Psychodynamic Approach Research Paper

2. Schools of Thought in Psychology

The Psycho-dynamic and behavioral viewpoints of psychology are very different. The Psycho-dynamic realm of psychology focusses on the mind and personality as they relate to the mental, emotional or motivational factors at the unconscious level and especially at the subconscious level. The Behavioral realm of psychology explains that consciousness and unconsciousness is neither a definite nor a useable concept that has rejected previous theories and instead believe that psychologists should take a more scientific approach and focus on observable behavior.

The goal of therapeutic psychology is to help the individual alter unhealthy behaviors and thoughts through mutual trust and different techniques. The psycho-dynamic approach to therapy is much different than that of the behavioral approach. The psychodynamic approach appears to dive into the unconscious motivations of the subject and provides guidance in breaking down defenses. Usually this approach is used to uncover internal struggles and how they may affect the patient’s described problems. Psycho-dynamic therapy takes place about once or twice a week for about a year or so or until the symptoms are eliminated. Behavioral therapy is oriented toward helping the patient view their problems as learned behaviors that can be
Some of these processes are characterized as attention, memory and perception, as well as thinking, problem solving and creativity. Cognitive therapy focuses on helping people break patterns of thought that can be considered harmful. Therapists that specialize in cognitive psychology may talk to their patients and help them to substitute good thoughts for bad ones via thought substitution. Usually this type of therapy would require around fifteen sessions or so and is thought to be a short term but highly effective