The Case:

Miguel has been struggling with his coursework lately. He has felt very tired in recent weeks and has found it difficult to focus on his studies. Even though he is always tired, he has trouble falling asleep at night, is irritable during the day, and picks fights with his roommates. He is a bit of a perfectionist and gets mad at himself when he makes even tiny mistakes. It’s gotten to the point where he doubts his ability to do anything right.

By looking closely at Miguel’s symptoms using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, we can begin to conclude that Miguel’s symptoms may be caused by childhood experiences and unconscious conflicts. He is using defense mechanisms, such as his irritability to cope with his sleep deprivation and also his arguments between roommates and himself. Miguel is also experiencing anal tendencies because of his obsessive compulsiveness about having things be perfect. Not only is he using defense mechanisms, and experiencing anal tendencies, he is also facing depression as a result of the listed. It is possible that his unconscious may be experiencing minor forms of an oedipal complex between himself and his peers causing him to feel as though he needs to defend himself in social environments. I feel that Miguel would benefit greatly from therapy to talk through the issues he is experiencing, along with beginning to analyze his dreams once he is able to fall asleep. Once Miguel is able to get a good night’s sleep, he will start to notice positive changes in his mood.