Record administration - authorised staff only |
Downloads per month over past year
View more statistics
The name personality has several meanings that suit various situations. Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is one of the theories describing the personality in human beings. According to Freud, the theory seeks to explain why people behave the way they do, studies human’s brain, and explains more about their personality.
This paper discusses the various elements of the theory, its history, development and research. In addition, it takes a detailed look at Sigmund Freud who came up the theory and seeks to explain the various elements of the theory, and reliability of the research.
Psychoanalytic theory was developed at the end of the 19th century in 1880’s. It was based on the discovery made by Breuer, who studied a person who had a trauma in childhood, consequently affecting him during his adult life. According to this research, it was discovered that someone’s personality is related to his/her childhood experiences.
Freud states that it is through mechanical terms that people’s mental energy is released. Through various stages of child’s development, a person changes his/her character and releases his/her mental energy.
Psychoanalytic theory developed by Sigmund Freud is arguably the most famous amongst the personality theories. According to Freud, family life has a subconscious influence on a human’s sexual drive. Family also affects the individual’s nonsexual development. According to the psychoanalysis carried out by Freud, there are other effects that affect our thoughts (Carver and Scheier, 2011).
The thoughts and the motivation we have around us are such factors that affect the way we act, as well as the way we do things. According to Freud, the main drives or motivators of an individual’s personality are related to the sexual and aggressiveness. The theory further explains that the problems experienced during a person’s adult life are as a direct result of the conflicts during their childhood experiences.
As a result, the theory breaks down the process of childhood growth according to the psychosexual motivators as a child develops. These stages of growth seek to show that at various stages during growth, a person (child) has various motivators that shape their behavior, and keep changing as they move to the next stage of psychosexual growth. Any faulty growth or unsuccessful/unhealthy passage of any of the stages is said to result in the adult life conflicts, which eventually determines a person’s personality.
Just like any other theory, Psychoanalytic theory has its assumptions. One such assumption is the fact that humans have unconscious urges in their brain. The unconscious mind contains desires which the mind wish for, but the desires are usually limited by the world as they may not always be fulfilled.
The Psychic determination is the other assumption. It is assumed that everything that goes through people’s mind is as a resultant of an identifiable element. Through this assumption, things like accidents and miracles are eliminated. There is also the assumption that though the brain is an internal structure, it has several separate parts that are always competing amongst each other.
To learn about Freud’s theory, it is important to understand the basics the developer of the theory lays down first. One of the things he puts across is existence of a conscious and a non-conscious mind. The conscious portion of the mind is all about anything that we are knowledgeable about. Since this portion includes things we know of, it is usually easy to retrieve them whenever they are needed. Therefore, retrieving information from this part of the memory is usually very easy.
The section of the body that contains this information is referred to in Freud’s theory as the preconscious portion of the brain. The unconscious mind is like a reserve that contains thoughts, the feelings a person has as well as the memories that the human mind is not aware of. The main content of information of this portion is feelings of pain and anxiety. However, though we may be unaware of these feelings, it is evident that they are also involved in controlling our behavior (Beystehner, 2001).
Freud highlights three elements that are contained in a person’s personality; the super ego, the Ego, and the Id are the three elements that affect an individual’s personality. When a person is born, the id element of personality is in him/her. The id element is unconscious and contains primitive and instinct behavior of the person.
It is simply what would be considered as the primary component of a person’s personality. Notable about this element is the fact that it uses the pleasure principle (Carver and Scheier, 2011). The pleasure principle focuses on how the needs of a person are met. If for instance the needs are not met within the required time, anxiety and tension results. Id is important especially when it comes to children in their young age as it allows them to express their feelings through crying so that their demands are met.
However, satisfying the demands that we may have is not always possible. The pleasure principle is therefore not always applicable. However, according to Freud, a primary process results in a bid to ensure that the tension created by the pleasure principle is resolved. The second principle in this theory is the Ego. The ego component is all about the reality of life and it tends to express the Id element in the real world. Ego encompasses all the parts of the mind previously discussed.
The principle incorporated in this element is the reality principle, which aims at fulfilling the Id element in an appropriate way. Through using the reality principle, the Ego basically tries to fulfill the images created by the Id element. Fulfilling the Id element is done by finding the solution in the real world by looking for an object to fit the image at the primary process level. Super Ego is the other element that forms part of the personality (Pervin, 1996).
