A Psychodynamic Approach To Ralph's Depression

For the purposes of this case study, I chose a close friend of mine who has discussed his mental health problems with me over the last six months or more. He allowed me to interview him further for this paper, which provided additional information I was not aware of and filled in holes on things I did not quite understand. For anonymity purposes, I shall refer to this friend as “Ralph”. Ralph had been seeing a therapist for six years before he became what he considers depressed. The therapist was a marriage counselor, he said, and was a result of a troubled marriage. He agreed to go but did not consider himself in need of therapy and therefore did not fully participate in treatment. Although he was there for marriage counseling, his
According to https://www.simplypsychology.org/depression.html#, psychodynamic psychologists may suggest Ralph’s depression is on a biological level but is also the result of the loss or rejection of a parent. Further, they might explain his depression as him grieving the loss of an important relationship, his marriage. The primary focus might be on past traumatic events or the psychologist might theorize his depression is simply an over-inflated ego. Problems with psychosexual development may also be identified and would need to be understood to overcome the depression. From the psychodynamic approach, Ralph’s primary drives and forces of his subconscious would be identified and
Cognitive psychologists would say Ralph’s depression was related to his feelings of failure and the loss of his marriage. According to Aaron Beck, M.D., considered the father of the cognitive theory approach, some individuals may possess a vulnerability that puts them at a higher risk of having depressive episodes. From this approach, a psychologist and Ralph would identify the underlying flaw that is causing his depression and it would be dealt with to reduce self-deprecating thoughts. Through cognitive therapy, Ralph could change how he perceives not only himself, but also the world. The humanistic psychologist would allow Ralph to focus on healing himself, rather than follow technical treatments. The approach would be holistic with the end goal being self-actualization. According to https://www.swamh.com/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=9714&cn=5, the humanistic approach draws deeply from work done within the fields of existential and religious philosophy.