School of thought

A broad category of psychological theories emphasizing unconscious processes and early life experiences.

Founders: Sigmund Freud

Psychodynamic Psychology

Key principles

  • Unconscious mental processes
  • Defense mechanisms
  • Transference phenomena
  • Early childhood influence
  • Dynamic interaction of psychic forces

Theories in this school

Individual Psychology · Attachment theory · Ego Psychology · Frommian Psychology · Karen Horney's Theory of Neurosis · Analytical Psychology · Interpersonal Psychiatry

Psychologists connected (authors and contributors)

Alfred Adler · Mary Ainsworth · Kim Bartholomew · John Bowlby · Rudolf Dreikurs · Erik Erikson · Erich Fromm · Cindy Hazan · Karen Horney · Carl Jung · Phillip Shaver · Harry Stack Sullivan