psychodynamic

[ sahy-koh-dahy-nam-ik ]

adjective

1. Psychology. of or relating to any clinical approach to personality, as Freud’s, that sees personality and behavior as the result of the ongoing, shifting interplay of conscious and unconscious emotional and motivational forces:

   By identifying the unconscious drives and forgotten experiences that influence decisions, psychodynamic therapy can be helpful in choosing new positive behaviors and leaving self-destructive ones behind.

Other Words From

• psy·cho·dy·nam·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychodynamic¹

psycho- ( def ) + dynamic ( def )

Example Sentences

“It means investing in a story with something that you deeply believe in. That could be political and that could be cultural or that could be psychodynamic. That is what has always motivated me, even in the midst of big horse operas and historical epics. It’s about moral dilemmas, or that recognition of what heroism is. There are themes that I think unite some of my work, at least, and that would be the takeaway I’d hope for here.”

From Los Angeles Times

Bender got into the field — in addition to psychiatry, he trained in psychodynamic therapy, a form of in-depth talk therapy — in part because he was the teenager whom friends confided in, and he never forgot how life can feel out of control when you are an adolescent.

From New York Times

Over time, formal psychoanalysis has largely given way to less-libido-focused talk therapies, including psychodynamic therapy, a shorter-term practice that also focuses on habits and defenses developed earlier in life, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps people learn to replace negative thought patterns with more positive ones.

From New York Times

“Cognitive-behavioral therapy has a small to medium advantage over psychodynamic therapy,” he says.

From New York Times

Jonathan Shedler, a psychodynamic psychologist and vocal critic of the research on therapy, believes that the field, in its narrow focus on reducing symptoms, fails to capture other ways patients benefit from psychodynamic therapy.

From New York Times