Psychoanalytic

Psychoanalytic refers to a family of theories and therapeutic approaches rooted in the work of Sigmund Freud and developed by numerous later theorists. It emphasizes the role of unconscious processes in shaping thoughts, feelings, and behavior, arguing that early life experiences can leave enduring psychic traces. Central concepts include the unconscious, repression, and defense mechanisms that mediate between impulses and conscious awareness. Freud's structural model posits the id, ego, and superego, with internal conflicts often expressed through symptoms. The libidinal energy (psychic energy) drives development, while defense mechanisms such as denial, projection, and sublimation serve to manage anxiety. Methods of inquiry include free association, dream analysis, and the interpretation of transference and resistance in the therapeutic setting.

Over time, psychoanalytic thinking diversified into several schools. Ego psychology and object-relations theory broadened the focus beyond early psychosexual stages to include the development of the sense of self and relationships with others. Self psychology, and later relational or interpersonal psychoanalysis, emphasize self-coherence and intersubjective processes. Psychodynamic therapies, including shorter-term modalities, retain core ideas about unconscious motivation while adapting to contemporary clinical settings.

Critiques center on questions of scientific testability and empirical support, with debates about how to measure constructs like the unconscious and the efficacy of long-term treatment. Nevertheless, psychoanalytic ideas have had a profound influence on psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapeutic practice, and the arts, shaping approaches to personality, motivation, emotion, and clinical care.