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Subject PSYCHOLOGY
Paper No and Title Paper No 5: Personality Theories
Module No and Title Module No 7: Introduction to the Psychodynamic Domain
Module Tag PSY_P5_M7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Learning Outcomes
2. Introduction
3. Development of the Psychoanalytic Movement
4. Neo-Freudian Psychoanalysis
5. Basic Understanding of Human Nature
6. Methodology
7. Summary
PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories
Module No 7: Introduction to the Psychodynamic Domain
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1. Learning Outcomes
After studying this module, you shall be able to
Trace the development of the psychoanalytic movement
Learn about the primary contributions of Neo-Freudians
Gain an understanding of human nature from the psychodynamic perspective.
Learn about the methodology used.
2. Introduction
Psychodynamic perspective originated with the work of Sigmund Freud and dominated thinking
th
about personality, mental disorders and psychotherapy for the first half of the 20 century. The
term ‘psychodynamics’ was used by Freud to describe the processes of the mind as the flow of
libidinal energy. Psychodynamic theory is built on the basic mechanistic postulate that there
exists a mental energy system that is governed by the physical principles of conservation of
energy. The theory is deterministic and lays emphasis on the unconscious determinants of
behavior, early childhood experiences, and interpersonal relationships to explain human behavior
and to treat people suffering from mental illnesses.
Psychoanalysis was once the most popular domain of psychology. It could be said with certain
surety that it was Sigmund Freud and the popularity of his approach that gave psychology the
thrust it needed when it was emerging as a discipline. Although most contemporary academicians
choose to drop it out of the mainstream psychology, the reaches of Freud’s notions are so far and
wide that they are embedded in the very evolution of psychology. The original Freudian theory
was criticized and many of his own disciples deflected from him, bringing their own concepts and
widening the psychodynamic approach. Starting from the neo-Freudians, the psychoanalytic
school has evolved from classical psychoanalysis and the contemporary notions are much
different from the original Freudian specifics.
3. Development of the psychoanalytic movement
In the initial years of his practice, Freud used hypnosis on his patients, a method he borrowed
from Jean Charcot. Working with Joseph Breuer, he developed the “talking cure” or free
association in the treatment of hysteria. The use of free association eventually led Freud to
theorize about the unconscious and the concept of repression. He developed dream analysis as a
means of tapping into the unconscious realm. These were the beginnings of his new found
“psychoanalysis”.
Freud engaged in self analysis; delving into his own dreams, emotions, memories. This reflection
convinced him of the importance of infantile sexuality and led to the development of the
psychosexual stages and the concept of the Oedipus complex. Then he began to develop the
levels of consciousness and the structure of personality.
Freud regularly delivered lectures at the University of Vienna and his ideas began to gather
followers. A small group of interested physicians began to gather in his apartment every
PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories
Module No 7: Introduction to the Psychodynamic Domain
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Wednesday, and this came to be known as the Wednesday
Psychological Society. Among these initial followers were
Wilhelm Stekel, Max Kahane, Rudolf Reitler and Alfred Adler, who later developed their own
perspectives. Gradually the membership increased but Freud remained the society’s sole patron.
In 1906, Freud began correspondence with Jung, an already established psychiatrist in Zurich
who had set up a similar society in Zurich. Freud saw him as his crown prince and in 1910, he
was elected as the president of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA). But Jung’s
thinking was markedly different from Freud’s, being more concerned with religion, spirituality
and moral concerns. They had a bitter fall out eventually.
In 1908, the society was renamed ‘The Vienna Psychoanalytic Society’. As the reach became
international, the first International Psychoanalytic Congress was held in April, 1908. The first
journal of psychoanalysis was launched in 1909, with Jung as its editor. In 1910, a sister society
formed in Russia and in the next year, the society admitted its first female members.
Freud gave a series of lectures in the United States in 1909, which marked the spread of the
psychoanalytic movement to the continent. Freud remarked to Jung who was touring with him,
“They do not realize that we are bringing them the plague”. The event attracted much attention
and led to the founding of the American Psychoanalytic Association by James Putnam in 1911.
