The psychodynamic theory is a psychological perspective that originated from the works of Sigmund Freud on psychoanalysis, which focused on the unconscious level of awareness and the interactions among personality structures. In contemporary society, it encompasses all psychological theories that attribute human behavior to the influence of unconscious interactions of drives and forces within people. Psychologists focus on the internal workings of personality, focusing primarily on struggles, energies, and conflicts that occur in the brain (Coon and Mitterer 393). They believe that the majority of human actions emanate from hidden emotions, desires, needs, and thoughts. According to Freud, sexual drive, also referred to as libido, is the main motivation for human behavior. The unconscious motives, which are formed during childhood, influence how people behave. In adults, these experiences can manifest as acts of aggression.
Freud focused his research on patients whose problems manifested more in emotional rather than physical forms. He believed that the personality comprises three components, namely the id, the ego, and the superego (Coon and Mitterer 398). Behavior is a culmination of the activities of these systems. Any action is a visible expression of an invisible force that could represent an emotion, desire, or memory (Coon and Mitterer 400). For instance, neurosis is an expression of a raging conflict among the aforementioned personality subparts. Intense anxiety can be as a result of a suppressed id desire for aggression that has not yet manifested as behavior (Coon and Mitterer 486). Psychologists who expounded on Freud’s work on psychoanalysis include Carl Jung, Anna Freud, Erik Erikson, Alfred Adler, and Melanie Klein. They accepted his concepts, but developed personal views that evolved into new approaches like the object relations theory and the neuropsychoanalysis.
Reference
Coon, Dennis, and John Mitterer O. Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior. 12th ed., Cengage Learning, 2008.