If we think about psychotherapy, the image that probably comes to mind is that of an individual lying on a couch explaining his problems to a psychologist sitting behind him while he takes notes and asks questions. However, this image does not necessarily correspond to reality: There are multiple schools and currents of thought in psychology some being more appropriate than others depending on the specific case being treated.
One of the first great currents of thought to emerge was Freud’s psychoanalysis. But Freud’s students and those followers who decided to break with him due to discrepancies in some elements of his theory also continued to generate content and add new theories and aspects to psychoanalytic therapy. These are the so-called psychodynamic approaches. And with them, different therapies emerged. In this article we will see the main psychodynamic models and theories.
The concept of psychodynamic theory may seem unique and unitary, but the truth is that it includes a wide number of ways of understanding the human mind. When talking about psychodynamic theories we are therefore talking about a heterogeneous set of perspectives that They have their origin in conceptions of mental processes derived from psychoanalysis.
In this sense, all of them share with Freudian theory the idea that there are intrapsychic conflicts between the conscious and the unconscious one of the main objectives of therapy being to contribute to making the patient capable of understanding and managing unconscious content (bringing it to consciousness).
Furthermore, psychodynamic theories also consider the existence of defense strategies and mechanisms used by the psyche to minimize the suffering generated by such conflicts, and agree that the psychic structure and personality are formed during childhood from satisfaction or dissatisfaction of needs. Childhood experience is very relevant to this current, as well as the interpretation of these experiences and transfers. They also consider that the interaction with the therapist will make the patient relive repressed experiences and representations, turning to the professional.
These psychodynamic models and theories differ from psychoanalysis, among other things, in that They focus more on the reason for consultation identified by the patient and not in a complete personality restructuring. The therapies are not as long and are more spaced out, in addition to being open to a large number of mental disorders and problems and not just neuroses and hysteria. There are other differences, but these will depend largely on the specific psychodynamic model that is observed.
As we have mentioned, there are multiple psychodynamic theories and therapies. Below are some of the best known.
Adler’s individual psychology
One of the main neo-Freudian models is that of Adler, one of the authors who separated from Freud due to multiple disagreements with some aspects of psychoanalytic theory.
This author considered that libido was not the main driving force of the psyche, but rather the search for acceptance and belonging, which will generate anxieties that, if not met, will cause feelings of inferiority. Also considered the human being a unitary being, understandable at a holistic level, who is not a passive being but has the ability to choose. This author considers lifestyle as one of the most relevant aspects to work on along with the desire for power derived from the feeling of inferiority and the subject’s objectives and goals.
His psychotherapy is understood as a process that seeks to confront and change the subject’s way of facing vital tasks, trying to explain the guideline of the subject’s actions to promote his or her self-efficacy and self-confidence.
From this psychodynamic theory, first of all, the establishing a relationship of trust and recognition between therapist and patient, trying to bring the objectives of both closer towards achieving the recovery of the second. Subsequently, the problems in question are explored and the observation of the patient’s strengths and competencies that they will end up using to solve them are encouraged.
The lifestyle and decisions made are analyzed, after which the focus will be shifted to working on the beliefs, goals and vital objectives of the subject so that they can self-understand their own internal logic. Finally, we work together with the patient to develop habits and behaviors that allow the reorientation of behavior towards the subject’s tasks and objectives.
Jung’s analytical theory
Jung’s model is another of the main neo-Freudian models, being one of Freud’s followers who decided to break with him due to various discrepancies. From this model we work with aspects such as dreams, artistic expressions, complexes (unconscious organizations of unrecognized emotional experiences) and archetypes (inherited images that make up our collective unconscious).
The objective of this therapy is to achieve the development of an integrated identity, trying to help the subject take into account what Jung interpreted as unconscious forces. First, the subject is confronted with his person (the part of himself that he recognizes as his own and that he expresses to the outside world) and with his shadow (the part of our being that we do not express and that we usually project onto others), ensuring that through the treatment is achieved.
