Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic Theory

Abstract

A psychodynamic theory is a theory that explains human behavior and human motivation in terms both of conscious and unconscious forces and the interplay between these. Although many different psychodynamic theories exist, they all emphasize unconscious motives and desires, as well as the importance of early childhood experiences in shaping personality. They all emerge from the matrix of psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalytic theory is not a unified body of knowledge; rather, it is composed of multiple theories, models, and schemata pertaining to human development, psychopathology, and clinical method and technique. It is a literature of vast scope whose evolution now spans more than a century. The psychoanalysis of today, well over a century after the publication of Studies in Hysteria 1893–1895 and The Interpretation of Dreams (1900) is greatly changed from the psychoanalysis of Freud’s day. Multiple psychoanalytic psychologies, each with its own vision of human development, psychopathology, and the treatment process, now stand alongside Freud’s classical formulations. Challenges made to the empirical basis of psychoanalytic treatment and its formulations about development and dysfunction have spawned a new and more promising body of research. The shift from a one-person to a two-person viewpoint and the gradual ascendancy of relational ideas, as well as interest in and sensitivity to the environmental surround, have, likewise, been momentous developments. Once the dominant force in American psychiatry, psychoanalysis has all but disappeared as a medical specialty, even as it has taken up a place in the fields of social work and psychology. A very different trend, one that attempts to link psychoanalysis with the neurosciences, has emerged in the early 21st century and is viewed by many as an important new direction for psychodynamic thought and practice, both within social work and within psychoanalysis more generally. These are a few of the more significant changes that mark the beginning of the second century of psychoanalytic thought. Social work, too, has changed in many ways since its earliest attempts to employ psychoanalytic concepts in better understanding and serving its clientele. Although psychoanalytic ideas once held a revered status among clinical social workers and casework theorists, this has been altered by the introduction of newer cognitive and behavioral treatments, the changing requirements of the agencies and clients we serve, and an overriding focus on short-term interventions. The authors of this article believe that it is time for a reappraisal of psychoanalysis and what it offers the social work clinician. In the material that follows, our delineation of some essential introductory and reference works, representing several of the most prominent psychoanalytic psychologies and their central theoretical tenets, will be presented. We will also discuss psychoanalytic contributions to the understanding of therapeutic process, highlighting particular concepts and themes that are unique to a psychodynamic point of view. We conclude with a brief review of the current state of research on psychodynamic treatment.