PSYCH 060: Other Psychodynamic Schools

Clinical Deep Dives · Jul 14, 2026 · 54m

This chapter explores the evolution of psychodynamic thought beyond classical psychoanalysis, highlighting a range of schools that expand, refine, and sometimes challenge Freud’s original ideas.

These approaches share a common foundation - the importance of unconscious processes, early relationships, and internal conflict - but diverge in how they conceptualise the structure and dynamics of the mind.

Object relations theory shifts focus from drives to relationships, emphasising how internalised representations of others shape emotional life. Self psychology highlights the development of the…