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Psychology Factsheets
www.curriculum-press.co.uk Number 160
Exam guide to methods used in psychoanalysis
This Factsheet is about psychoanalytic methods with an emphasis on B Dream interpretation
how to apply the theory to exam questions. The Factsheet is based
around examiner comments which highlight common pitfalls (and
how to avoid them) as well as illustrating what will gain you credit in
exam questions on the topic. The worksheet gives you the opportunity
to apply what you have learned to exam style questions. Words in bold
are explained in the glossary.
The examiner will expect you to be able to:
• Outline methods used in psychoanalysis, such as dream analysis,
free association and projective tests One of Freud’s more famous quotes is that ‘dreams are the royal road to
• Distinguish psychoanalytic methods from other methods of the unconscious’. What he meant by this is that while we are sleeping,
psychological intervention our unconscious mind is trying to process stimuli collected during the
• Evaluate methods used in psychoanalysis preceding day, what he called the dream day. As well as these more
recent cues, dreams also contain clues about unconscious memories
A Introduction originating from childhood. The assumption being that something in
the present has triggered something from the past. In psychoanalysis,
the patient is encouraged to tell the analyst the content of their dreams,
however incomplete, bizarre, frightening or nonsensical they might
An archaeologist at work seem. They might be encouraged to keep a dream journal in order
to write down recollections from dreams as soon as they awake
because often the memory of the dream evaporates during the day.
The remembered part of dreams is called the manifest content. The
analyst will be particularly interested in recurring dreams or those that
The psychoanalytic method draws on psychodynamic theory and are particularly vivid.
aims to bring the patient’s unconscious fears, fantasies, anxieties and
conflicts into conscious awareness. Once conscious, the therapist and The method of dream interpretation involves the analyst and patient
patient can explore this content with the aim of reaching a resolution working together to explore the thoughts, feelings and associations
to the patient’s difficulties. Psychoanalysts have been likened to around the dream with the emphasis on what it brings up for the patient.
archaeologists, because the aim of their work is to uncover what lies As the therapeutic relationship develops over time, the analyst might
beneath the (conscious) surface of the mind. They work with the patient be reminded of something the patient has spoken about previously
to first uncover and then make sense of the unconscious. and make links between that and the dream currently being explored.
The aim of dream interpretation is to uncover the underlying meaning
Psychoanalysis is a ‘talking therapy’ whose founding father was or latent content of the dream, which can be thought of as a message
Sigmund Freud. It is also non-directive, which means that the patient from the dreamer’s unconscious mind, made conscious.
leads rather than the analyst or therapist directing the work. Variations
Examiner Comment: Most students can identify dream
of classical psychoanalysis include psychotherapy, psychodynamic
interpretation as a psychoanalytic method that involves a patient
counseling, play therapy and systemic family therapy as well as non-
telling the therapist the content of their dreams. However, many
verbal therapies such as art and music therapy. The most commonly
students fail to provide sufficient detail about what the therapist
used methods in psychodynamically informed therapies are dream
does with the information that has been shared.
analysis, free association and projective tests. These methods provide
valuable insight into the patient’s unconscious mind. A response that states ‘the therapist tells the patient what the dream
means’ or the therapist identifies the latent meaning’ is rudimentary
Examiner Comment: A disappointing number of students fail to and fails to take account of the joint venture of dream interpretation
accurately identify methods used in psychoanalysis. (and psychoanalysis per se).
Transference and projection are not methods of psychoanalysis.
They are phenomena that might arise in the relationship between C Free association
patient and analyst that can be interpreted but they are not methods
in themselves.
Freud used hypnotherapy in his early career as a psychoanalyst
although he discounted this technique and it is no longer a method
practiced in psychotherapy or psychoanalysis.
Psychoanalysis (and similar techniques) involves jointly working-
through the material brought to therapy by analyst and patient
In traditional psychoanalysis, the patient lies on a couch with the
together in an effort to make sense of unconscious communications.
analyst seated behind them, out of sight. This is thought to encourage
It isn’t something that is ‘done to’ the patient as weaker exam
free speech; that is, speaking with a lack of consciousness.
answers seem to suggest.
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160 - Exam guide to methods used in psychoanalysis
In derivations of psychoanalysis, such as psychotherapy and
psychodynamic counseling, the therapist and client might face each
other but the premise of free association is the same. The patient is
encouraged to speak openly, verbalizing whatever comes to mind,
without censoring their thoughts. In this way, preconscious thoughts are
allowed to surface without being repressed by the conscious mind. The
analyst and patient will work together to explore the thoughts, feelings
and associations that arise from free association. The analyst will notice
the themes that arise and feed these back to the patient. They will also
be mindful of the transference and projections and might interpret
these to the patient when the timing is appropriate. Free association is
a joint enterprise between analyst and patient which involves both of