It comprises of all the aspects that a person gained from the society or the parents and people around them. It is through this that a person learns what is deemed right and what is wrong. Judgment is developed from guidelines. Super ego may further be broken down into two main parts; the ideal ego and the conscience.
The ideal ego is inclusive of what is considered good behavior by people in the society or the parents. When a person gets to follow the rules laid down in the society or by the authority, a feeling of accomplishment and pride is the resultant.
On the other hand, conscience is inclusive of engaging in actions that are considered not right by the society or the parents. When a person does these wrong acts, the resultant is a feeling of guilt.
Interaction between these elements is different amongst different individuals. For a person to live what would be considered healthy living there is need to ensure that a balance of the three elements is reached. One must have what Freud referred to as Ego strength so that he can fight the competition brought about by these three elements.
Individuals who have good ego strength are able to strike a balance between these forces, while those people with low ego strength may succumb to this pleasure. Research shows that there exists a balance between explorations of the child with their safety for the exploration to be there. According to International Journal of Psychoanalysis, psychoanalysis therapy may be in single consultation therapy and may as well take about one year or more to achieve success on a person.
Psychoanalytic theory uses free association as a way of measuring the personality in humans. Free association entails the patient speaking out on a certain subject and then an analysis carried out from what the he says. It is from this analysis that a conclusion is later derived. However, there have been issues of reliability of this tool of measuring someone’s personality.
For one, it is hard for the analyst to be sure that the memories that he accesses are representing the actual memories or what the patient is imagining. Sharp criticism was bestowed upon this method of inferring conclusions. Those opposing the theory argued that by having patients talk out their issues to a professional and having them draw conclusion based on the information, there were no precise guidelines and predetermined checklist or comparing and measuring the information given so as to make reliable conclusions.
Another criticism based its argument in the fact that different patients of mental illnesses talked to different professionals, and there being no guidelines to gauge the information, interpretations were likely to vary between different professionals. Though there have been issues of validity of measurement of people personality, success may only be achieved through having the analyst inspect the transcript closely (Beystehner, 2001).
Research onto this theory has brought out the fact that there certainly is a relationship between an individual’s behavior and the subconscious portion of the mind. The theory forms a base of the modern day psychopathology. Research has also shown that, as a method of treatment for mental illnesses, psychoanalytic theory attempts to change and work on the unconscious part of the brain. Ultimately, the theory proposes that a person’s personality is dependant on the three main components of personality.
The Id component is all about the person getting gratification for the needs that he requires. On the other hand, Ego tends to fulfill the desire of Id but in a realistic way, since at times Id may not always be realistic. Finally, super ego aims at adding morality in ensuring that the ego is fulfilled.
One of the great cornerstones of Freud’s work was interpretation of dreams. Through interpretation of dreams, the subconscious mind is brought out. It also made it easier for analysts to learn and understand people’s personality well. The way a person behaves is entirely dependant on their experiences as they grew up as well as the environment one is brought up in.
Freud clearly outlined in the psychoanalytic theory that the particular way in which humans behave is determined by psychic energies and their experiences during psychosexual development. A healthy adult life can thus be achieved by successfully going through the early childhood experiences or psychosexual stages. Such are some of the things the theory talks about.
The theory emphasizes on how learning of the subconscious bit of a person can lead to the analyst unraveling important information about the patient (Pervin, 1996). By way of analyzing and understanding both the conscious and the non-conscious mind of a person, it is possible to infer the individual’s behavior as well as why they result in that particular behavior. Though there are various elements of criticism of psychoanalytic theory, its contribution to modern day therapy is undeniable.
Progress has been achieved in treatment of mentally ill patients through the bases of Freud’s work outlined in his theory. It would therefore be unfair to discard it since it offers much contribution to modern day science. Though some people dismissed psychoanalytic theory as not belonging to the science field based on its lacking methodology, the theory brought about a new branch in the science field called experimental psychology.
Beystehner, K. M., (2001). Psychoanalysis: Freud’s Revolutionary Approach to Human Personality. Retrieved from http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/beystehner.html
Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F., (2011). Perspectives on Personality (7th Edition). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Pervin, L. A., (1996). The Science of Personality . New York: John Wiley & Sons.
IvyPanda. (2019, March 27). Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory Essay. https://ivypanda.com/essays/psychoanalytic-theory/
"Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory Essay." IvyPanda , 27 Mar. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/psychoanalytic-theory/.
IvyPanda . (2019) 'Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory Essay'. 27 March.
