Insights

Some people may not respond well to a person-centred approach. People are simply different from one another. Furthermore, the Person-Centred self-regulated approach may be inappropriate for those who require specific direction and guidance from the person providing professional help. Psychodynamic approaches are widely used by mental health professionals in providing mental health support to those of us who may be more responsive to being given directives and instructions than being given the autonomy and freedom to control their own healing and therapy. 

The psychoanalytic method is the most prominent and popular of these approaches. Founded by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), Psychoanalysis+ evolved from an interest in neurophysiological research centred on human sexuality and into a clinical method of treating psychopathology through an interactive dialogue between patient and therapist. Hence in its original form, Freud designed his method as a "talking therapy" or "therapy on a couch”. While the psychoanalytic approach has been declining in popularity and functionality because of obsolescence and controversies surrounding its virulent methodology that may sometimes result in harm, Freud continues to be widely acknowledged as the father of modern psychology and his psychoanalytic theories remain valid and are still being conveyed and taught as basic principles of human behaviour and personality. Many of his groundbreaking concepts and theories remain respectable and studied by many people who embark on a profession such as counselling, psychology and psychiatry.

The structure of human personality, consisting of the id, ego and superego, is one of the tenets of Freudian psychoanalysis. The Freudian concept of the "self" is therefore an interplay of these three components. In simple terms, humans react to people and the environment from these vantage points, or we may put these as mindsets. The id is the repository of human instincts and operates according to the pleasure principle. The ego is the seat of reason and operates according to the reality principle. The superego houses and nurtures our ethics, morals and social standards. To elaborate further on these Freudian concepts, let us look at the basic human behaviour of eating. Eating is an essential behaviour that constitutes our response to hunger. From our id, we grab something to eat by instinct. But our superego tells us that in the modern world, we just do not grab something to eat from a store when we are hungry. Our ego intervenes and mediates between our id and superego, and tells us to pay for food we find in a store. Certainly, it will be a totally different response if we were trapped in the middle of a desert or an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Or much more complicated than that, there will be one person who will react or respond to hunger pangs with some form of psychopathology such as a stealing addiction or kleptomania. Try yourself and analyse this scenario.

In a world full of instability and uncertainty, some of us may be responding from the pleasure-seeking id. As such, some people may ignore health and safety protocols amid a pandemic to satisfy their basic instincts. Some may allow their conscience to take control. But then, an overuse of superego response may result in a more harmful than helpful situation of cultist beliefs and extremist thinking. In the end, the realistic mindset of our ego somehow alleviates the inner battle between our id and superego. It is our ego that tells us to feel and think that if we do not play by the rules, we may have to suffer the consequences of our behaviour which may either be an infection that could be fatal or if not, extremely debilitating and disabling for vulnerable people like the elderly.

But beware that everything decided from the ego is not always perfect and airy-fairy. Humans have egos that are sometimes inflated (too much ego) or deflated (no ego). We can imagine a spectrum or a pendulum. The extreme ends are ego-deflation and ego-inflation. In a pandemic where there is an outbreak and surge not only of the virus but also of information and misinformation, we may experience feelings of helplessness and hopelessness resulting in ego-deflation. In a blink of an eye, we find ourselves exhausted and tired of thinking about the pandemic. Paradoxically, some may resort to ego-inflating behaviours to hide their depleting or dying egos. In other words, people with big egos are in fact ego-deflated. As such, we may expect a prevalence of protesters, conspiracy theorists, anti-groups and anti-social behaviours when situations get out of hand and out of control.

Is this normal? Yes and no.

Yes, because it is a function of our ego defense mechanism. No, because we can help ourselves to think differently from another perspective. Like our immune system, humans are created with defence mechanisms that protect us from external threats. This paradoxical truth is simply part of being human, but can be alleviated with proper education, good governance, consistent information dissemination, mutual trust and compliant behaviour.

While psychoanalysis was conceived to be a dynamic approach that takes into account all aspects of the human psyche, we can make use of the “id-ego-superego” concept to understand our responses to daily life events. Applying this concept in a piecemeal approach may require caution, guidance and support from a mental health professional as necessary and if required. It is always best practice to seek professional mental health support when we are experiencing an intense emotional crisis.

Reference:

+Corey, G (2020). Theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy enhanced (10th ed). Belmont, CA: Brooks / Cole Cengage Learning (560 pages).