Abnormal Psychology

20 CHAPTER 1

• the possibility that our species has certain inborn and unconscious archetypes (an
  archetype is an abstract, ideal characterization of a person, object, or concept)
  that channel some aspects of motivation (Jung, 1983).

In addition, Karen Horney (1885–1952) and other psychologists conducted

research on the ways that moment-to-moment interactions between child and

parent can contribute to psychological disorders (Horney, 1937; Kernberg, 1986;

Sullivan, 1953). This emphasis on the contribution that an infant’s social world

can make to psychopathology is one of the lasting contributions of psycho dynamic

theory. Treatment based on psychodynamic theory is generally referred to as

psychodynamic therapy and will be discussed in Chapter 4. Various modifi cations

of psychodynamic therapy have been developed, based on specifi c alterations of

Freud’s theory.

Evaluating Freud’s Contributions

One challenge to psychodynamic theory is that its guiding principles, and those of

its corresponding treatments, rest primarily on subjective interpretations of what

patients say and do. Another challenge is that the theory is not generally amenable

to scientifi c testing. For instance, a fear of eating dust could be due to a sublimation

of sexual impulses (a fi xation at the oral stage) or a reaction formation to an un-

conscious desire to play with fecal matter (a fi xation at the anal stage). The problem

Table 1.3 • Common Defense Mechanisms

Defense Mechanism

How the Defense Mechanism

Transforms the Confl ict Example

Repression (considered

to be the most important

defense mechanism)

Unintentionally keeping

confl ict-inducing thoughts

or feelings out of conscious

awareness

You “forget” about the time

you saw someone getting

mugged across the street.

Denial Not acknowledging the

confl ict-inducing thoughts

or feelings to oneself

(and others)

You are addicted to painkillers,

but won’t admit it even though

the addiction has caused you

to miss work.

Rationalization Justifying the confl ict-inducing

thoughts, feelings, or

behaviors with explanations

After a father hits his

daughter, he justifies his

behavior to himself by

saying she deserved it.

Projection Ascribing (projecting) the

confl ict-inducing thoughts or

feelings onto others

Instead of admitting that you

don’t like a classmate, you say

the person doesn’t like you.

Reaction Formation Transforming the confl ict-

inducing thoughts or feelings

into their opposite

Your feelings of attraction to

your colleague at work are

transformed into distaste and

disgust, and you begin to feel

repulsed by the colleague.

Sublimation Channeling the confl ict-inducing

thoughts or feelings into less

threatening behaviors

When a father’s frustration

and anger at his teenage

daughter mount, he channels

his feelings by going for

a 20-minute run.