If you've ever taken a psychology course where Sigmund Freud's theories are discussed, there's a decent chance that your professor spent some time highlighting all the problems with his theory. Although Freud is the most recognizable name in the profession of psychology/ psychiatry, his theories have been criticized and even mocked by some contemporary psychologists.
In some cases, it is quite appropriate to criticize many aspects of his theories. But that's to be expected - he did not have the luxury of the scientific data we modern psychologists have access to. If Freud were alive today, he would surly take time to read what's happened in the 80 or so years since his death, and revise his theory. For the many criticisms I have of Freud's work, I must admit there some elements of his theory that appear to be fairly accurate (ex: the notion of defense mechanisms). In particular, it is his ideas about the unconscious that are quite impressive.
Freud believed that the brain operated at levels we were aware of (consciousness) and those we were unaware of (unconscious). Throughout history , many professionals and lay people have questioned this belief. However, the past 20-30 years of research, particularly in the fields of cognitive and social psychology, have really supported the idea that we have unconscious thinking.
Based on the wealth of scientific research in this area, psychologists now believe there are two types of thinking: automatic and controlled. Automatic thinking (also called implicit cognition) requires no effort or motivation on the part of the person. This is simply the brain processing information on its own. Controlled thinking is the type of thinking we're all used to -- the deliberate kind. This is when we take the time to think about things intentionally.
Clinical psychologists observe these two kinds of thoughts in therapy all the time. I will illustrate with an example. Imagine you see a spider scurry across your kitchen floor. It's a tiny spider that is obviously quite harmless. Yet, many people would be inclined to take a step back and feel a bit anxious. You might think "I hate spiders!" However, if someone asked you if the spider was harmful or dangerous, you'd probably say "no -- I know it's not harmful, but I just don't like them." What's going on here?
Well, it seems that automatic thinking is based on associative connections in the brain. An associative connection is a neural link between two concepts or ideas. For example, what word comes to mind when you read the following:
Bacon and ______
Did you think car? Horse? Probably not.
Most people think eggs.
Why? Because eggs and bacon are often paired together -- in meals and in sentences or expressions. So, over time we associate these to things together. Over time, you could create a whole network of associations. For example, eggs, bacon, toast and coffee and more likely to be associated than things like car and grass. This means that thinking of one thing (ex: bacon) makes it more likely for something related to come to mind (ex: eggs or toast).
Well, we can and do build associative networks for all kinds of things -- like spiders. Throughout your life, spiders have probably been associated with more bad than good. You might have seen your mother jump in fear at the sight of spiders. You might have watched a show on the discovery network showing them trap, kill and eat insects. You've probably heard how some are deadly. In any case, most people make connections between spiders and negative things. Therefore, many people have at least a little bit of a spider fear. When you see a spider, it activates the other negative associations, and we're often left with a negative feeling of some sort -- a discomfort or feeling of anxiety.
This is a very basic example of automatic thinking, but it shows the process of how thinking can be unconscious:
(1) A network of associations was created in the brain,
(2) They get activated when you see a spider
(3) They cause an emotional reaction without the person thinking about it.
Usually, people are only aware of the emotion at the end of this process. The creation and activation of the network are automatic, and usually outside of the person's awareness -- hence, it can be considered unconscious processing.
In the example I used earlier, the person didn't want to go near the tiny spider despite knowing it was harmless. Here you have a battle of thinking -- automatic thoughts versus controlled thinking. I sometimes see this with clients. For example, I will hear someone say the following:
"I know I'm a very successful person, but I FEEL like a failure."
Here, there is a battle between an automatic thought process ("I feel like a failure" or "thoughts of being a failure keeping popping into my head") and a controlled thinking process ("When I take the time to examine the evidence, I realize I'm not a failure").
Here's a piece of advice: when you have two competing thoughts, go with the controlled thinking -- the one with the evidence.
It is more likely that the automatic thought is not correct. Here's a simple example to highlight how automatic thinking can lead you astray:
I want you to remember the first word that comes to mind after reading the following question?
What do cows drink?
How many of you thought water?
The most common thought that comes to mind is milk, which is obviously wrong. Automatic thoughts can be useful in many situations, but we have to keep an eye them. This is actually an important part of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
So, getting back to Freud and the unconscious. This explanation and these examples are very simplified ways of highlighting how the brain can have two minds. Things get much more complex when you factor in associations involving trauma, traits, beliefs, social values, etc. Psychologists have a long way to go to fully understand how the brain organizes its network of thoughts, and how these networks affect our emotions and behaviour.
Freud may have been wrong about how the unconscious mind worked, but you have to give him kudos for being able to see it operating in patients on some level.