IvyPanda . 2019. "Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory Essay." March 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/psychoanalytic-theory/.
1. IvyPanda . "Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory Essay." March 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/psychoanalytic-theory/.
Bibliography
IvyPanda . "Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory Essay." March 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/psychoanalytic-theory/.
IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:
Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.
Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.
Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:
Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy .
To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.
Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy .
Chris Drew (PhD)
Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]
Learn about our Editorial Process
Psychoanalysis is the branch of psychology that investigates the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind.
Founded by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century, this theoretical framework aims to bring repressed fears and conflicts into the conscious mind, allowing an individual to confront and better understand their feelings and behaviors. The process usually involves dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst, often focusing on the patient’s dreams and childhood memories.
Psychoanalysis posits that human behavior is a product of internal conflicts, unconscious desires, and past experiences. In this framework, resolving these conflicts and bringing them to consciousness can lead to improved mental health and a clearer understanding of oneself.
While Freud’s ideas are largely debunked, subsequent researchers have build-on his foundations to develop their own useful ideas about the subconscious psyche.
1. ego psychology (freud).
Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, developed a theory of how the subconscious mind operates.
He held that the mind contained three components: the id, ego, and superego . Each influence one another and are in struggle. The id represents impulse, the ego represents pragmatism, and the superego represents morals:
The Id is primitive and instinctive. It governs all of the innate drives we have, present at birth, including Eros (sex instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct). (Freud & Strachey, 1955). | : The Id drives us to seek immediate gratification, i.e. pleasure. If our desires are not satisfied immediately, we may fall into a state anxiety or tension (Renkins, 2017). | |
The Ego is responsible for dealing with reality as it is, not what we want it to be. It emerges through experiences of interaction with the world, where we learn that we all experience frustration, delay, and occasional dissatisfaction (Crews, 2017). | : The reality principle controls the Ego. It seeks to mediate the Id’s drive in realistic ways. (Sayers, 2020). | |
The Superego is responsible for our morals, ethics, and ideals. It strives for perfection at all times (Samuels, 2019). | The Superego seeks to live up to moral standards, which are internalized through our upbringing. It is in direct conflict with the Id. (Johnson, 2020). |
See Also: Freudian Slip Examples
Freud’s second important contribution to psychoanalysis was his theory of development. In this theory, he believed people developed through distinct stages, driven by sexual desires.
Each of Freud’s stages is characterized by a different sexually-related challenge that must be overcome, or else we will develop a complex for the rest of our lives.
The stages are outlined below:
Birth – 1 year | Dependency and the satisfaction gained from oral activities like sucking and eating. | |
1 – 3 years | Managing and controlling bladder and bowel movements; balancing demands and autonomy. | |
3 – 6 years | Resolving the Oedipus/Electra complex; identifying with same-sex parent. | |
6 years – puberty | Channeling sexual energy into socially acceptable activities; dormant sexual feelings. | |
Puberty – adulthood | Establishing intimate relationships and balancing love and work. |
Go Deeper: Freud’s Theory of Personality – An Overview
Carl Jung, a prominent Swiss psychiatrist, introduced the concept of the collective unconscious to psychology.
The collective unconscious is proposed to be a part of the unconscious mind, manifested by universal archetypes or symbols that are shared among all humans due to ancestral experience.
In essence, Jung’s idea posits that our behaviors and thoughts are not merely personal but influenced by ancestral knowledge contained within the collective unconscious. This concept distinguishes itself from the personal unconscious, which refers to information that has been acquired during one’s life but has been forgotten or repressed.
According to Jung, exploring your collective unconscious (through dreams or various forms of therapy) allows you to tap into universal experiences (known as Jungian archetypes) and ideas that shape your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Go Deeper: Jung’s Collective Unconscious – An Overview
The second key contribution of Carl Jung to psychoanalysis is the concept of archetypes. Jung defined these as universal and innate symbols present in the collective unconscious of all human beings.
Psychological archetypes, according to Jung, play a vital role in influencing human thoughts, actions, and feelings. They are generally formed through historical experiences shared by our ancestors and can be recognized through patterns that emerge in dreams, literature, art, or religion.
Some of the main Jungian archetypes include the Self, the Persona, the Shadow, the Anima/Animus, the Great Mother, the Wise Old Man, the Hero, and the Trickster.
