Psychoanalysis in Mental Health Nursing: Understanding the Human Mind and Promoting Effective Interventions

Abstract

The psychoanalytic conceptual model, developed by Sigmund Freud in the early 20th century, is essential for understanding the human mind and psychological processes. Freud divided the mind into conscious, preconscious, and unconscious, with the latter being the deepest and most inaccessible, harboring repressed thoughts and memories. The structural model of personality, composed of id, ego, and superego, is central to psychoanalysis, influencing individual choices and shaping personality. Defense mechanisms, such as repression and rationalization, are psychological strategies used by the ego to deal with internal conflicts. Additionally, the psychosexual development, delineated into five stages by Freud, influences personality formation from childhood to sexual maturity. Other theorists, such as Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott, and Jacques Lacan, have contributed to the evolution of psychoanalysis, exploring areas such as child psychoanalysis, identification of specific defense mechanisms in children, and emphasizing the importance of therapeutic relationship and language in clinical practice. In mental health nursing, the application of psychoanalysis has been valued for understanding clients’ behaviors, identifying underlying conflicts, and promoting more effective intervention strategies. Studies demonstrate the effectiveness of psychoanalytic interventions, especially in personality and eating disorders. Understanding these psychoanalytic principles is crucial for a more holistic and client-centered nursing practice, considering unconscious mental processes and past traumas that influence the current mental state. Thus, psychoanalysis offers a profound understanding of psychological and emotional phenomena, informing and enhancing the practice of mental health and psychiatric nursing.

Keywords: mental health, psychiatric nursing, psychoanalytic theory, therapeutic relationship.