Psychoanalisys, is it a scam?

Philosophy Forums Psychology and Mind
1

To avoid criticizing the psychoanalitical theories in general, let’s look at an example of how psychoanalytics actually works, in the field. That’s a real example.

A woman had a great fear of spiders and came for help. The doctor asked her questions about spiders, then about her situation and her parents. Peaking in his mind, I’d say that he was considering a spider a threat and was looking for a threatening figure in her life. In a while he found that figure, it was the woman’s mother. Her mother was anoying her, not giving her enough freedom and space, for although they lived separately, she insisted on visiting her daughter every day. The doctor made a conclusion that fear of spiders is a suppressed fear of mother’s power. But he didn’t tell that to a woman just yet. Instead he decided to wait till she makes the same connection.

One day woman was talking about her mother to the doctor and suddenly realized: spiders are threatening, they weave their webs, just like her mother! Her fear must be a suppressed fear of her mother, and once she becomes more free of her, her fear of spiders would diminish. She shared that realization with the doctor who congratulated her.

But let’s see. What is sound about the whole situation? The doctor didn’t think of what true reasons she had to fear spiders, instead her started to question her on her family history, seeking for a threatening figure. But it’s unknown whether fear of spiders has anything to do with the family. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, they say about dreams, and likewise not everything has to deal with your parents!

He kept leading her to the conclusion, too. What kind of conclusion could she make if every time she visited, the doctor made her talk either about spiders, or about her parents? It doesn’t matter if the conclusion is right, what matters is that she would inevitably make this conclusion and not any other one, given the manner of her sessions with the doctor.

In the end, we see that nobody cared for truth: the doctor had an unfounded hypothesis and strived hard to lead the woman on, and she made the same conclusion. Is that therapy? Is that truth?

2

Thats a perfect example, it is a scam. For the record humans have a built in detection module for snakes and spiders, the detection means we’re very fast to spot or be alarmed by snakes/spiders. Sometimes the tuning knob for these adjustments gets set too high, for too much alarm or fear.

Theres no poisonous spiders where I live, yet everyone is quicker to spot a spider near them or on them than some other tiny insect like creatures. If you get bitten by a spider, especially a poisonous one people EASILY develope phobias of spiders in ways we won’t develop phobias versus fire, cold or electric shock.

So an exaggerated fear of spiders is just normal, its the spider anxiety knob getting set on “high” the rest of us are set on “normal” and a few people will actually have the reverse a disadvantageous LACK of anxiety over spiders, thier knob is set to “low”

especially in situations where people take universal aspects of human nature, like spider avoidance and make it into some insane theory.

I know a person who has a spider phobia after being bitten by a poisonous spider in a cluster of grapes (containing a huge web). You can never be sure the spider is poisonous, this spider fell to the floor and scuttled away after being slapped off, the person developed signs of being poisoned and needed medical treatment, the doctor said it looked like a spider bite and seemed like the effects of other poisonous bites he had seen. (doctor who had been all over the world) and treated it as best they could.

The same person gets burned repeatedly and does not develope a fear of fire. They could shock themselves everyday and electric phobias wouldn’t happen. But one snake bite can be enough, one badd egg sandwhich is enough to create years long food aversions.

Its like a dog, you can easily condition them to expect a shock from a loud noise buy not expect a shock from a bad smell, its because pain is something they already watch out for hearing a loud noise, they think “danger!”

3

is your example based on research or did you make that up from nothing?
i’m asking because i want to know if these links the psychoanalyst is making are like that.

i’m assuming you are making an educated guess based on some understanding of psychoanalysis: What is the bases by the analyst for asking questions? based on what do they ask questions? i refuse to believe the questions they ask are as sporadic as you claim them to be, otherwise if would not be remotely scientific. to ask such an arbitrary question would be nuts. i’m sure there is some reason the analyst asks that question as opposed to a million others.

4

You might ask arbitrary questions as a distraction to observe a person’s behavior in a neutral state.

5

then the arbitrary question has a reason.

i do not see how you can get a scam from that little information. i’m sure there is a procedure for psychoanalysis and there is a reason for questions no matter how arbitrary.

an example such as the one presented by the TC would be insane if there were no bases for that kind of inquiry. i’m sure there is some empirical correlation between the question and the state of the person answering.
one does not go through school and see no empirical correlation and does not say anything. i’m sure it would be made public that these questions meant nothing.

6

Well, not totally arbitrary, but arbitrarily linked in that the question and answer, the verbal parts are intended only as distractions and not directly related to the procedure.

7

i just do not see anything that necessitates that the analyst is scamming. all i see is conviction followed by an example which does not really necessitate any real proof.

if the TC perhaps had some background in the field and perhaps some information that necessarily lead the proof of their conviction then it would be another story.

8

The original example cited here is not an example of psychoanalysis. A true psychoanalyst would never ask leading questions. Perhaps, a psychologist trying to prove one of their ‘scientific’ hypotheses may conduct therapy in this way, but not a psychoanalyst.

I feel sorry for the person who got bitten by the spider, then suffered repeat burns and electric shocks. It’s sounds like this person’s death instinct is causing them serious problems! A psychoanalyst would be able to help with this …

9

interesting thing i read today. turns out that the title “psychoanalyst” is not protected by government or federal agencies. anyone can call themselves a psychoanalyst. you are not required by law to have credentials to use the title. this needs to be taken into account when thinking about this topic.
if you do go to see one, it is highly recommend that you ask for credentials.

hope the information helped

10

I belive all this Freudian shrink biz is highly inefficient, since the fundemental philosophy about it, abhore suggestive consultation as Freud had a very unfortunate encounter where a patient of his was about to commit suicide because he pushed her too far, also that there had been very unfortunate therapy where the shrink had induced false memories into a girl.
it seems they’r overly fixated on parents behaviour, where modern problem solvers doesn’t waste time with all the external subjective factors, but only the relevant external factors aswell the internal relevant factors.
To my knowledge some of the best problem solvers/shrinks are found within special forces, where they depend on solving problem ASAP, and not taking their sweet time about it.

11

Psychoanalysis does help some people. However, psychiatry is mostly a drug business these days. After working for a psychiatrist for several months, I’ve learned a lot. One thing is that psychiatrists are very busy and overstressed themselves. Several prominent ones have become clients of the psychiatrist I work for, and the one I work for also sees one down south a bit.

For a psychiatrist, the money is in face to face time with the patient; so the more patients the more money. The trick is to both see patients and supervise other psychiatrists and physician assistants. That’s where the psychiatrist I work for is headed. She’s bringing in two more psychiatrists into the practice, and then she plans to bring in pa’s. Wealth is definitely in the offing there.

12

I don’t typically write anything on this website, but you have GOT to show me where you found this. Considering I am a therapist and know that in any state you’ll be sued and even possibly imprisoned for calling yourself a psychoanalyst (depending on if you do harm to a client) I find what you said very interesting.

Btw, not even mental health professionals- be it a psychiatrist, an MSW, or a CBT- can call themselves psychoanalysts UNLESS they have been trained as a psychoanalysts at a psychoanalytic institution.