Each archetype represents a different aspect of the human psyche. For instance, the Persona represents the image we present to the world while the Shadow houses our darkest desires and impulses. Understanding these archetypes, Jung argued, could help individuals to gain insights into their behaviors and deeper selves.
Go Deeper: Jungian Archetypes – An Overview
Alfred Adler, an Austrian psychotherapist, established a unique perspective called Individual Psychology. It emphasizes the person as a whole unit and highlights the importance of societal factors, notably family and community, on individual development.
Adler argued that human character traits are shaped by an individual’s drive to overcome feelings of inferiority, which he called Inferiority Complex. The feelings arise in childhood from our realization of being lesser and weaker than adults. Correctly overcoming these feelings guides us toward mastery and personal growth, known as striving for superiority.
According to Adler, this pursuit of superiority is influenced by one’s lifestyle, an overall strategy we construct to navigate society and face challenges. The relational approach encouraged by Adler manifests in our goal-setting and problem-solving behavior, underscoring how our interactions with society profoundly shape our individuality.
Erik Erikson made Freudian psychology far more palatable with his psycho social rather than psycho sexual model of development.
Whereas Freud argued that psychosexual energy (called the libido) was the driving force behind development, Erikson argued that it was social desires that are core to psychological development.
Erikson went on to formulate a set of lifelong stages, where the core challenge or crisis in each stage was not sexual in nature, but social:
Birth – 1 year | Developing trust in caregivers and environment | Hope | |
1 – 3 years | Learning to control one’s body and make choices | Will | |
3 – 6 years | Starting to make decisions and carry out plans | Purpose | |
6 years – puberty | Developing skills and abilities to cope with the world | Competence | |
Adolescence | Forming a coherent sense of self and life direction | Fidelity | |
Young adulthood | Establishing deep and meaningful relationships | Love | |
Middle adulthood | Contributing to society and the next generation | Care | |
Late adulthood | Reflecting on one’s life and either feeling satisfaction or regret | Wisdom |
Each stage presents a central conflict or crisis that individuals must navigate. Successfully resolving each crisis leads to the development of a basic virtue that contributes to a healthy personality and interactions with others.
Go Deeper: Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development
Melanie Klein, a prominent child psychoanalyst, offered a novel perspective through her Object Relations Theory.
This theory focuses on our interpersonal relations, asserting that our experiences with others (objects) significantly impact our personal growth and perception of the world.
According to Klein, early childhood experiences, particularly those involving primary caregivers, play an instrumental role in shaping our psyche, our expectations of others, and our relationships. These “objects” or people can either be part-objects, such as a mother’s breast to a hungry baby, or whole objects like the mother herself.
Klein proposed that we develop both positive and negative feelings towards these objects, resulting in what she termed the “paranoid-schizoid” and “depressive” positions:
By understanding these interactions, Klein believed, we could grapple with our difficulties and derive insights into our relationships.
I’ve provided links throughout this piece to help you go deeper into your exploration of the various psychoanalytic theories. But it’s also worth zooming out to see the range of other theories in psychology , including:
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
However, psychoanalysis is much more than a quirky approach to understanding the human mind. It’s a specific form of talking therapy, grounded in a complex theory of human development and psychological functioning.
In this article, we’ll introduce the history of psychoanalytic theory, the basic tenets of the psychoanalytic model of the mind, and the clinical approach called psychoanalysis. We’ll explain the differences between psychoanalysis and psychotherapy and consider some criticisms of psychoanalysis.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will provide you with detailed insight into positive Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and the tools to apply it in your therapy or coaching.
What is psychoanalysis a definition and history of psychoanalytic theory, the approach: psychoanalytic perspective, techniques of psychoanalytic therapy, psychodynamic vs. psychoanalytic theory, psychoanalysis vs. psychotherapy, psychoanalysis test: the freudian personality test, criticisms of psychoanalytic theory, a take-home message.
Psychoanalysis is a talking therapy that aims to treat a range of mental health issues by investigating the relationship between the unconscious and conscious elements of psychological experience using clinical techniques like free association and dream interpretation (Pick, 2015).
Contemporary psychoanalysis has evolved a great deal from its roots in the classical Freudian approach, which developed in Vienna during the late 19th century.
Today, there are several psychoanalytic schools that adhere to different models of the mind and clinical approaches. These include the object relations school associated with Klein and Winnicott, Jung’s analytic psychology, and Lacanian psychoanalysis (Gaztambide, 2021).
Many controversies abound between these different approaches today, although all can be classified as an approach to psychoanalysis.
