Freud’s Theory of Unconscious Wish Fulfillment

•  Unconscious wishes that cannot be fulfilled in real life and are repressed, find an expression in the dreams.
 
•  The manifest content represents the latent content. However the manifest part is different from the latent part, and represents the unfulfilled wishes in a symbolic form.
 
•  The psychoanalyst is trained in digging out the hidden content, and can bring it to the conscious level.

Reverse Learning Theory
•  There are loads of irrelevant information that accumulates in our mental repertoire throughout the day. If we let this information keep piling up, it will confuse us and hinder clearer thinking. Dreams are a way of getting rid of this accumulation.
 
•  Dreams do not mean anything more than a scavenger.
 
•  We are in a way unlearning what we had learn unintentionally.

Dreams-for-Survival Theory
•  Dreams are a source of reconsidering and reprocessing important information.
 
•  Dreams do have a meaning with reference to our daily living, and represent our concerns, decisions, uncertainties etc.
 
•  It is a capacity inherited from our non human ancestors who had limited capacity for processing information during daytime due to smaller brains; hence the mechanism of information processing during sleep as well.
 
Activation- Synthesis Theory
•  Dreams are a by-product of fundamental biological processes.
 
•  During REM sleep our brain generates random electric energy that stimulates memories stored in various portions of the brain.
 
•  The brain puts these random memories into such an order that forms a comprehendible storyline. The gaps in the story are filled in so that the consequent scenario becomes logical.
 
•  Theory proposed by Hobson.

Other Altered States of Consciousness
 
•  Hypnosis and Meditation
•  Drug Induced States 

Hypnosis
•  A condition in which the person is in a highly suggestible state.
•  Following a number of instructions by the hypnotist, the person enters a trance and follows the suggestions or further instructions without resistance.
•  The instructions are followed even after the person is out of the trance.
•  However, a hypnotic state does not mean total loss ofwill; people may not follow instructions that clash with their moral/ethical ideology.
•  It is primarily a varied state of consciousness in which one is not fully awake.
•  Self-hypnosis is also taught.

Why Do People Go For Hypnosis?
 
People may choose hypnosis as a therapy for various reasons:, e.g. for:
•  Quitting smoking
•  Quitting alcohol
•  Pain management
•  Assertiveness training/overcoming shyness
•  Improving sport performance
•  Treatment of psychological problems (fears/ phobias)
•  Eating Disorders
•  Recalling events

How Effective Is Hypnosis?
There is no conclusive evidence available in this regard.
Meditation
•  The person learns (after instruction) to refocus attention and to concentrate in such a way that he/she is totally detached from all the unwantedstimulation for as long as he/she desires.
•  Its history can be traced in many religions.
•  For focusing attention a word, syllable, or sound may be repeated e.g. the way we do in transcendental meditation(TM).
•  In some forms of meditation someobject e.g. a marble, crystal, candle flame, or picture may be used
•  The main idea is to concentrate.

 Physiological changes due to meditation
•  Decreased heart rate
•  Lowered blood pressure
•  Lessened oxygen usage
•  Changed brainwave pattern
 
How does meditation affect?
•  It gives a heightened feeling of relief and relaxation.
•  Concentration is sharper.
•  Insight is improved and problem solving better.
•  It has a positive effect on health, and in some studies longevity has been found to be associated with prolonged practice of TM.
 
Drug Induced States
•  Changes in consciousness due to use/abuse of different drugs. Psychoactive drugs
•  Drugs that affect behavior and mental processes including cognitions, emotions and perceptions.
•  More deep rooted and adverse effects are caused by the addictive drugs; drugs causing dependence.
 

Effects of Drugs

Main effects:
•  Withdrawal effects
•  Overdose effects
The withdrawal effects determine, to a great extent, the success of a quitting program.
 
Categories of Drugs
•  Stimulants
•  Depressants
•  Narcotics
•  Hallucinogens
 
Stimulants
•  They give you a “high’ feeling; they influence the CNS, and the person’s heart rate, Blood pressure,
and muscle tension is increased.
•  Cocaine
•  Amphetamines
•  Benzedrine
•  Dexedrine
 
Depressants
Depressants’ intake leads to a slowed down nervous system. These include:
•  Barbiturates
•  Alcohol
 
Narcotics
Create a feeling of relaxation, and alleviate anxiety and pain. Are highly addictive.
•  Heroin
•  Morphine
 
Hallucinogens
Drugs that produce hallucinations; affecting perceptual processes:
•  Cannabis
•  Marijuana (bhang)
•  Hashish
•  Hash oil
•  LSD
•  PCP (Phencyclidine)
 
Why do people take drugs?
Addiction
Role modeling
Peer pressure
Stress/ Relaxation
Thrill/Excitement/Experimenting

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memory Storage Systems: Memory Storehouses

i.  Sensory Memory ii.  Short - term Memory iii.  Long - term Memory  •  These three are not separate, mutually exclusive, entities found in separate brain centers; •  They differ in terms of the functions they perform and their capacity for retaining information for a specific period of time i.e., for how long can they keep the information stored. •  These are abstract divisions on the basis of their primary characteristics. Sensory Memory   •  Storage of memory lasting for a while; this is the initial momentary stage. •  Sensory memory refers to the initial, momentary recording of information in our sensory systems.   When sensations strike our eyes, they linger briefly inthe visual system. This kind of sensory memory is called iconic memory and refers to the usually brief visual persistence of information as it is being interpreted by the visual system. Echoic memory isthe name applied to the same phenomenon in the a...
Read more

Three Main Theories of Color Vision

Image
There are a number of theories related to color vision and color blindness, but the three very important and famous theories are; 1.  Parallel processing theory of vision 2.  Trichromatic theory of color vision 3.  Opponent- process theory of color vision I.  Parallel Processing Theory of Vision  •  The brain’s distinctive and natural way of processing information in which various aspects of information are processed simultaneously__ includes many brain functions such as vision; contrasts with the serial/ step- by- step processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving •  Unlike most computers, which work/ processes information instantly through step- by- step serial processing, humansdo parallel processing___ means do several things at one time •  Our brain is capable of dividing visual information into various dimensions/ categories such as color, depth, movement etc and works on each aspect/ part simultaneously •  ...
Read more

COGNITIVE APPROACH

(Also known as the cognitive Perspective or Model) After having gone through the classical and operant conditioning approaches ask yourself: •  Did we learn, all that we know, as a result of mere association of stimulus and response; or was it learnt just because we were reinforced for it?????Can learning take place as a result of some other processes? •  Why does a soldier keep resisting the strong enemy without caring for his life even when he can escape? •  Why would an artist donate his paintings to a charity school and not sell them in the market when he could have earned hundreds of thousands? All human intellectual activities and potentials, i.e. thinking, communicating, problem solving, and learning require mental processes and knowledge. It is more than just stimulus-response association or reward and punishment. •  In the 1970's much of psychology returned to the study of the mind. Cognitive psychology had a similar interest. It studied memory, infor...
Read more