Chris Anderson Psychology 05/11/2012 1: Explain one technique used in Psychoanalysis Dream Evaluation is a psychoanalytic technique used to treat

t atypical behaviour. During this process the patient describes his or her dreams to a therapist who will then attempt to understand the dream and what it means with regards to the patients atypical behaviour. This is done by the therapist deciphering the laten t content of the dream from the manifest content described by the patient. This allows the therapist to access and interpret the information given from a patien ts subconscious mind which the patient may not be consciously aware of. 2: Discuss the effectiveness of psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis is a psychological therapy that attempts to diagnose and treat at ypical behaviour by investigating the effects the subconscious mind has on the c onscious mind. By exploring the subconscious mind the therapist can then access conflicts and issues from a patients subconscious and attempt to address the atyp ical behaviour by interpreting the underlying meanings of the information provid ed. Psychoanalysts believe that an individuals atypical behaviour is formed from expe riences based in that persons early childhood, and that atypical behaviour is a result of conflicts between the patients subconscious impulses and drives and th e conscious mind. In order to treat atypical behaviour the source of the problem from the subconscious mind must be discovered and treated through such methods as dream analysis, free association therapy or the Rorschach inkblot test. A famous example of psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freuds evaluation of little Hans. Han s was a child who had a phobia of horses, which Freud explained was an expressio n of the Oedipus complex which had developed subconsciously when he was a young child. As a result of psychoanalysis Freud concluded that the boy had a subcons cious fear of his father which was being transferred onto horses. Psychoanalysis has been proven to be of benefit to people with mild psychologica l disorders by the Fonagy study in 2000 and during a study in 1871 Bergin demons trated that 83% of patients undergoing psychoanalytic therapy showed an improve ment in their atypical behaviour as opposed to 31% of patients who were on the w aiting list to receive treatment. Although it has been proven to be effective, psychoanalytic therapy can be diffi cult to evaluate its actual effectiveness since it is hard to scientifically mea sure, and due to the subjective nature of the field leaves itself open to allega tions that the interpretations of the therapist may be bias or differ depending on the psychologist conducting the treatment. In conclusion, psychoanalysis has been proven to provide benefit to many patient s although the results can vary drastically between individuals. People sufferin g from mild disorders such as phobias may find the treatment a lot more benefici al than an individual suffering from severe schizophrenia. The quality of treatm ent can also rely heavily on the therapist conducting the treatment, as two diff erent therapists may come to two completely separate conclusions about a patients atypical behaviour.