In the past, people’s knowledge of psychology was limited to their visits to marriage counselors, religious leaders, family therapists, and traditional dispute handlers. Psychologists were considered to be those who resolved conflicts and offered guidance during distress. Over the years, the concept of psychology has changed and has been recognized as a multifaceted discipline. Psychologists have a common unifying factor such as using scientific means to study behavior and the mind (Hunt & Colander, 2016, p. 7). Different perspectives have been introduced in psychology to describe the variation of conduct, thus, outlining human and animal actions’ complexity. This study aims to present a psychodynamic approach of psychology that focuses on childhood and the unconscious mind to help a person recognize who they are to form a sense of self. From this perspective, the human mind is divided into three parts and different levels as well.
The psychodynamic perspective contributors worked directly with their patients and helped them understand and challenge their psychological signs. This school of thought originated in the 19th century from a scientist, Sigmund Freud, who examined the idea of human development and the human mind (Freud, 2018). According to this perspective, the human mind has three parts, namely: the id, which is the unconscious mind, the ego acting as a moderator between the id and external facts, and finally, the superego, which is developed at latency. Superego is the moral mechanism that holds human beliefs of right and wrong. The components were theorized to grow in stages of childhood development (Caputo & Tomai, 2020). However, id was assumed to be inborn while ego developed during the toddler phase and superego around five. All these parts work dependently on each other to control the mind, consequently the human behavior.
The psychodynamic approach explains that individuals’ problems, for instance, anxiety or depression, might result from unmemorable painful childhood experiences. Scholars argued that whatever pushed human behavior was rooted in the unconscious mind. An empirical aspect emerged categorizing the human mind into three levels. The unconscious level in which instincts, beliefs, and behavior patterns exist obliviously. Ironically, the contents at this level contribute to the majority of who a person is and what they want. Another level is the conscious where human beings are fully aware of themselves, but self-knowledge is of least significance in defining them (Ramsay, 2019). Lastly, the subconscious level between the conscious and unconscious is considered a storehouse of all recalled experiences and the impressions they leave on the mind. Relating to past occurrences helps in a better understanding of how people behave.
In the present-day world, the psychodynamic view is still applicable. Therapists urge their clients to discuss what they feel in the majority of counseling sessions. In society, therapists demonstrate the implication of recurring patterns among people’s actions and how they contribute to their issues (Caputo & Tomai, 2020). From observation, when it comes to psychological assessment, every human being must make a tough choice at some point. Divorces may seemingly appear a common trend today, but the unconscious effects should never be ignored. In such a case, the psychodynamic aspect helps the client by examining a family’s possible history of traumatic events. It allows them to recognize and solve deep-rooted issues, which may cause relationship problems and divorce. Hereafter, it cannot be disputed that psychodynamic knowledge has become a useful asset for psychologists currently as it has also improved levels of trust with their clients.
The study has presented the psychodynamic approach of psychology relating to human behavior with the unconscious mind. The psychodynamic approach aims to improve lives by studying human beings based on unconscious behavior triggered by past experiences or childhood memories. The human mind is divided into three parts. The id is the innate instinctive part present at birth, whereas the ego acts as a moderator between id and superego. Lastly, the Superego holds human beliefs of right and wrong and is developed around the age of five. Additionally, the mind has three levels. The unconscious level is where instincts and behavior patterns exist unknowingly. The conscious where human beings are aware of themselves and subconscious level exists between the conscious and unconscious and carries all the past experiences and the impressions they leave on the mind. The psychodynamic school of thought is still used in the contemporary world by therapists in solving family disputes and divorce cases, among others.
References
Caputo, A., & Tomai, M. (2020). A systematic review of psychodynamic theories in community psychology: Discovering the unconscious in community work. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(6), 2069-2085. Web.
Freud, S. (2018). The collected works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 1). Library of Alexandria.
Hunt, E. & Colander, D. (2016). Social science: An introduction to the study of society (15th ed.). Routledge.
Ramsay, K. (2019). The three levels of human consciousness. Medium. Web.