Attached is Ben\'s case study : Ben is the oldest child in a sib-ship of three.
ID: 131892 • Letter: A
Question
Attached is Ben's case study :
Ben is the oldest child in a sib-ship of three. His father had frequent bouts of psychotic behavior while Ben was growing up. He often witnessed intense angry outbursts from his father that seemed to come out of nowhere. Throughout his childhood, his mother emphasized that he must be careful about making mistakes and impressed upon him that he was different from other people. In high school he was noted to be a troublemaker and often got into physical altercations with other students. His frequent defense was that they were “ganging up on me.” He did very well academically and believed he was intellectually superior to his teachers. He was once under investigation by the local police because his neighbor reported that he continuously let her dog out of the fenced yard as he constantly complained that she let it out to specifically bark and annoy him. He never held a job very long although he did earn several advanced degrees. He was once fired because after being passed up for a promotion he verbally attacked his co-worker, who was promoted, accusing him of stealing his ideas. Ben avoids crowds and social events. He attributes this to his mistrust of people and feeling as though he always has to watch his back. He was married once which ended quickly in divorce after he constantly accused his wife of cheating even though he sought ways to be with her almost 24 hours a day. He has only one close friend who describes Ben as “tense and ready to pounce at the smallest perceived slight.” He indicates they get along well as long as they do what Ben wants and on his terms.
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My question is what is the mental health issue here with Ben, according to Freud psychonalytic approach ,in terms of the following :
. Brief introduction of the client (as attached scenario).
Discussion of the client's symptoms/behaviours from the chosen perspective.
Case conceptualization:
a. case formulation paragraph identifying origins, mechanisms, symptoms, and precipitants
b. problem list
c. mechanism hypothesis
d. integrate key terms from your chosen theory
e. treatment planning and
F. treatment
Explanation / Answer
According to Freud psychoanalytic approach, the issue with Ben isn’t just what we see in his actions and reactions on multiple occasions – right from his school days to his professional life and family and friends. It is the “unconscious mind” that is responsible for most of his actions. The unconscious mind, as per Freud, is more of a repository that contains a cauldron of impulses and primitive wishes that are kept at bay and that are mediated by our preconscious mind. In Ben’s case, the behavior and intense angry outbursts from his father were stored in his unconscious mind and these sour memories were rested deep inside his unconscious mind and the moment Ben was faced with a situation he didn’t like that impulse returned in the camouflage of anger, disgust, distrust, and other such symptoms that Ben showed on multiple occasions throughout his life. Furthermore, Ben’s mother’s constant reminder of avoiding mistakes was also the cause of his psychic behavior.
According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, in Ben’s case, the main psychic mechanism that was almost always at work was “displacement”, which means satisfy an impulse with a substitute object. In other words, deep inside Ben was frustrated by his parents’ behavior and attitudes and this is what was always on his unconscious mind. As a result, he started behaving aggressively, violently and irrationally with his peers, colleagues, neighbor’s dog, and even wife whenever he felt uncomfortable with their behavior, attitude or gestures. Or whenever he felt that they do not agree to what he thinks.
As per Freud, the following are the key parts of our personality:
The id, as per Freud, is present since birth and it is the id that is the source of all psychic energy, which is why it is the primary component of personality. The id is completely unconscious and it comprises of primitive and instinctive behaviors. The id is related to pleasure principle that strives for instant gratification and when these desires, needs and wants aren’t satisfied, the subject may experience anxiety or tension and even frustration.
The Ego is responsible for our dealing with the real. It develops from our id and makes sure that the impulses that are driven by the id are expressed in an acceptable manner to the real world.
The superego is third and last component of personality and it holds all our internalized ideals and moral standards that are acquired by us from the society and, most importantly, from our parents.
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