Psychodynamic theory is actually a collection of psychological theories. They emphasize the importance of drives and other forces in human functioning, especially unconscious drives. The approach holds that childhood experience is the basis for adult personality and relationships.
Psychodynamic theory originated in Freud's psychoanalytic theories. It includes any theories based on his ideas, including those of Anna Freud, Erik Erikson and Carl Jung.
see more
Augustine's Theology of History
Renaissance Humanism
Between the late 1890s and 1930s, Sigmund Freud developed a variety of psychological theories. They were based on his experiences with patients during therapy. He called his approach psychoanalytic therapy. His ideas were popularized through his books, such as 'The Interpretation of Dreams'.
In 1909, he and his colleagues traveled to the US and gave lectures on psychoanalysis, further spreading Freud's ideas. In the years that followed, regular meetings were held to discuss psychoanalytic theories and applications.
Freud influenced several important psychological thinkers. These included Carl Jung and Alfred Adler.
It was Freud who first introduced the term psychodynamics. He noted that his patients exhibited psychological symptoms with no biological basis. However, these patients were unable to stop their symptoms despite their conscious efforts.
Freud concluded that if symptoms could not be prevented by conscious will, they must arise from the unconscious. So the symptoms were the result of the unconscious opposing the conscious will. It was an interaction he dubbed "psychodynamic."
Psychodynamic theory was formed to encompass any theory derived from Freud's basic principles. As a result, the terms psychoanalytic and psychodynamic are often used interchangeably.
However, there is an important distinction: the term psychoanalytic refers only to the theories developed by Freud. The term psychodynamic refers to Freud's theories and those based on his ideas. These include Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory of human development and Jung's concept of archetypes.
In fact, many theories fall under psychodynamic theory, which is often referred to as an approach or perspective rather than a theory.
