The Psychodynamic Approach S Key Streng

The psychodynamic approach’s key strength is that this was the first approach of personality to try and attempt to explain mental illnesses and personality formation in terms of psychology. This psychodynamic theory had enormous influence in the development of the field of psychology today and brought around a new approach to the study of personality and individual differences. The psychodynamic theory cannot be mentioned without the recognition that it has shaped and influenced the majority of psychology, even into modern times. Since Freud’s initial interpretation of psychodynamic approach to personality, many neo-Freudians have used the basics of these assumptions to develop the theory further. For example, Erik Erikson expanded upon Freud’s theories and stressed the importance of growth throughout the lifespan and his psychosocial stage theory of personality remains influential today in our understanding of human development.

Another strength of the psychodynamic approach to personality is that it has provided a valuable insight into how early experiences or relationships can affect our adult personality. One of the examples of this is that fixations can be causes during even the earliest few months of childhood, such as the oral stage in psychosexual development, this can be caused by separation from the caregiver too early or having feeding difficulties. These fixations can then lead to psychological problems in personality focused around eating or drinking.
On this note, the psychodynamic theory also provided psychological treatments which are still widely used today in therapy for personality disorders. These two treatments in psychodynamic theory are the Rorschach inkblot test and assessment/analysis of dreams. In the Rorschach test the subjects perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analysed using psychological interpretation, complex scientifically derived algorithms or both. These can be used to assess an individual’s personality