The Psychodynamic Approach

The Psychodynamic Approach
Psychoanalysis
⚫Psychoanalysis was the first psychodynamic
theory, but over time a number of other theories
have been developed, all of which share certain
basic assumptions:
1.Motivation: Behavior is motivated (caused) by
mental processes, some of which operate outside
the individual’s awareness;
2. Personality: Behavior is viewed as a part of a
personality reflecting both current motivation and
past experience.
⚫Thus, the psychodynamic approach focuses
on the role of internal processes (for
example, motivation) in shaping personality,
and thereby behavior.
SIGMUND FREUD’S
PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY
⚫Sigmund Freud was Austrian neurologist and the first
psychoanalyst.
⚫Many of his insights into the human mind, which

seemed so revolutionary at the turn of the century, are
now widely accepted by most schools of
psychological thought.
⚫Although others before and during his time had

begun to recognize the role of unconscious mental
activity, Freud was the preeminent pioneer in
understanding its importance.
⚫ Based on his extensive work with patients, his
theory suggested that
⚫ factors which influence thoughts and actions
exist outside conscious awareness,
⚫ unconscious conflict plays a part in
determining both normal and abnormal
behavior, and
⚫ the past shapes the present.
“Dreams are often most profound
when they seem the most crazy…”
Sigmund Freud
Founder of the Theory of Psychoanalysis
Freud’s Theory
Freud’s clinical experience led him to develop the
first comprehensive theory of personality, which
included the unconscious mind, defense mechanisms
and psychosexual stages.
In essence, Freud went against most

conventional practices of his time; and many
to this day, label him as being ‘crazy.’
Freud’s Assumptions about Behavior
1. Psychic Determinism: the assumption made by
Freud which states that all behavior has a cause,
and that the cause is to be found in the mind.
2. Importance of Unconscious Processes:

Freud believed that much of behavior is
governed by processes that lie outside the
individual’s awareness – that is, that many
crucial mental influences are unconscious.
3. Continuity of Normal and Abnormal Behavior
Freud believed that normal and abnormal
behavior differed only in degree, not in kind.
4. Value of Clinical Data

Freud was trained as an experimentalist, most of
his career was spent as a clinician, and he used
clinical observations (case studies) as his primary
data.
Exploring the Working of the
Mind
⚫At the outset of his career, Freud attempted to
specialize in cases of organic brain damage.
⚫ He noticed that treatable cases of neurological

disorders were relatively rare, and so he began
treating patients with hysteria – disorders in which
there are physical symptoms for which there is no
apparent physical cause.
Freud’s Theory of Consciousness
⚫The discovery of a connection between repressed

memories and behavior led Freud to propose a
novel concept: that awareness is divided into
different levels of consciousness.
⚫ Conscious:
Aspect of the mind which contains those thoughts
and feelings of which we are immediately aware at
a given moment.
⚫Sub-Conscious
The portions of the mind which are below the level
of conscious awareness.
⚫Unconscious
Portion of the mind which cannot be directly
accessed by the conscious mind; however,
impulses and thoughts from the unconscious can
‘leak out’ in fragmentary intrusions into conscious
awareness, either directly or in symbolic form.
Dreams and Symbolic Expression
⚫Dreams operate on two levels – the manifest content
and the latent content.
⚫Manifest Content: The symbolic content of a dream

which the conscious mind is aware of, both during
sleep and on waking.
⚫ Latent Content The true meaning of a dream, which is

transformed by the dream censor into symbolic form as the
manifest content.
Drives and Human Behavior
⚫ Eros (named after the Greek God of Love)
Seen as a positive, life-affirming force, expressed in human
creative activities, including procreation (hence the link to
earlier notions of a sexual drive).
⚫ Thanatos (the Greek representation of Death)

Destructive energy, expressed both in aggression towards
others, and self.
Freud’s Model of Personality
1. The Id
2. The Ego
3. The Superego
Topographical Model of Personality
The mind is like an iceberg. It is mostly hidden, and below the

surface lies the unconscious mind. The preconscious
(subconscious) stores temporary memories.
ID
⚫Primary component of personality
⚫Operates on “Pleasure Principle”
⚫Strives for immediate satisfaction of all desires, needs,
wants
⚫For example, if an infant feels hungry, he will cry till
his want is satisfied.
⚫Failure to satisfy Id impulses result in anxiety.
EGO
⚫Operates on “reality principle.”
⚫Reality principle weighs the cost of doing or
abandoning something
⚫Discharges tension by balancing the Id and the
Super ego.
SUPER EGO
⚫Holds our internalized moral standards
that we acquire from parents, society.
⚫Operates on
“Moral Principle”
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES
⚫Sigmund Freud developed a theory of how our sexuality
starts from a very young age and develops through
various fixations. If these stages are not psychologically
completed, we can be trapped by them and they may
lead to various defense mechanisms to avoid the anxiety
produced from the conflict.
Oral (0-2 years)
Anal (2 - 3 years)
Phallic (3 years - 7 years)
Latency (7 years - puberty)
Genital (puberty - adulthood)
Fixation during development
Fixation: the incomplete release of drive

energy associated with a particular stage of
psychosexual development, results in a
preference for that mode of gratification.
ANXIETY AND EGO-DEFENSE
MECHANISMS
Defense Mechanisms
⚫A defense mechanism is a tactic developed by the ego
to protect against anxiety. Defense mechanisms protect
the mind against feelings and thoughts that are too
difficult for the conscious mind to cope with.
⚫Most defense mechanisms are fairly

unconscious - that means most of us don’t
realize we are using them in the moment.
Defense mechanisms have two characteristics in
common:
(1)They either deny or distort reality
(2) They operate on an unconscious level.

OBSERVING THE UNCONSCIOUS
IN BEHAVIOR
Freudian Slips/Paraprax: An error or verbal
slip due to an unconscious conflict;
commonly called a ‘Freudian slip’.
Free Association
Art
Dreams
Self Analysis
THERAPEUTIC PROCESS
Freud’s Treatment Methods
⚫Catharsis
The release of drive energy in indirect form, either
through the process of recalling emotionally charged
experiences or involvement in symbolic activity.
⚫Free Association
A technique originated by Freud for studying the mind,
based on asking a person to simply say whatever
words floated into the mind, and then looking for
patterns.
Therapeutic Techniques
⚫Resistance – Pauses, holding back thoughts,
slow responses
⚫Dream analysis – Manifest content, latent
content: ‘Dreams are the royal road to the
unconscious’
⚫Hypnosis – altered state of consciousness
characterized by heightened suggestibility
The Seat of Psychoanalysis
Freud’s famous couch, that was specifically reserved for
patients
Therapeutic Goals
(1) To make the unconscious conscious by
discussing, interpreting, analyzing and
reconstructing childhood experiences.
(2) To strengthen the ego so that behavior is based
more on reality and less on instinctual cravings or
irrational guilt.
(3) To achieve insight.
LIMITATIONS AND CRITICISM
Thank You!

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⚫Many of his insights into the human mind, which

⚫Although others before and during his time had

In essence, Freud went against most

2. Importance of Unconscious Processes:

4. Value of Clinical Data

⚫ He noticed that treatable cases of neurological

⚫The discovery of a connection between repressed

⚫Manifest Content: The symbolic content of a dream

⚫ Latent Content The true meaning of a dream, which is

⚫ Thanatos (the Greek representation of Death)

The mind is like an iceberg. It is mostly hidden, and below the

Fixation: the incomplete release of drive

⚫Most defense mechanisms are fairly

(1)They either deny or distort reality

(2) They operate on an unconscious level.

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