Psychodynamic and Contextual Family Therapist Flashcards

Refers to when a client projects onto the therapist attributes that stem from unresolved issues with primary caregivers; therapists use the immediacy of these interactions to promote client insight.

Refers to when therapists project back onto clients, losing their therapeutic neutrality and having strong emotional reactions to the client.

In psychodynamic family therapy, this term refers to how the pathologies of individuals typically are complementary to pathologies of other members of the family.

The basic human need for relationship and emotional safety. These patterns are shaped by early experiences with primary attachment objects or caretakers.

Patterns based on early experiences with primary attachment objects, particularly mothers. As a result of these experiences, external objects are experienced as ideal, rejecting, or exciting.

The internalized negative aspects of parents. People internalize these attributes and unconsciously strive to make all future intimate relationships conform to them, such as when they hear a parent’s critical comments in the neutral comments of a partner.

Involves one person projecting onto other members introjects and repressed material.

Automatic responses to perceived psychological threats and are often activated on an unconscious level. When used periodically, defense mechanisms can be adaptive ways of coping with stress; when used regularly, they become quite problematic.

The more intense the anxiety resulting from frustration related to the primary caregiver, the greater the person’s need to split these objects, separating good from bad parts by repressing the rejecting and/or exciting objects, thus leaving less of the ego, or conscious self, to relate freely.

Refers to falsely attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings, impulses, or wishes onto another, typically without being aware of what one is doing. Example: seeing others as greedy but not recognizing this characteristic in oneself.

A psychoanalytic term in which clients defend against anxiety by projecting certain split-off or unwanted parts of themselves onto the other person, who is then manipulated (usually unconsciously) to act according to these projections.

Describes the unconscious process that occurs when the superego seeks to repress the id’s innate impulses and drives. Repression is the cause of a wide range of neurotic symptoms, such as obsessions, compulsions, hallucinations, psychosomatic complaints, anxiety, and depression. Because it happens outside of awareness, repression is considered more pathological than suppression.

The intentional conscious avoidance of difficult inner thoughts, feelings, and desires. When thoughtfully chosen, this defense can be very useful when facing difficult emotions over extended periods of time, such as grief, complicated loss, and so on.

Refers to unconsciously redirecting intense emotion from a threatening object to a less-threatening object. Occurs commonly in families, such as when a parent is angry with a boss or situation at work and then redirects this anger onto a partner or children.

A nurturing relationship between the therapist and client. Two aspects of holding in family therapy: contextual holding and centered holding.