I will compare their strengths and weaknesses of each. The psychodynamic approach includes all theories in psychology that see human functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, particular unconscious between the structures of personality. Freud's psychoanalyst was the original psychodynamic theory. Sigmund Freud's Theory is quite complex. He believed that different driving forces develop during these stages which play an important role in how we interact with the world. In An Outline of Psychoanalysis, Freud (1949) explains the principal tenets on which psychoanalytic theory is based. According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of three elements, these three elements of personality is known as the id, the ego, and the superego which work together to create complex human behaviors. The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes of the instinctive and primitive behaviors. According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality. The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension. ...read more.

This is known as the final stage of the psychosexual development begins at the start of puberty when s****l urges are once again open. Though the lessons learned during the previous stages, adolescents direct their s****l urges onto the opposite s*x peers, with the primary focus of pleasure is the genitals. (Freud, 1949, p. 52). In contrast to the psychodynamic theory, the cognitive perspective to psychology began in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but it only became clear and important for research in the 1970s. Cognitive psychology is used to study the mental processes of a person. The idea is that the mind has a sort of mental state which makes it able to believe desire and intent. It is like comparing a human mind to a computer by saying that we are also information processors and that we can study the internal mental processes that are in the stimuli and the responses we make. The word "Cognition" means "the process of knowing" so therefore the cognitive process is associated to the ways, in which knowledge is used, retained and gained. Cognitive psychologists have researched and studied attention, perception, thinking, language, memory, attention and problem solving. Emotion was not considered a cognitive process. All in all, the cognitive psychology studies to understand the thinking process that influence our actions and behavior. ...read more.

They also say that it is too cold, meaning they are ignoring the emotional side of humans, their consciousness and free will. But just as all the other psychology approaches, it will be argued forever, but still used. Some like it and some do not, but in the end, it is a very important part of psychology. (Farrell, 1981, p. 195). In conclusion to this the psychodynamic approach concentrates on the human personality which according to Freud has three distinctive and interacting parts and he used thermodynamics as an extended metaphor to explain this. Using this tripartite division the ego and the id in which he named these three distinctive parts, the id, the ego, and the superego. He also believed that much of one's personalities are shaped from one's childhood experiences. He theorized that from a child's birth until the child has gone through puberty, he or she goes through psychosexual stages of development. In comparison to this the Cognitive theory was used by psychologists to explain how people could act as information transmission devices. Cognitive psychology makes a number of assumptions: Humans are seen as active information processors Mental processes exist and these processes are linked to observable behaviors - e.g. how long people take to do things, what sort of mistakes people make. These assumptions are used to develop theories via the use of the information processing approach and by computer modeling. ...read more.

In this post we will highlight the differences between these two types of psychotherapy and help you identify which is the best for you.

Psychoanalytic therapy vs cognitive behavioral

Cognitive therapy and psychoanalytic therapy are often opposed without delving into their points of agreement or their differences. However, psychoanalytic therapy has been, and continues to be, a cognitive therapy insofar as it modifies beliefs and ideas.

From the beginning, Freud argued that it was essential to undo the work of repression so that what was subject to unconscious processing became the object of what he explicitly called “associative correction”, that is, once in consciousness it was contrasted with other ideas that could rectify it.

In other words, a two-stage process: lifting the repression and then cognitive restructuring (the contrast between ideas), the latter being the decisive factor.

What’s psychoanalytic therapy?

Psychoanalytic therapy is characterized, among other things, by being adapting to circumstances without following a very rigid structure. This is so because, from the theoretical perspective from which psychoanalysis starts, each patient experiences a unique form of discomfort, based on their past experiences and that is part of her identity as an individual.

To know what this type of psychotherapy consists of, it is relevant that we review some of the principles and foundations of applied psychoanalysis. It is true that each psychoanalyst will address the needs of their patients in a unique and personalized way, but most of these therapists follow these elementary principles:

• Psychological conflicts are the consequence of problems in the unconscious
• Symptoms are externalized by latent conditions
• The origin of these unconscious conflicts is usually found in unresolved problems during childhood, or in traumas that have been repressed
• Therapy makes these repressed thoughts aware, and it is at this time that the patient can treat and overcome her fears and conditions.