Dr. Roger Covin
Montreal Psychologist
www.drcovin.ca
In some cases, it is quite appropriate to criticize many aspects of his theories. But that's to be expected - he did not have the luxury of the scientific data we modern psychologists have access to. If Freud were alive today, he would surly take time to read what's happened in the 80 or so years since his death, and revise his theory. For the many criticisms I have of Freud's work, I must admit there some elements of his theory that appear to be fairly accurate (ex: the notion of defense mechanisms). In particular, it is his ideas about the unconscious that are quite impressive.
Freud believed that the brain operated at levels we were aware of (consciousness) and those we were unaware of (unconscious). Throughout history , many professionals and lay people have questioned this belief. However, the past 20-30 years of research, particularly in the fields of cognitive and social psychology, have really supported the idea that we have unconscious thinking.
Based on the wealth of scientific research in this area, psychologists now believe there are two types of thinking: automatic and controlled. Automatic thinking (also called implicit cognition) requires no effort or motivation on the part of the person. This is simply the brain processing information on its own. Controlled thinking is the type of thinking we're all used to -- the deliberate kind. This is when we take the time to think about things intentionally.
Clinical psychologists observe these two kinds of thoughts in therapy all the time. I will illustrate with an example. Imagine you see a spider scurry across your kitchen floor. It's a tiny spider that is obviously quite harmless. Yet, many people would be inclined to take a step back and feel a bit anxious. You might think "I hate spiders!" However, if someone asked you if the spider was harmful or dangerous, you'd probably say "no -- I know it's not harmful, but I just don't like them." What's going on here?
Well, it seems that automatic thinking is based on associative connections in the brain. An associative connection is a neural link between two concepts or ideas. For example, what word comes to mind when you read the following:
Bacon and ______
Did you think car? Horse? Probably not.
Most people think eggs.
Why? Because eggs and bacon are often paired together -- in meals and in sentences or expressions. So, over time we associate these to things together. Over time, you could create a whole network of associations. For example, eggs, bacon, toast and coffee and more likely to be associated than things like car and grass. This means that thinking of one thing (ex: bacon) makes it more likely for something related to come to mind (ex: eggs or toast).
Well, we can and do build associative networks for all kinds of things -- like spiders. Throughout your life, spiders have probably been associated with more bad than good. You might have seen your mother jump in fear at the sight of spiders. You might have watched a show on the discovery network showing them trap, kill and eat insects. You've probably heard how some are deadly. In any case, most people make connections between spiders and negative things. Therefore, many people have at least a little bit of a spider fear. When you see a spider, it activates the other negative associations, and we're often left with a negative feeling of some sort -- a discomfort or feeling of anxiety.
This is a very basic example of automatic thinking, but it shows the process of how thinking can be unconscious:
(1) A network of associations was created in the brain,
(2) They get activated when you see a spider
(3) They cause an emotional reaction without the person thinking about it.
Usually, people are only aware of the emotion at the end of this process. The creation and activation of the network are automatic, and usually outside of the person's awareness -- hence, it can be considered unconscious processing.
In the example I used earlier, the person didn't want to go near the tiny spider despite knowing it was harmless. Here you have a battle of thinking -- automatic thoughts versus controlled thinking. I sometimes see this with clients. For example, I will hear someone say the following:
"I know I'm a very successful person, but I FEEL like a failure."
Here, there is a battle between an automatic thought process ("I feel like a failure" or "thoughts of being a failure keeping popping into my head") and a controlled thinking process ("When I take the time to examine the evidence, I realize I'm not a failure").
Here's a piece of advice: when you have two competing thoughts, go with the controlled thinking -- the one with the evidence.
It is more likely that the automatic thought is not correct. Here's a simple example to highlight how automatic thinking can lead you astray:
I want you to remember the first word that comes to mind after reading the following question?
What do cows drink?
How many of you thought water?
The most common thought that comes to mind is milk, which is obviously wrong. Automatic thoughts can be useful in many situations, but we have to keep an eye them. This is actually an important part of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
So, getting back to Freud and the unconscious. This explanation and these examples are very simplified ways of highlighting how the brain can have two minds. Things get much more complex when you factor in associations involving trauma, traits, beliefs, social values, etc. Psychologists have a long way to go to fully understand how the brain organizes its network of thoughts, and how these networks affect our emotions and behaviour.
Freud may have been wrong about how the unconscious mind worked, but you have to give him kudos for being able to see it operating in patients on some level.
Dr. Roger Covin
Montreal Psychologist
www.drcovin.ca
2 comments:
I like how you tied Freud into CBT!
I've never considered that Freud was of course right about the unconscious. I also think he gets a bad rap. Of course we shouldn't still be following most of his theories today (and certainly not when it comes to therapy), but his work was ground-breaking and paved the way for more modern schools of thinking.
Thanks Gillian. Yeah, Freud's ideas were original and interesting, but he often missed the mark. But as I indicated in the post, it is unfair to excessively criticize his work, as he was writing in the early 1900s. However, I think it is OK to criticize people who practice psychotherapy based primarily on Freud's original work -- I don't even think Freud would do that if he were alive today.
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