After this, the archetypes of anima and animus are worked on, the archetypes that represent the feminine and the masculine and how they are worked on and projected in social relationships. Subsequently In a third stage, we seek to work on the archetypes corresponding to wisdom and synchronicity with the universe through the analysis of dreams and artistic creations (which are analyzed, among other methods, through the use of association in particular elements of dreams). We work collaboratively with the patient and try to integrate the different facets of the being.
Sullivan considered that the main element that explains our psychic structure is interpersonal relationships and how these are lived, configuring our personality based on personifications (ways of interpreting the world), dynamisms (energies and needs) and the development of a system of self.
At the therapy level, this is understood as a form of interpersonal relationship that provides security and facilitates learning. This must generate changes in the person and situation, with the therapist working actively and directively. without increasing the subject’s distress.
It is mainly proposed to work from obtaining information and correcting that which is erroneous, modifying dysfunctional evaluation systems, working on the personal distance of the subject from people and situations, correcting phenomena such as the fact of interacting with others believing that they will relate. with us, like other previous significant people, seek and reintegrate the patient’s inhibited elements and seek to ensure that the patient is able to communicate and express logical thoughts and the search for satisfaction while reducing the need for security and experiential avoidance.
The theory of object relations
Melanie Klein is maybe one of the greatest figures of the psychoanalytic tradition of the Self, followers of Freud who followed his theoretical line adding new content and areas of study. In your case, the study and focus on minors.
One of his most relevant theories is the theory of object relations, which proposes that individuals relate to the environment based on the link we make between subject and object, with the unconscious fantasy generated by the object being especially relevant. time to explain the behavior.
When working with children, special importance is given to symbolic play as a method to work on and externalize unconscious fantasies, to subsequently try to clarify the anxieties that arise from them and introduce modifications both through play and through other means such as creative visualization, narrative, drawing, dance or games of roles..
Other more recent psychodynamic theories
There are many approaches, models and theories that have been developed throughout history from the psychodynamic approach. In addition to the above, there are some relatively recent psychodynamic therapies and theories, very focused on the practice and day-to-day life of therapy, and not so much on systematic explanations of the structure of mental processes.
This perspective is based on the idea that therapeutic work must focus on a specific area that generates greater difficulties and that most explains the patient’s specific problem. Its main characteristics are its brevity and the high level of definition of the element to be worked on and the objectives to be achieved.
In addition to that A high level of therapist directivity is also common and the expression of optimism regarding the patient’s improvement. The aim is to attack resistance to subsequently work on the anxiety generated by said attack and subsequently make aware of the feelings that have generated said defenses and discomfort.
Within this type of psychotherapy we can find different techniques, such as brief psychotherapy with anxiety provocation or deactivation of the unconscious.
Transference-based therapy
Proposed by Kernberg, it is a type of therapy of great importance in the treatment of subjects with personality disorders such as borderline. The theory behind it is based on the theory of object relations to propose a model in which there is a focus on both the internal and external world of the patient and that focuses on work from the transference of internal difficulties to the therapist In people with severe personality disorders, the experience of frustration and the inability to regulate it prevails, with which the psyche finally splits in such a way that a diffusion of identity occurs.
It seeks to promote the integration of patients’ mental structures, reorganizing them and seeking to generate modifications that allow stable mental functioning in which subjective experience, perception and behavior go hand in hand. The context, the therapeutic relationship and the analysis of object relations are fundamental analyzing the feelings generated by the relationship with them (including the therapeutic relationship) and the unconscious fantasy that said relationship generates, helping to understand them.
Therapy based on mentalization
Bateman and Fonagy developed a model and type of therapy that is based on the concept of mentalization. It is understood as the ability to interpret actions and reactions own and others based on the existence of emotions and thoughts, recognizing these as a mental state.
Greatly influential and based largely on Bowlby’s attachment theory, it attempts to explain mental disorder (especially borderline personality disorder) as a consequence of difficulty attributing mental states to what they do or feel. The therapy linked to this model seeks congruence, favoring the connection between feeling and thought develop the ability to mentalize and try to understand one’s own emotions and those of others, in turn improving interpersonal relationships.
