Psychodynamic Approach

Psychodynamic Approach Psychology

When we think of 'psychodynamic', it's likely that the first thing we think about is Sigmund Freud. But what really is the psychodynamic approach, and why did Freud introduce it? Let's discuss this below.

You might be wondering how our unconscious can contribute to our conscious behaviour. Well, Freud believed that our unconscious mind is an area where some of our deepest feelings and traumas hide, yet they still actively interact with our daily lives, thereby contributing to our behaviour in the present day.

It is based on the idea that every person has different personality parts (psyche) and conflicting interests, and they may not be consciously aware of what they want. The psychodynamic approach brings us a different perspective.

Fig. 1 - The unconscious mind is the driving force for our behaviours, emotions and thoughts

Psychodynamic Approach Assumptions

The psychodynamic approach might bring us a different perspective, but what is this perspective based on? What are its assumptions? Let's discuss some of these below.

Freud suggested that the reason for our behaviour and our emotions is all down to our unconscious mind - we store information from our past in that area, and it stays hidden away, but it still contributes to our conscious thoughts and actions.

Our behaviour might result from our unconscious, but what comprises our unconscious mind? Is it just the thoughts we don't want to accept, or is that and so much more? According to Freud, our childhood experiences - the good, the bad and the ugly - form the majority of our unconscious, shaping our personalities and making us who we are; maybe this is why we're all so different!

Psychodynamic Approach Assumptions: Behaviour is Determined

The psychodynamic approach insists that all behaviour has an underlying cause in the unconscious. With this being said, Freud believed that our unconscious translates into our consciousness with the use of 'Freudian slips'.

When a Freudian slip occurs, we often express what we're really thinking about and do so by saying something we didn't intend to. Since these slips provide insight into our deeper thoughts, Freud believed that there are no mistakes or errors and that every behaviour means something.

Psychodynamic Approach Assumptions: Tripartite Personality

Freud assumed that an individual's personality was divided into three parts, interacting with each other and contributing to our behaviour. These are:

Defence mechanisms are activated when triggered by the ego. To deal with the conflict, it needs support from the other two parts of the personality: the id and superego.

These mechanisms tend to operate unconsciously and work by distorting reality. The ego has to deal with the natural world and all its problems. Defence mechanisms stop the person from becoming aware of any unpleasant thoughts and feelings associated with traumatic events.

There are several defence mechanisms, but let's look at some common ones below.

It could be that you've experienced some form of trauma when you were younger, but you have no recollection of it - chances are, this is a form of repression.

Repressing your emotions is often a way to escape them and not let them present themselves in your conscious thoughts and actions.

Have you ever been in a situation where something unpleasant happens, and you deny it entirely?

By avoiding unpleasant situations, individuals may believe they will be protected from painful feelings associated with the event.

Have you ever had a difficult day at school, gone home and lashed out at your sibling for something that shouldn't have been a big deal? Maybe, maybe not.

Defence mechanisms are our body's way of protecting ourselves from feelings and situations it knows are unpleasant and/or disturbing. While we all know they exist, we may not consciously be engaging in them - they do occur subconsciously, after all!

Psychodynamic Approach Examples

In addition to suggesting the structure of personality, Freud introduced the 'psychosexual stages of development'. Let's briefly look at the stages below.

According to Freud, abnormal behaviours can develop if a fixation develops in any of the above stages. Some of these behaviours include the following -

• Obsessive hand-washing or counting footsteps.

• Smoking, nail-biting, and sarcasm.

• Agoraphobia.

• Hoarding.

• Sexual compulsions.

Freud introduced techniques like dream analysis and group analysis psychotherapy to treat these behaviours.

Psychodynamic Approach Evaluation

Nowadays, Freud's theories are considered the foundation for developing the practice of psychology and for a deeper understanding of how cultures operate socially. The evidence for his theories is based on clinical research rather than empirical.

However, its scientific trustworthiness is questionable. Not many people would deny the existence of unconscious drives and defence mechanisms. In fact, psychoanalysis is still used to treat patients with profound psychological issues. The existential concepts behind the Freudian approach have allowed it to maintain some hold on psychotherapeutic techniques.

Along with Freud's theory, he has shared with the world a new style of therapy: psychoanalysis. He applied a series of techniques designed to access the unconscious mind.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Psychodynamic Approach

Now that we have understood what the psychodynamic approach is, and have got an insight into some of its theories, let's discuss some strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths

The manner that Freud related to childhood experiences and adult characteristics is globally accepted. Freudian psychoanalysis is still in contemporary use.

Freud's theory of psychoanalysis assumes that much of mental life is unconscious and that past experiences, especially in early childhood, shape how an individual feels and behaves throughout life.

Weaknesses

Freud established the psychodynamic approach highlighting the importance of the unconscious mind related to behaviour. However, the psychodynamic approach is not considered scientific. It examines many concepts/theories that cannot be empirically tested—relying on subjective interpretation.

Later, Watson and Skinner established the behaviourist approach in 1913. They criticised Freud, arguing that true scientific psychology should restrict itself to phenomena that can be observed directly and measured. They believed that behaviour is environmentally determined by conditioning, meaning that behaviour is something we can learn.