psychodynamic

American  

[sahy-koh-dahy-nam-ik] / ˌsaɪ koʊ daɪˈnæm ɪk /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• psychodynamically adverb

Etymology

Origin of psychodynamic

psycho- ( def. ) + dynamic ( def. )

Example Sentences

Hughes also practices somatic experiencing, a psychodynamic modality helping people tap into their bodily sensations as a way of processing emotions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026

As stuck as ever, I gradually transform my pep talk into a kind of psychodynamic session with the self through which I discern the shape of my blockage.

From New York Times • Jul. 12, 2022

At the very least, these findings complicate Scull’s critique of psychodynamic thought.

From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2022

“There are as many kinds of therapists as there are people,” said Allora Tvedt, a relational psychodynamic therapist in Seattle.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 14, 2021

This identity disturbance, which is at the psychodynamic root of both pathological narcissism and rapacious psychopathy, is all-pervasive.

From Moral Deliberations in Modern Cinema by Vaknin, Samuel