Basics of Psychology Related to Patient Management

What is it about?

The understanding of psychology is the key to smooth human interactions. The developmental psychology concept by Dr. Sigmund Freud and the psychosocial theory proposed by Erik Erikson are the main theories which should be well understood. Once the dental chair side assistant is educated on these subjects, he understands how the child’s mind functions and can easily recognize anxiety.With this knowledge the dental treatment will be carried out with ease in a very congenial environment. According to Freud the psychology or mind can be divided into the conscious, the subconscious, and unconscious. He has also explained the Ego, the Superego and the Id. Erik Ericson gave the psycho social theory as the eight stages of man. It was a unique theory and covered the entire life span of the human being. According to him the social interaction is the driving force of human personality. Some psychological theories of value were given by Maslow and Pavlov also. Maslow has proposed a theory of hierarchy of needs. Pavlov’s experiments on dogs gave the profound theory of classical conditioning.

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Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash

Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash

Why is it important?

. It is of great importance to dental surgeons and dental nurses who are dealing with persons in times of distress. These are various theories of developmental psychology given by different authors. The psychosexual theory by an Austrian neurologist Dr. Sigmund Freud and the psychosocial theory by Erik Erikson are the two main theories that explain psychological development and maturity. They have important dental implications, which are discussed in this chapter. The theory of classical conditioning, as given by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, is discussed.