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Psychology vocabulary · Therapy and Counselling

Psychodynamic therapy

Meaning in psychology, with examples

nounCommon term

In psychology, psychodynamic therapy means: A form of talking therapy, developed from psychoanalysis, that explores how unconscious feelings, early relationships and repeated patterns shape a person's present difficulties.

In Turkish: psikodinamik terapi, psikodinamik psikoterapi

How it is used

Usually less structured than CBT, with close attention to the therapy relationship, including transference. It can be short-term or long-term. Practitioners talk about insight, defences and working through.

Example sentences

  1. In psychodynamic therapy, we noticed that she expected me to criticise her, just as her father had.

  2. The trial compared CBT with short-term psychodynamic therapy for depression.

Common collocations

  • short-term psychodynamic therapy
  • psychodynamic approach
  • psychodynamic formulation
  • unconsciousIn psychodynamic theory, the part of the mind holding thoughts, memories and wishes that we are not aware of but that still influence our feelings and behaviour.
  • defence mechanismIn psychodynamic theory, an unconscious mental strategy that protects a person from anxiety or painful feelings, such as denial, projection or repression.
  • psychotherapyTreatment of psychological problems through a structured, confidential relationship with a trained professional, mainly using conversation rather than medication.
  • attachmentThe deep emotional bond between a child and a caregiver, and the pattern of relating to others that grows from it and can continue into adulthood.

More terms: Therapy and Counselling

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