psychoanalysts
Unconscious mind explorers
Psychoanalysts are practitioners of psychoanalysis, a method of treating mental disorders that emphasizes unconscious mental processes, early childhood experiences, and the therapeutic relationship.
Unlike psychiatrists, psychoanalysts need not be physicians—many come from psychology or social work backgrounds.
The practice traces to Freud's theories and typically involves long-term treatment: She saw her psychoanalyst three times a week for years.
Founder of psychoanalysis
- JungAnalytical psychology founder
- LacanFrench psychoanalytic theorist
- idUnconscious instinctual drives
- egoOne's self-image
superego · unconscious · libido · Oedipus complex · repression · defense mechanisms · transference · psychosexual
Upholstered seating furniture
- sessionsPeriods for specific activities
- transferenceRedirecting feelings to substitutes
- countertransferenceTherapist's emotional response to patient
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
interpretation · insight · free association · working through · termination · neutrality · abstinence · confidentiality
Assigned meaning
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
- dreamworkAnalyzing sleep-state imagery
- free associationUnfiltered verbal thought flow
nightmares · archetypes · collective unconscious · anxiety dreams · condensation · displacement · royal road · symbolization
Scrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- inner lifeOne's private mental world
- free associationUnfiltered verbal thought flow
- reflectionReturned light or thought
emotional insight · childhood memories · fantasy · blind spots · self-understanding
Purification through emotional expression
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- working throughAddressing something systematically
- integrationCombining into a whole
- transformationThorough change in form
growth · recovery · resolution · abreaction · reparation · mourning · symptom relief · self-understanding
Freud
Founder of psychoanalysis
- JungAnalytical psychology founder
- LacanFrench psychoanalytic theorist
- idUnconscious instinctual drives
ego · superego · unconscious · libido · Oedipus complex · repression · defense mechanisms · transference · psychosexual · neurosis
couch
Upholstered seating furniture
- sessionsPeriods for specific activities
- transferenceRedirecting feelings to substitutes
- countertransferenceTherapist's emotional response to patient
resistance · interpretation · insight · free association · working through · termination · neutrality · abstinence · confidentiality · supervision
interpretation
Assigned meaning
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
- dreamworkAnalyzing sleep-state imagery
free association · nightmares · archetypes · collective unconscious · anxiety dreams · condensation · displacement · royal road · symbolization
self-examination
Scrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- inner lifeOne's private mental world
- free associationUnfiltered verbal thought flow
reflection · emotional insight · childhood memories · fantasy · blind spots · self-understanding
catharsis
Purification through emotional expression
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- working throughAddressing something systematically
- integrationCombining into a whole
transformation · growth · recovery · resolution · abreaction · reparation · mourning · symptom relief · self-understanding · emotional processing
- Psychology SchoolsFreudians, behaviorists, humanists, functionalists, structuralists
psychoanalystsbehaviorists
Scientists studying observable conduct
B.F. Skinner · neuropsychiatrists · psychopharmacologists · crisis counselors · neuroscientists
psychoanalystsneuropsychologists
Clinicians studying brain-behavior relationships