Altruism is an important value across different cultures and religions. It’s socially desirable to be selfless. It’s seen as noble to show support, concern, and generosity toward others – without expecting a personal benefit. But how altruistic is altruism? And can it be selfish? Anna Freud (yes, the daughter of…
What should we do when we feel angry? Should we act it out by hitting a pillow? Distract ourselves? Repress it? This has been a big question in parenting, in psychotherapy, and even in pop culture.You may have heard of this study where people were encouraged to punch a punching…
Mark Solms and Neuropsychoanalysis At a first glance, neuroscience and psychoanalysis seem to be an odd pair — just not if you ask Mark Solms, who is a neuroscientist and psychoanalyst. He might argue that the combination of the two, which called Neuropsychoanalysis, can help answer age old questions, such…
Are you a beginning psychodynamic practitioner looking for books to read? Welcome to your new home on the internet. I’m Alina, a German psychoanalyst in training and I love psychodynamic literature. So let me help you finding your next favourite read. In this podcast episode I reflect on four books…
If you’ve ever tried to understand Melanie Klein’s theories, you likely felt overwhelmed by the onslaught of terms such as: the paranoid-schizoid position, depressive position, the good and bad breast, splitting, annihilation anxiety, life and death instinct… 😵💫 She didn’t make it easy to understand her theory. But that’s a…
Who’s afraid of Melanie Klein? Well, hopefully not you after this episode. We talk about Melanie Klein’s ideas surrounding the life and death instinct, the paranoid-schizoid position, and depressive position. This is the audio version from the YouTube video, which I recommend watching for helpful graphics here: https://youtu.be/DnT8o1DF0VE 💌 Melanie…
A Case For Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms are our inbuilt anxiety management system. Denial, projection, repression, intellectualization, shield us from anxiety and protect our self-esteem. Imagine your most embarrassing memories were playing in our head 24/7. Imagine you were constantly aware of the fact that everyone you love is going…
How do our early experiences shape our perception, behaviour, and emotions? What is the link between our early relationships and relationships later in life? How does the way our parents treated us impact how we treat ourselves and others later on? These were the questions object relations theorists tried to…
This article gives you a simple introdution to psychodynamic theory and therapy. Learn about the six basic assumptions of the psychodynamic approach and the six important psychodynamic treatment features. Use the table of contents to get exactly the information you’re looking for ⤵️ Terminology Before we diving into the common…
When Alfred Adler Broke With Sigmund Freud Alfred Adler (1870-1937) was next to Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung one of the three great psychodynamic thinkers of the last century. He was Sigmund Freud’s prodigy and supposed to be the heir of his psychoanalytic tradition that would then continue and…