Department of Psychology, Unit Catalogue 2009/10 |
PS30123: Foundations in psychoanalysis |
 Credits:
| 6 |
| Level:
| Honours |
| Period: | Semester 1 |
| Assessment:
| EX100 |
| Supplementary Assessment: | Supplementary assessment information not currently available (this will be added shortly) |
| Requisites:
| Before taking this unit you must take PS20106 |
| Description: | Aims: To introduce the major concepts and historical development of psychoanalytic thinking in the work of Freud, Klein, the Object Relations school. To examine psychology's relationship to psychoanalysis. To explore the representation of psychoanalysis in the modern imagination. To examine the use of psychoanalytic ideas in social research. Learning Outcomes: On completion of the unit, students will be able: * To critically evaluate key psychoanalytic concepts including unconscious motivation, psychosexual development, the structure of the personality and defence mechanisms. * To assess the ways in which psychoanalytic thinking contributes to sociocultural understanding. * To demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the foundational principles and conceptual underpinnings of psychoanalytic theory. * To identify the key features in the post-Freudian psychoanalytic thinking of Klein and the Object Relations school. * To make links between different schools of psychoanalytic thinking in terms of their differences and similarities. * To demonstrate knowledge of the ways in which ideas from psychoanalysis have been used in the recent development of psychoanalytic psychosocial studies in the UK. * To understand and demonstrate knowledge of the ways in which ideas from psychoanalysis have been used in the recent development of psychosocial studies in the UK. * To critically evaluate the limitations and productivity of the use of psychoanalytic concepts in social research. Skills: Can read and understand empirical journal articles and relate these to existing bodies of knowledge. (T/F A) The student is able to apply theoretical notions to practical problems and phenomena. (T/F A) The student is computer literate and is able to retrieve relevant articles from the available databases. (T/F A) Can undertake self-directed study and project management in order to meet desired objectives. (T/F A) The student is able to plan and organise the study activities that are required in this unit, take charge of his or her own learning, and can reflect and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses for the purpose of future learning. (T/F A) Content: The foundations of psychoanalytic theory: Freud's thinking. Developments in psychoanalysis: Klein, Winnicott and Bowlby. Psychoanalytic perspectives on groups: Bion and Foulkes. Theorising the social in relation to the psychoanalytic field; contemporary psychoanalytic psychosocial studies. Pychoanalysis in popular culture: hysteria, the 'family' romance and representations of the analytic relationship. |