4. Neo-Freudian Psychoanalysis
The psychoanalytic tradition was carried forward by several followers of Freud, some devout and
remaining true to his classical theory and others who initially followed and later disagreed with
him. Some were bothered by Freud’s emphasis on the importance of sexuality and the idea that
sexual issues are important even in infancy. Others took issue with Freud’s over-emphasis on the
unconscious processes or with the fact that he didn’t give enough attention to the ego (Carver &
Scheier, 1996). Several early members of the movement who swerved away established their own
factions and so began the psychodynamic perspective. The neo-Freudians include Alfred Adler,
Carl Jung, Anna Freud (Freud’s daughter), Melanie Klein, Karen Horney, Otto Rank, Sandor
Ferenczi, Heinz Hartmann, Erich Fromm and Harry Sullivan among others. Some of these
personalities went on to develop their own substantial theories markedly different from Freud’s
and offering new insights into the human unconscious and psyche.
Neo-Freudians, broadly speaking, made the following changes in Freud’s psychoanalytic view of
personality:
i. They put greater emphasis on ego functions, including ego defenses, development of the
self, conscious thought processes and personal mastery.
ii. They view social variables as playing a greater role in shaping personality.
iii. They put less emphasis on the importance of general sexual urges or libidinal energy.
iv. They have extended personality development beyond childhood to include the entire life
span.
PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories
Module No 7: Introduction to the Psychodynamic Domain
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4.1 Carl Jung’s analytical psychology
Jung believed in the occult and mysticism, and that each of us is motivated not only by repressed
experiences but also by certain emotionally toned experiences inherited from our ancestors. He
introduced the concept of the collective unconscious and gave much importance to symbolism
and archetypes. The personality or psyche, as Jung calls it, consists of separate but interacting
systems; the ego, the personal unconscious and its complexes, the collective unconscious and its
archetypes, the persona, the anima/animus and the shadow. The self is the fully developed and
unified personality. Jung’s theory is a compendium of opposites. People are introverted and
extraverted; rational and irrational; male and female; conscious and unconscious; and pushed by
past events while being pulled by future expectations (Feist & Feist, 2008).
4.2 Alfred Adler’s individual psychology
Adler’s theory emphasizes the role of striving for superiority and the importance of caring and
concern for others (Carver & Scheier, 1996). He gave much emphasis to social relationships
within the family as children grow up and held that the position within the family is extremely
important in determining how an individual deals with reality, and therefore in determining the
personality. Individual psychology presents an optimistic view of people while resting heavily on
the notion of social interest, that is, a feeling of oneness with all humankind. It refers to the need
to live in harmony with others and Adler believed social interest is important to be a complete
person. He presented a more hopeful view of man than the orthodox analysts did.
4.3 Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Horney began as an orthodox Freudian but broke with Freud over his interpretations of the female
oedipal complex (or the Electra complex; discussed in the next module). Her theory of
personality emphasizes the social and cultural influences, rather than the biological ones, in the
formation of the self (McAdams, 2001). Culture, especially early childhood experiences, plays a
leading role in shaping personality. She agreed with Freud that early childhood traumas are
important, but she differed from him in her insistence that social rather than biological forces are
paramount in personality development. According to her, children whose needs for love and
affection have not been satisfied during childhood develop basic hostility toward their parents
and, as a consequence, suffer from basic anxiety.
4.4 Erich Fromm’s Humanistic Psychoanalysis
Fromm developed a neo-Freudian theory that emphasizes social and cultural forces in the
formation of personality. He blended insights about human nature drawn from both Freud and
Karl Marx to develop an integrative theory that attempts to link personal needs, character types,
societal structures, and the movement of history (McAdams, 2001). The humanistic
psychoanalysis assumes that humanity’s separation from the natural world has produced feelings
of loneliness and isolation, a condition called basic anxiety. Fromm’s basic thesis is that modern-
day people have been torn away from their prehistoric union with nature and also with one
another, yet they have the power of reasoning, foresight, and imagination. This combination of
lack of animal instincts and presence of rational thought makes humans the freaks of the universe.
Self awareness contributes to feelings of loneliness, isolation, and homelessness. To escape from
these feelings, people strive to become reunited with nature and with their fellow human beings
(Feist & Feist, 2008).
PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories
Module No 7: Introduction to the Psychodynamic Domain
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