A common thread between them is their focus on the transference and countertransference dynamics between the analyst and analysand as the vehicle of psychological transformation and healing (Pick, 2015). This is explained further below.
The founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, was born in Austria and spent most of his childhood and adult life in Vienna (Gay, 2006). He entered medical school and trained as a neurologist, earning a medical degree in 1881.
Soon after his graduation, he set up in private practice and began treating patients with psychological disorders. His colleague Dr. Josef Breuer’s intriguing experience with a patient, “Anna O.,” who experienced a range of physical symptoms with no apparent physical cause (Breuer & Freud, 1895/2001) drew his attention.
Dr. Breuer found that her symptoms abated when he helped her recover memories of traumatic experiences that she had repressed from conscious awareness. This case sparked Freud’s interest in the unconscious mind and spurred the development of some of his most influential ideas.
You can read more about the clinical origins of psychoanalysis in the original text Studies on Hysteria (Breuer & Freud, 1895/2001).
Perhaps Freud’s greatest impact on the world was his model of the human mind, which divides the mind into three layers, or regions.
Later, Freud proposed a more structured model of the mind that better depicted his original ideas about conscious and unconscious processes (Gaztambide, 2021).
In this model, there are three components to the mind:
The image offers a context of this “iceberg” model of the mind, which depicts the greatest psychological influence as the realm of the unconscious.
Freud believed these three components of the mind are in constant conflict because each has a different goal. Sometimes, when psychological conflict threatens psychological functioning, the ego mobilizes an array of defense mechanisms to prevent psychological disintegration (Burgo, 2012).
These defense mechanisms include:
It is built on the foundational idea that biologically determined unconscious forces drive human behavior, often rooted in early experiences of attempting to get our basic needs met. However, these remain out of conscious awareness (Pick, 2015).
Psychoanalysis engages in a process of inquiry into adult defenses against unacceptable unconscious desires rooted in these early experiences and emphasizes their importance as the bedrock of adult psychological functioning (Frosh, 2016).
These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to find new pathways to reduce suffering and more effectively cope with life stressors.
By filling out your name and email address below.
A modern psychoanalyst may use a range of different interventions, depending on their school of psychoanalytic thought (e.g., object-relational, Lacanian, Jungian, etc.; Gaztambide, 2021).
However, there are four component techniques specific to psychoanalysis that we explain below.
Interpretation refers to the analyst’s hypothesizing of their client’s unconscious conflicts. These hypotheses are communicated verbally to the client.
Generally, the analyst will attempt to make their client more aware of their defense mechanisms and their relational context, including their unconscious conflicts and the client’s motivation for mobilizing a particular defense mechanism (Kernberg, 2016).
There are three stages of interpretation (Kernberg, 2016):
Transference refers to the repetition of unconscious conflicts rooted in the client’s relational past in the relationship with the analyst. Transference analysis involves tracking elements of the client’s verbal and nonverbal communications that aim to influence the analyst’s behavior toward the client (Racker, 1982).
For example, a client with a history of childhood trauma may begin to relate to the analyst as a threatening or predatory authority figure by expressing suspicion of the analyst’s motives, missing sessions, or becoming angry with the analyst.
The analysis of a client’s transference is an essential component of psychoanalysis and is the main driver of change during treatment. It provides the raw material that informs an analyst’s interpretations (Racker, 1982).
Technical neutrality refers to the analyst’s commitment to remain neutral and avoid taking sides in the client’s internal conflicts. The analyst strives to remain neutral and nonjudgmental by maintaining a clinical distance from the client’s external reality .
Additionally, technical neutrality demands that analysts refrain from imposing their value systems on the client (Kernberg, 2016).
Technical neutrality can sometimes seem like indifference or disinterest in the client, but that is not the goal; rather, analysts aim to serve as a mirror for their clients, reflecting clients’ own characteristics, assumptions, and behaviors back at them to develop a client’s self-awareness .
Countertransference refers to the analyst’s responses and reactions to the client and the material they present during sessions, most especially the client’s transference.
Countertransference analysis involves tracking elements of the analyst’s own dispositional transference to the client that is co-determined by the client (Racker, 1982).
Countertransference analysis enables the analyst to maintain clinical boundaries and avoid acting out in the relationship with the client.
Following on from the example given above, an analyst working with a client with a history of childhood trauma may respond to the client’s transference by feeling dismissive or contemptuous of a client that misses sessions or expresses suspicion.
