Psychodynamic Theory
Nearly every psychology course requires research on psychodynamic theory. Paper Masters can assist you with any research paper topic involving psychodynamic theory. Our psychology writers have extensive experience in writing on psychodynamic theory, therapy and Freudian psychological examination.
A research paper on psychodynamic theory explains that it is the term applied to psychological approach of Sigmund Freud. Freud coined the term psychodynamics to describe the processes of the mind, where flows of energy (libido) pass through the organic structure of the brain. Freud adapted this thinking from the physical science of thermodynamics.
One of Freud's academic advisors was Ernst Brucke, who believed that all organic beings were systems of energy. Freud took this thinking and created the idea of a dynamic psychology, studying the energy of the human personality. Freud's psychodynamic theory posited the ego as central to interactions between the id, the superego, and the outside world. Psychodynamics, therefore, attempts to understand and explain the emotional forces, called drives or instinct found in human societies.
Topics You May Find in a Psychodynamic Theory Research Paper
Carl Jung took Freud's theories regarding psychodynamics and added several important contributions, including the idea that the human psyche moves towards wholeness, and that there is a multiplicity of psychic life in the individual and that these strains are often in conflict. Jung also believed that the collective unconscious held numerous archetypes that manifested themselves uniquely to the individual.
Modern theories of psychodynamic psychotherapy enlighten individuals towards the conflicts and tensions of their lives, fostering self-awareness and integrating the various psychodynamic forces into a whole.
Insights are crucial to psychodynamic therapy and gathered through analysis of some of the following aspects of the psyche:
- Free associations
- Dreams
- Transference of feelings
- Resistance toward certain topics and ideas
- The past is the focal point, as it is assumed the roots of existing conflicts are embedded in childhood experiences.
Psychodynamic therapy approaches issues in a more indirect way, as it is assumed that the underlying problems are unconscious and are therefore not recognizable to the individual anyway. In this orientation, the psychoanalyst is in a position of authority guiding therapy. Psychoanalysis is typically more rigid than other approaches with activities and even seating arrangements and environmental factors being dictated by the therapist.