Bases of intervention of Psychoanalytic Therapy

Psychoanalytic Therapy inquires about the drives and impulses that every human being keeps in his unconscious, and its goal is to provide a situation of rediscovery of oneself in order to promote an improvement of the current mental state.

In this process, the patient must better understand his past and the different life events that have affected his life, being able to recompose his beliefs and memories to overcome the conflicts that he drags.

The therapy is spread over several sessions, which can vary depending on multiple factors and circumstances. In any case, the environment of trust between patient and therapist (the “rapport”) should enable the latter to speak openly about their latent thoughts, memories and emotions.

The psychoanalyst therapist will limit himself to listening to the patient’s stories and concerns, being attentive to patterns of thoughts or memories that may be of clinical interest. Throughout the therapeutic sessions, the repressed feelings will flourish and the patient will achieve that his anxiety and fears dissipate.

What’s cognitive behavioral therapy?

Cognitive-behavioural therapy thus appears as a combination of two streams, behaviorism and cognitivism, relating thoughts and behavior. It affirms that there is an intrinsic relationship between thought, emotion and behavior, and that changes in some of the components will have consequences on the others.

In this way, it uses very diverse techniques aimed at modifying one of the three elements, knowing that in this way it will be extended to the human being as a whole. For example:

• Cognitive restructuring is a technique that is based on helping the person to modify their beliefs or thoughts. 

To do this, invite the person to evaluate the veracity of what he thinks and to look for more adaptive thinking alternatives. Once you change the way you interpret reality, change the way you feel and act.

• Exposure is a technique aimed at modifying behavior. The person is encouraged to stop avoiding and escape what he fears and cope with it. By changing his behavior and facing the dreaded situation, he checks that it is harmless and his beliefs and emotions about it immediately change.
• Relaxation techniques focus on modifying emotions. Specifically, they help the person to self-regulate their emotions and their level of activation. 

If your emotions change, your thoughts become less catastrophic and your behavior changes from fleeing to coping.

Bases of intervention of cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy works by teaching to recognize thinking styles that predispose to reaching conclusions that are not very useful for the patient, or dysfunctional thoughts.

For this, it is necessary to train the person to be able to reflect on their own way of thinking and consider which points are conflicting and which are not. In this way, it is intended that the client has more capacity to question the categories with which she works (such as “success and failure”) and detect typical patterns of thought that cause problems.

The process by which it is achieved that the patient recognizes the cognitive aspects that cause him discomfort and can act on them is based on a model of action inspired by Socratic dialogue.

This implies that during a part of the cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions, the professional will return the necessary feedback to the patient so that he, by himself, detects the contradictions or unwanted conclusions to which his thinking styles and his cognitive schemas.

The therapist does not guide the patient in this process, but rather poses questions and remarks statements that the client himself has made so that the latter can go deeper into the study of his own thinking.

The second part of cognitive-behavioral therapy involves intervening on the cognitive and material foci that have been detected. This entails, on the one hand, setting specific objectives to be met, and on the other, training the patient to be able to determine, from his own criteria, the strategies that bring him closer to and away from these goals.

In addition, as the objectives have been defined in such a way that it can be impartially verified whether they have been met or not, it is easy to measure the progress that is being made and the pace at which it is happening to take note of it and, if it occurs the case, introduce changes in the intervention program.

Differences between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychoanalysis

Next, we will go through the differences between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychoanalysis with respect to three key aspects: treatment modality, empirical research support, and information provided to the patient.

Treatment modality

The psychoanalyst predominantly uses the technique of “free association”; It does not apply procedures aimed at behavioral change, since it starts from the idea (which is widely questioned today from other approaches) that authentic “cure” occurs only when the patient “discovers” aspects of the “unconscious” that were “hidden.”

The cognitive-behavioral therapist implements therapeutic techniques whose objective is to change the behaviors, thoughts and emotions that cause suffering to the patient. In other words, the patient’s problem is addressed directly.