However, countertransference analysis enables the analyst to understand that such feelings are a response to the client’s transference rooted in their past relational conflicts. The analyst’s feelings are then observed as material for interpretation rather than expressed (Racker, 1982).
Psychodynamic theory agrees that clinical problems in adult life often originate in a client’s early relationships. It also considers a client’s current social context and their interactions with the immediate environment.
Both theoretical approaches agree on the following:
It may be helpful to further distinguish between the two by providing some examples of the differences and similarities in clinical approach.
First, both the psychoanalyst and the psychodynamic therapist work with transference and countertransference. In fact, any therapeutic approach that acknowledges and works with transference and/or countertransference may be termed psychodynamic, in part (Shedler, 2010).
Therefore, a psychodynamic therapist attends to their client’s communications to detect how deep-rooted unconscious conflicts may contribute to problematic behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in the present.
However, they also attend to the here-and-now social context of a client’s life to understand how real-world situations such as poverty, grief, abuse, violence, racism, sexism, and so on contribute to a client’s suffering (Berzoff et al., 2008).
A psychoanalyst will see their client (termed a patient, usually) every weekday over an indeterminate period of years. Meanwhile, a psychodynamic therapist will see a client less frequently, perhaps once or twice a week for several months or a few years, depending on the client’s needs. Psychodynamic therapy is more client centered in this respect (Berzoff et al., 2008).
A psychodynamic therapist may include techniques that are not psychoanalytic to work with transference and countertransference. These may include communication skills, such as active listening , empathy , and expressive arts interventions. Psychodynamic therapists are not limited in their approach by the traditional pillars of psychoanalytic technique mentioned above (Shedler, 2010).
A psychoanalyst works with their client on a couch to encourage regression and access unconscious material (Pick, 2015), while a psychodynamic therapist works face to face with a client sitting upright.
Now that we’ve clarified the differences between psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapy, let’s look at the difference between psychoanalysis and psychotherapy overall.
The Positive Psychology Toolkit© is a groundbreaking practitioner resource containing over 500 science-based exercises , activities, interventions, questionnaires, and assessments created by experts using the latest positive psychology research.
Updated monthly. 100% Science-based.
“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO
A psychoanalyst has a particular set of skills gained from their specific psychoanalytic training. Meanwhile, psychotherapists can train in a range of therapeutic modalities, including psychodynamic , cognitive-behavioral , humanistic , or integrative approaches (Wampold, 2018).
However, both professions focus on helping people via talk therapy. Both use their skills to help their clients gain insight into their inner worlds, address their psychological problems, and heal.
In fact, a psychoanalyst is a type of psychotherapist who specializes in psychoanalysis. Therefore, every psychoanalyst is also a psychotherapist, but not every psychotherapist is a psychoanalyst (Wampold, 2018).
Although you’ll need to consult a psychoanalyst for a more valid and reliable classification, this test can give you an idea of how psychoanalysts conceptualize personality.
The test is composed of 48 items rated on a five-point scale from Disagree to Agree. The results are in the form of scores ranging from 0% to 100% across eight personality types:
To understand more about Freud’s theory of psychosexual development and how it relates to personality, check out the video below.
Although psychoanalytic theory laid the foundations for much of modern psychology, it is not without flaws. Psychoanalysis is still practiced today, and psychoanalytic theory has since been updated because of our improved understanding of human behavior , neuroscience, and the brain (Frosh, 2016).
However, serious criticisms of the theory and its applications remain (Eagle, 2007).
The major criticisms include the following:
Given these valid criticisms of psychoanalytic theory, it is wise to approach Freud and his theories with skepticism.
Although his work formed the foundations of modern psychology, it did not develop from a scientifically validated evidence base and is not falsifiable. Therefore, Freud’s students and followers have borne the burden of attempting to provide evidence to support the scientific and clinical validity of psychoanalysis.
These 17 Positive CBT & Cognitive Therapy Exercises [PDF] include our top-rated, ready-made templates for helping others develop more helpful thoughts and behaviors in response to challenges, while broadening the scope of traditional CBT.
Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.
While Freud’s classical psychoanalytic theory and traditional clinical technique have earned widespread criticism for their lack of a scientific evidence base or testability, the explanatory power of psychoanalytic theory has become part of popular culture in the West.
