Freud's Psychodynamic theory - Assignment Example

Does this theory address what it says it does?  Sigmund Freud developed his theory of personality to explain the manner in which personality developed as the individual grew up; and the factors that could encourage or restrict the development of personality. Freud was interested in providing an explanation for how the interaction of internal and external factors led to the development of healthy or unhealthy personality characteristics. The Psychodynamic theory does explain how the personality of an individual develops through the developmental years (Approaches to Psychology, 2009); and describes the factors that can affect the manner in which it develops.

It provides an explanation for personality disorders; and identifies childhood experiences to be at the heart of adult personality disorders. It also provides a detailed description of the factors that play a significant role in how an individual’s personality is affected by his /her environment and experiences (Approaches to Psychology, 2009). Thus, it may be possible to say that the theory does address what it says it does – the development of healthy and unhealthy personalities.Can the theory be tested?

 Since the Psychodynamic theory focuses on the role of the unconscious drives and of repressed information and experiences in the development of an individual’s personality; the theory is rather difficult to falsify (Approaches to Psychology, 2009). This is because it is difficult to collect data that is able to aptly describe the factors that affect an individual’s personality at any point. It is also difficult to verify the existence of the mechanisms of the mind – the Id, Ego and Superego; or the extent to which a child may be affected by a childhood experience.

However, it is possible to test specific hypotheses about the associations between personality attributes and behavior and hypotheses about the influences of information that the individual may be unaware of having.What are the results of the testing? Silverman (1976, 1983 in Hersen & Thomas, 2006) and Hardaway (1990 in Hersen & Thomas, 2006) [in have shown that evidence separately for subliminal psychodynamic activation. This verifies that although certain information may be unavailable to the conscious mind; it can nonetheless be used in understanding new stimuli and decision making.

Freud’s hypotheses about the association between emotional experiences and behavior have also been verified by studies like the one conducted by MacKinnon (1938) which shows that the experience of guilt and the act of cheating are inversely correlated.Are there any studies on the validity of the theory? What do they show about it? A number of studies have attempted to verify the validity of Psychodynamic constructs. Westen (1998 in Hersen & Thomas, 2006) has found through a review of literature that studies have found evidence for the presence and effect of a number of constructs that originally came from Freud’s work.

Many of these studies are conducted outside the domain of psychodynamic work; but nevertheless provide evidence for psychodynamic constructs. These studies show that empirical evidence exists for the influence of unconscious processes, the child-hood based development of personality, how we mentally represent ourselves and others, for social behaviors and dispositions the effect of conflict.What does the test say about the theory’s validity? Although it is difficult to determine the validity of the entire psychodynamic theory from such analysis; the study by Westen (1998 in Hersen & Thomas, 2006) does provide evidence for some of the component parts of the theory.

It may be accepted on the basis of these and other findings that a number of the basic principles that make up the psychodynamic theory do exist, and are important in the development of human personality. These principles may be accepted as valid.Is this theory robust? The psychodynamic theory has been used as a basis for the development of therapeutic procedures that have been found to help individuals resolve conflicts and lead healthier lives. But in itself, a large part of the theory is un-testable; and thus, its robustness is difficult to verify in an empirical manner (Approaches to Psychology, 2009).

Does it account for all aspects of personality? The psychodynamic theory does provide a comprehensive description and explanation of the development of human personality, and of the perversions that may occur in the process. It provides a lifetime view of personality development, and thus allows for the combination of factors towards explaining personality and personality disorders (Hersen & Thomas, 2006). Thus, it may be possible to say that although the theory has a rather deterministic and reductionist approach; it does provide a description of most aspects of personality.

Can you think of aspects it does not account for? The theory does not allow for the effect of genetics and bio-chemistry in explaining behavior of the individual. It does not address how hormones affect observed personality, and does not account for hereditary in the development of personality (Approaches to Psychology, 2009).Does this theory lend itself to being applied and how? The Psychodynamic theory was developed as an attempt to understand and consequently provide relief from disorders.

Thus, it has been applied to a number of therapeutic interventions. The theory has been used in the development of the Case study method including tools like the in-depth interview, use of projective techniques, etc. this method was first used by Freud himself, and was later refined by others like Adler and Jung(Approaches to Psychology, 2009). The purpose of the case study is to understand the development of the individual, and the associated issues so that these issues may be addressed through the use of various techniques and resolved in an appropriate manner.

Another application also developed by Freud is that of Dream Analysis (Approaches to Psychology, 2009). Dreams are seem as clues to repressed information, and thus used to gain information that can help in assessment and resolution of issues. Free Association is another application that has been developed by Freud to gain knowledge of an individual’s unconscious drives (Approaches to Psychology, 2009).