All Papers/Social Work with Individuals (2023-24)/Q8
Q8
10 Marks

Part B (Q8): What are the salient features of psychoanalytical theory for therapeutic use in case work?

Expert Answer

Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytical Theory fundamentally shaped the early development of social casework (especially the Diagnostic School). While pure psychoanalysis is rarely practiced by social workers today, several of its core features have been adapted for therapeutic use in modern casework.

Salient Features used in Casework:

1. The Role of the Unconscious: Psychoanalysis posits that human behavior is largely driven by unconscious motives, repressed memories, and deep-seated fears.

  • Casework Use: Caseworkers understand that a client's seemingly irrational behavior (e.g., a sudden outburst of anger at a minor inconvenience) may be rooted in unconscious pain rather than the immediate situation.

2. The Importance of Early Childhood Experiences: Freud believed that personality is heavily formed in the first five years of life (through psychosexual stages). Trauma during this time leads to adult neuroses.

  • Casework Use: When taking a client's psychosocial history (the Study phase), caseworkers pay close attention to the client's childhood, relationship with parents, and early traumas to understand their current dysfunction.

3. Defense Mechanisms: The ego uses unconscious defense mechanisms (like denial, projection, rationalization, and repression) to protect the mind from anxiety and unacceptable thoughts.

  • Casework Use: Caseworkers frequently encounter clients using defense mechanisms (e.g., an alcoholic in denial). The therapeutic goal is to gently help the client recognize these defenses and face reality safely.

4. Transference and Counter-transference:

  • Transference: When a client unconsciously redirects feelings they had about a significant person in their past (e.g., an authoritative father) onto the caseworker.
  • Counter-transference: When the caseworker unconsciously projects their own unresolved feelings onto the client.
  • Casework Use: Recognizing transference is crucial. Instead of taking a client's sudden hostility personally, the worker uses it to explore the client's past relationships. Managing counter-transference through supervision ensures the worker remains objective.

5. Catharsis: The process of bringing repressed feelings into conscious awareness and expressing them.

  • Casework Use: Allowing the client to freely ventilate their emotions in a safe space (purposeful expression of feelings) acts as a powerful therapeutic release, reducing anxiety and making rational problem-solving possible.