Psychodynamic Approach To Psychology Essay

Psychology is a relentlessly broad subject that incorporates a number of vastly different approaches to help dissect human thought and behavior. Every approach is unique, as they are each based on a variety of principles attempting to complete a variety of goals. Of all the modern approaches to psychology, the psychodynamic approach proves to be the most recognized throughout the media. Almost every single tv show, movie, or book depicts a psychologists’ office as a warm room with bookcases lining the walls, a comfy couch to lie down on, and an older man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a wool sweater asking questions about someone’s childhood. This depiction however, serves as only a miniscule and mostly outdated portion of psychology but

Sigmund Freud fathered the Psychodynamic approach, but without the help of Adler, Jung, and Erikson it would have never lasted to this day. Adler was Freud first predecessor, but he saw personality far different than Freud. Adler believed that our personality is determined by our goals and aspirations. Similar to Freud, Adler also focused on early childhood. He claimed that as a child we all try to gain superiority and based on our successes we set limits for ourselves. To overcome other weaknesses, we develop skills in other areas in a process Adler named Compensation. Another important development in the Psychodynamic Approach was by Erik Erikson with the Eight Psychosocial Stages of Development. Like Freud and Alder, Erikson focused on early childhood and teenage development. These developments helped bring the Psychodynamic Approach to where it is today. The peak of the psychodynamic approach was long ago in the early 1900’s and began to lose support as more empirical approaches surfaced. As it evolved many dropped Freud’s reliance on sexual influences and began to focus more on development. Development in children is a key foundation of the Psychodynamic Approach and still serves important