Psychology

Building Transactional Analysis Into Your Counselling Practice

Some counsellors will be familiar with the work of Eric Berne and his seminal text: The Games People Play (1968) or I’m Ok, You’re Ok (Harris, 1967) and Staying Ok (Harris, 1985). Berne developed transactional analysis, based upon the ideas of Freud and Jung, but also developed an approach that is distinctly different, as he focussed on patients social ‘transactions’. Berne translated […]

Understanding the Psychology of Motivation

Motivation is a well-known topic for organisations who are interested in getting the maximum results from staff. However, understanding motivation not only profits businesses; there are also benefits for individuals. This article will define motivation, provide a summary of motivation theories and look at strategies for how to apply these theories in practice.

Defining Psychology and Psychological Science

Psychology is the scientific study of thoughts, feelings and behaviour (Weiten, 2004). Compared to biology, chemistry or physics, psychology is a young scientific field. In 1879, William Wundt established the first psychology research lab at the University of Leipzig. In 1881, the first psychology journal was established, also by Wundt. Other important early contributors to […]

Transference and Projection

The phenomena of transference and projection, although solidly accepted in the analytical and psychodynamic schools of psychology in which they originated, are nevertheless complex and often misunderstood concepts. Yet some claim that projection is the single most important phenomenon in psychotherapy. In this video, Richard Hill helps you understand what transference and projection are, how […]

A Brief Comparison of Psychologies

What is it about a counselling or psychotherapy process that makes people change? In other words: what are the mechanisms of therapy? What does the paradigm supporting a given school of psychology assume about the nature of human beings and therefore how they can change? What are the main concepts of a given psychology and […]