them working through the material that arises.
Examiner Comment: Many students describe free association
as ‘saying the first thing that comes into your head’ or ‘saying
anything at all’. This is accurate but basic and fails to identify
what the therapist does.
D Projective tests
Projective tests can be used as a method in psychoanalysis. They are
ambiguous images, usually made by ink blots which can be presented
to the patient. The patient examines the image and tells the analyst
what the image provokes in terms of identification, thoughts, feelings
and associations. Some therapists might use alternative stimuli such
as picture cards, artwork or toys, to encourage a response from their
patients. Like dream analysis, the use of projective tests can provide
a valuable method of bringing unconscious fears, fantasies, anxieties
and conflicts into conscious awareness. The analyst will be alert to
anomalies as well as developing themes in their patient’s interpretations
of projective tests and will gently feed these back to the patient for
joint reflection and exploration.
Examiner Comment: Many students are familiar with the idea that
patients simply say what they see in ink blot tests. This is accurate
but basic and fails to identify what the therapist does.
E Evaluation of psychoanalytic methods
One way to evaluate psychoanalytic methods in general is to compare
them with therapeutic methods used by other disciplines in terms of
similarities and differences and then evaluate the similarity/difference
in terms of its strengths and limitations. Here are some examples of
how you could do this in exams:
• Psychoanalytic methods are non-directive, unlike cognitive and
behavioural methods.
o Allows the patient control but can also be experienced as a
burden, depending on individual differences.
Acknowledgements: This Psychology Factsheet was researched and written by Jeanine Connor.
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• Psychoanalytic methods usually take longer than cognitive and
behavioural methods.
o Has implications in terms of time and financial commitment;
but aims to address the underlying cause as well as the current
symptoms.
• The relative success of psychoanalytic methods is supported by
evidence.
o There is a limited evidence base compared to cognitive methods
such as CBT but this is being developed.
You might also be expected to evaluate specific psychoanalytic methods
in terms of strengths and limitations. Here are some examples of how
you could do this in exams:
• Dream analysis is subjective and may be open to interpretation by
different analysts.
o Interpretation should be non-directive with the emphasis on
what the dream provokes for the patient.
• Free association may be difficult for some patients to achieve.
o It takes time to develop a trusting therapeutic relationship which
supports the method of free association.
• Projective tests are an outdated method not really used anymore.
o Therapists have adapted this method using picture cards or art
which provide helpful stimuli to patients.
• Psychoanalytic methods are vague and can’t be objectively tested.
o Methods are measured in terms of patient recovery and relapse
rates and these are comparable to other methods such as CBT.
• We can’t know if the analyst is ‘right’ because we can’t examine
the patient’s unconscious mind.
o The analyst doesn’t aim to be ‘right’, they take their lead from
the patient and always encourage joint reflection, exploration
and working.
Examiner Comment: Stating that ‘talking’ is a method used in
psychoanalysis will not gain credit because this does not distinguish
it from other talking therapies.
Insight is an important skill of all psychological therapists but it
is not a method used in psychoanalysis.
Talking and working through are both things that happen in
psychoanalysis but they are not specifically psychoanalytic methods
and are not credit worthy in exam questions about methods used
in psychoanalysis.
Glossary
Dream day: Dreams are a way of processing unconscious cues from the
preceding day, i.e. the dream day.
Dream interpretation: Psychoanalytic method which involves patient
and analyst exploring the unconscious (latent) content of a patient’s dream.
Free association: Psychoanalytic method which involves the patient
speaking freely without censorship while the analyst is attentive to
unconscious themes.
Non-directive: Techniques which involve the patient leading the sessions
rather than the analyst/therapist directing them.
Non-verbal: Therapies based around music, art or play rather than talking.
Projection: Unconscious process of projecting negative emotions from or
about the self onto another object (person).
Projective tests: Psychoanalytic method which involves the patient
identifying images in ink blot tests with the analyst attentive to unconscious
themes.
Systemic: Of systems, for example, family therapy uses psychodynamic
theory to explore patterns of relationships in the family system.
Transference: Unconscious process of transferring emotions from previous
significant relationships onto the analyst during psychoanalysis.
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160 - Exam guide to methods used in psychoanalysis Psychology Factsheet

Worksheet: An exam guide to methods used in psychoanalysis

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1. Identify three psychoanalytic methods which aim to uncover the content of the patient’s unconscious.
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2. Explain the role of the patient and the role of the psychoanalyst in dream interpretation.

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3. Explain the role of the patient and the role of the psychoanalyst in free association.
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4. Explain the role of the patient and the role of the psychoanalyst in projective tests.
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5. Evaluate one psychoanalytic method in terms of its strengths and limitations.
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