Empirical support of treatments

The origin of Psychoanalysis is located in the theoretical system initially developed by Sigmund Freud between 1885 and 1938.

The practice of current Psychoanalysis is based on theories and hypotheses of various authors that make compatible and complement the original proposals of its creator to varying degrees.

This results in a wide set of divergent currents within Psychoanalysis itself. To be more precise, there are approximately 200 schools of Psychoanalysis. Regardless of the empirical support that he has in controlled studies, the analyst applies the theory that he believes or convinces him.

Regardless of whether he likes a certain theory or not, the cognitive-behavioral therapist must give priority to those approaches that have passed the empirical test through previous studies that verify the effectiveness of a technique in certain disorders.

In several countries, scientific research has been stimulated in the clinical field, trying to establish precise criteria on which are effective treatments for different pathologies.

Thus, the professional who works in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy must consider such criteria when choosing which techniques to apply to help their patients.

Information about the techniques to the patient

In Psychoanalysis, the patient is not usually informed that the analyst will not directly address their problems or reasons for consultation.

Moreover, according to Freudo-Lacanian psychoanalysis, the patient must “suppose” that the analyst possesses a “knowledge”; In general, he cannot respond directly to the patient’s request for help by modifying the symptom, since in this way he “blocks” or “interferes” with free association.

For example, if the patient suffers from anxiety, the analyst does not apply relaxation techniques, as it would involve working on the “surface” and not on the supposed “conflict.”

Naturally, the resulting ethical problem is that the lack of accurate information about the characteristics of the psychoanalytic approach leads to the patient spending months, even years, believing that the analyst implements techniques to change his problem.

In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy the therapist must clearly inform the patient which procedures he will apply. Psychoeducation, that is, explaining basic theoretical notions and technical steps, constitutes one of the unavoidable components in therapeutic programs for most psychological disorders.

In this way, the patient is allowed to choose, from the fact that he is informed in a transparent way about the intervention strategies that will be implemented and about the reason for them.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a very comprehensive, flexible, and effective approach. It achieves very important improvements in a short time and in a wide variety of disorders and conditions.

Furthermore, it is the psychological orientation with the most experimental evidence of its efficacy. However, when going to therapy it is advisable to find out about the available alternatives and choose the approach with which you feel most identified.

FAQS: Psychoanalytic therapy vs cognitive behavioral

What is the difference between psychoanalysis and cognitive therapy?

In psychoanalysis, the goal is mainly to interact with the feelings that are the genesis of the emotions that sabotage relationships and mess with the growth of marriage and potentially endanger the performance of one’s job. CBT is a linear approach focused on logical analysis that is mechanistic.

What are the main differences between psychodynamic and cognitive Behaviour therapies?

So, if you try to look at a longer-term approach to the issues you are facing, psychodynamic psychotherapy can be beneficial. CBT, on the other hand, is a short, time-limited treatment with 6 to 12 sessions concentrating on personal interests, but not the historical background.

Is CBT psychoanalytic?

Cognitive behavioural therapy, like most techniques such as psychoanalytic psychotherapy, does not appear to rely on latent implicit aversion to transition.

Is psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy the same?

A common kind of talk therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (psychotherapy). You communicate in a formal manner with a mental health specialist (psychotherapist or therapist), attending a limited number of sessions.

What is the difference between a counselor and a therapist?

Counseling is an intense and personal process focused on helping people with normal problems and opportunities. … Active therapy is one in which the therapist performs some type of personal intervention that is not limited to collecting and interpreting the information provided by the patient.

In this post we will highlighted the differences between these two types of psychotherapy and help you identify which is the best for you.

If you have any questions or comments please let us know!

References

Field, T.A., Beeson, E.T., Jones, L.K. (2015), The New ABCs: A Practitioner’s Guide to Neuroscience-Informed Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 37 (3): pp. 206 – 220.

Froggett, L. y Richards, B. (2002). Exploring the Bio-psychosocial. European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling, Vol. 5 (3). pp. 321 – 326.

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