For example, we all know about the Freudian slip and generally accept that people often remain “unconscious” of certain aspects of themselves, their motives, behavior, and the impact they have on others.
Various defense mechanisms have become part of the everyday language of popular psychology, such as denial, repression, and projection.
There is also no denying that Freud’s interpretation of dreams has led to the widespread belief that our dreams actually mean something, rather than just being a series of random events that occur when we’re sleeping.
Meanwhile, the central therapeutic concepts of transference and countertransference have informed a widely accepted psychodynamic understanding of relationships, especially in health and social care settings. These ideas have also informed the development of safeguarding practices that uphold professional boundaries.
Some of Freud’s ideas may seem eccentric and of their time, but his legacy is far reaching and has influenced areas of thought far beyond the clinical practice of psychoanalysis.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. For more information, don’t forget to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free .
Ed: Updated April 2023
Share this article:
What our readers think.
Wasn’t there an earlier version of this article written by Courtney E Ackerman, and with more content? I’m confused. I would like to find that version, as I remember it being more complete.
Good day Jose,
You are correct, there was an earlier version written by Courtney. From time to time we update some of the articles. Is there something specific you were looking for that I might be able to assist you with?
Annelé Venter | Publisher
I am a third-year university student, hoping to obtain my honors in Clinical Psychology. I must say that I am quite impressed with your writings and have now obtained a much clearer understanding of both the Freudian theory of Psychoanalysis and the process by which a relationship between the therapist and the client is conceptualized in Psychoanalytic theory. Thank you for this simplified version. From Namibia
I am currently working on my research project with this perspective and this actually sounds like a true research paper I have come across during the last few years, credit goes to the hard work of the author!
This is Prabhu Harle from Bangalore, India. I am overwhelmed by the simplicity of the language used in explaining the Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory. The write-up contains several very useful information. Thank you very much, Ms. Jo Nash.
Hii, this is vikash from India, I’m very thankful for this article, it’s very beautifully written in a simplest languages😍, thanks a lot from *University of Allhabad* ,Prayagraj India🇮🇳..
The simplicity of the write up made it easy to read and understand. it is quite impressive.
It was so easy to read…… thank you so much for such a nice work alot of appreciation from psychology department islamia college university Peshawar.
This is genuine, thanks for the write up
Your email address will not be published.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Milieu therapy and positive psychology offer a unique synergy that has the potential to transform mental health care and create environments that nurture and uplift [...]
Humanism recognizes the need of the individual to achieve meaning, purpose, and actualization in their lives (Rowan, 2016; Block, 2011). Humanistic therapy was born out [...]
Trauma varies significantly in its effect on individuals. While some people may quickly recover from an adverse event, others might find their coping abilities profoundly [...]
3 Positive CBT Exercises (PDF)
Discover the world's research
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Thesis The heritage of Freudian theoretical and clinical constructs in contemporary psychoanalytical practice: Epistemological conjectures and Clinical refutations Subtitle The significance of the Menninger Clinic in the validation of psychoanalysis in international mental health practice inherent to the contributions of Lacan, Fairbairn, Matte-
Introduction and background. Sigmund Freud (Born May 6th, 1856) was an Austrian neurologist widely known as the father of psychoanalysis. His revolutionary theories, thoughts, and challenges to the field of psychology have changed how theorists understand the mind and how psychologists treat their patients [].Throughout his life, he worked fervently and tirelessly to advance his theories ...
Psychoanalysis theory is Sigmund Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to. unconscious motives and con flicts.The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence ...
This thesis theoretically investigated the psychoanalytic process working through with the purpose of clarifying and refining the concept. The literature on working through and its elements, ... Current psychoanalytic theory and practice has its origins in the writings of Freud (Etchegoyen, 2005). The aim of therapy is to
Sigmund Freud is the father of modern psychology, which analyzes the human mind and claims that the unconscious mind, controls the conscious mind. The human mind has different layers like a ...
Psychoanalytic theory views man, realistically, as a chooser; and the goal of psychological technology is to increase the capabilities of the person undergoing analysis to make his choices in a more conscious, more deliberate manner than before the analysis. ... The thesis that psychoanalysis is one of the human ...
