Psychodynamic Therapy: Theoretical Bases, Techniques And Currents
The set of therapies we know as “psychoanalysis” has branched enormously since Freud created his famous psychoanalytic-type cure, which many people still mistakenly conceive as the archetype of clinical psychology.
In this article we will analyze The theoretical bases, currents and main techniques of psychodynamic therapy a group of interventions based on the contributions of authors who developed and questioned Freudian psychoanalysis to maximize the usefulness of its tools.
Psychodynamic therapies also known as psychodynamic psychotherapies are therapeutic approaches that are based on the theoretical contributions of classical psychoanalysis, represented by Sigmund Freud, and/or its most recent developments.
Although both currents have a very close conceptual anchor, psychodynamic therapy differs from psychoanalytic type cure in several key aspects. Between these They highlight the greater brevity of the interventions the lower intensity of the treatment, the multiplicity of therapeutic foci and the relative emphasis on scientific validation.
It is difficult to clearly establish the boundaries between psychodynamic therapies and other interventions framed in psychoanalysis, since there are a large number of different therapies; However, the above criteria are often used as indicators of the proximity of a treatment to the construct “psychodynamic therapy.”
Theoretical bases
Like the rest of their developments, psychodynamic therapies share the focus of classical psychoanalysis on importance of unconscious processes for behavior, thoughts and emotions. Since unconscious variables are conceived as fundamental determinants of behavior, treatment must focus on them.
The symptoms of neurosis, the historical focus of psychoanalysis, are understood from these orientations as “compromise solutions” to the conflict between unconscious impulses and moral self-demands, to which Freud gave the metaphorical name “Superego”.
Another central aspect of psychoanalytic theory is the fact that personality is formed during childhood depending on how basic needs are met. Since personal history is always unique, each person is different from the others and requires individualized treatment.
Those who practice these therapies usually defend that their objective is for the client to get to know their true Self; For this, a deep analysis of personality is necessary. However, psychodynamic therapies in general are characterized by their greater focus on the person’s current problems compared to the psychoanalytic type cure.
Thus, we could say that psychodynamic therapies are those that attempt to adapt the principles of psychoanalysis, whether that of Freud or that of the theorists who followed him, to the context of modern psychotherapy. Furthermore, this type of intervention seeks to add emphasis on the individual and his unconscious to the contributions of other psychological currents.
Currents of psychodynamic therapy
Although Psychodynamic therapy approaches are as broad as there are variants and, as we have said, it is not always possible to distinguish them from the classic forms of psychoanalysis, we can differentiate three main currents within the framework at hand.
1. Neo-Freudian therapy
Authors such as Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Harry Stack Sullivan, Erich Fromm, Wilhelm Reich, and Sándor Ferenczi are often classified as “neo-Freudians” because they extended Freud’s theories by criticizing key aspects of his work, such as the emphasis on infantile sexuality, the concept of the death drive or the lack of attention to the psychosocial.
Neo-Freudian therapy is based on the revisions made by one or more of these authors to the master’s postulates. From neo-Freudism, as from the analytical tradition of the Self, emphasis is placed on the role of the ego and the conscious compared to the almost exclusive focus of classical psychoanalysis on the Id and the unconscious.
2. Psychoanalytic Tradition of the Self
This concept encompasses two closely related schools: ego psychology, developed in the United States and represented by Anna Freud, Heinz Hartmann or Erik Erikson, and object relations theory a British orientation in which Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott and Ronald Fairbairn stand out.
These currents put the mental representation we make of our interpersonal relationships at the center of the intervention. More attention is paid to the present than in Freudian psychoanalysis, and the direct analysis of the therapeutic relationship is prioritized over that of the transference.
3. Psychoanalytic psychotherapies
Psychoanalytic psychotherapies are considered to be all those that are based on the theoretical postulates of the psychodynamic tradition but that They do not derive their intervention methods from psychoanalytic type cures. These therapies are very varied but are usually characterized by their brevity and by adapting to different types of psychological difficulties.
Among the best-known psychoanalytic psychotherapies we find brief dynamic psychotherapy, inspired by the contributions of Ferenczi and Otto Rank, Sifneos’s brief psychotherapy with anxiety provocation, Mann’s limited-time psychotherapy and Davanloo’s unconscious deactivation technique.
Methodology and techniques
Psychodynamic therapies focus on revealing unconscious conflicts that determine the client’s current problems in order to solve them. Given that these interventions broadly share the theoretical basis of classical psychoanalysis, the same goes for the techniques and methods.
Thus, they are usually used characteristic techniques such as free association the analysis of dreams, the identification and deactivation of defense mechanisms and the interpretation of transference and countertransference.
Depending on the intervention we are talking about, and even the specific therapist, the techniques will have a more or less eclectic nature; It is important to keep in mind that many psychodynamic therapists today use techniques developed within the framework of other theoretical orientations, such as exposition or the empty chair.
The attitude of the psychodynamic therapist tends to be less rigid than that of the psychoanalytic therapist. Although in many cases We try to comply with the abstinence rule the modernization of psychoanalysis proposals has led to a general flexibility of the therapeutic relationship within the framework of psychodynamic therapies.