Temporality and Translation in Psychoanalysis A Dyad Study of the Physician-Patient Working Alliance and its Relation to Satisfaction, Adherence,€and Outcome Childhood and Adolescent Bullying Experiences and Dependency Strivings A Mixed Methods Study of Minority Stress and Social Support Among Transgender and Genderqueer Adults Derner School of
T he historical relationship between clinical social work and psychoanalysis is both fascinating and extremely complex. Classical psychoanalytic theory and, later, ego psychology stand in relation to social work theory and practice in much the same way as the theory of relativity stands in relation to modern theoretical physics. In each case, the introduction of a new and radical theory has ...
Masters Thesis The Knocking in Macbeth's Head: A Psychoanalytic Approach to William Shakespeare's Macbeth. This study employs a Lacanian psychoanalytic approach to Shakespeare's rendering of Macbeth's transformation from a loyal subject to a malicious tyrant. Drawing on Lacan's theories of language and desire, I argue that the witches ...
An example of how this development in psychoanalytic theory has affected PLC can be found in the understanding of Hamlet's conflict. It can, as Freud (Citation 1897) ... She is the author of several essays on trauma and object relations theory and how they relate to clinical practice within public mental health care. Her most recent ...
PSYCHOANALYSIS AND ITS CRITICS. Morris N. Eagle, PhD. Adelphi University. This article discusses the question of the basis of changes in psychoanalytic concepts, theory, and treatment. Illustrative examples discussed include the "widening scope" of the use of "parameters" in psychoanalytic treatment; the rejection of the ...
Psychoanalysis is a generic term for both a set of psychological theories and a group of. techniques, each of which emphasizes the unconscious as an essential factor in human. adaptation and ...
Like any discipline, psychoanalysis has evolved considerably since its inception by Freud over a century ago, and a multitude of different psychoanalytic traditions and schools of theory and practice now exist. However, some of Freud's original ideas, such as the dynamic unconscious, a developmental approach, defence mechanisms, and transference and countertransference remain essential tenets ...
8.4.1 Lectures 24 and 25. Ten years after On the Grounds and before publishing Inhibition, Symptom and Anxiety, Freud delivered a series of lectures (1915-1917) (Freud 1953-1975b) to clarify conceptual issues about psychoanalysis, and several of these lectures were devoted to anxiety.The relevance of this material is that Freud clarified and modified some of his previous concepts of fear ...
This thesis tries to demonstrate that psychoanalytic principles, primarily those developed by Sigmund Freud, can be extrapolated from the individual to the collective level-of-analysis in order to formulate a paradigm of international relations. The first part illustrates that structural concepts of Freudian psychoanalysis provide a model of human psychology by which traditions of ...
Freud's psychoanalytic theory is one of the theories describing the personality in human beings. According to Freud, the theory seeks to explain why people behave the way they do, studies human's brain, and explains more about their personality. Get a custom essay on Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory Essay. 187 writers online.
Psychoanalytic Theory Examples. 1. Ego Psychology (Freud) Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, developed a theory of how the subconscious mind operates. He held that the mind contained three components: the id, ego, and superego. Each influence one another and are in struggle. The id represents impulse, the ego represents pragmatism, and the ...
What Is Psychoanalysis? A Definition and History of Psychoanalytic Theory. Psychoanalysis is a talking therapy that aims to treat a range of mental health issues by investigating the relationship between the unconscious and conscious elements of psychological experience using clinical techniques like free association and dream interpretation (Pick, 2015).
PAGES I v, 102. ii. ABSTRACT. This thesis proposes that a dichotomy exists in the form of The Great Gatsby and engages in a psychoanalytic ap proach to the novel as a parody of interwoven fairy tale and detective story forms to sUbstantiate this proposal.
Psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud. ... desired to understand religion and spirituality and deals with the nature of religious beliefs in many of his books and essays. He regarded God as an illusion, based on the infantile need for a powerful father figure. Freud believed that religion was an expression of ...
Thesis 19 May 2013 A Psychoanalysis Study of The Reason Behind Main Character's Changing Attitude in Ahmad Tohari's 'Bekisar Merah' ... a relatively minor role in psychoanalytic theory because it is the only level of mental life directly available to us (Feist and Feist 25). In addition, Freud believes that everything we are aware of is
Thesis. Jul 2023; Muntadher AbdulKadhim Hasan ... Drawing on Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, this paper investigates how touch serves as a catalyst for emotional and psychological ...
You must clearly define your psychoanalytic approach to the work—Freudian, Lacanian, Jungian, or some combination. You could explore ideas in a journal entry to help you focus on your critical approach. You should then construct a working thesis that will be your guide. Ask yourself the following: How does my psychoanalytic approach help my ...