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The psychodynamic perspective includes all the theories in psychology that see human functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, particularly unconscious between the different structures of the personality. Freud’s psychoanalysis was the original psychodynamic theory, but the psychodynamic approach as a whole includes all theories that were based on his ideas, e.g. Jung (1964), Adler (1927) and Erikson (1950).
The words ‘psychodynamic’ and ‘psychoanalytic’ are often confused. Remember that Freud’s theories were psychoanalytic, whereas the term ‘psychodynamic’ refers to both his theories and those of his followers. Freud’s psychoanalysis is both a theory and a therapy.
Sigmund Freud (writing between the 1890s and the 1930s) developed a collection of theories which have formed the basis of the psychodynamic approach to psychology. His theories are clinically derived - i.e. based on what his patients told him during therapy.

Psychodynamic therapy (or Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy as it is sometimes called) is a general name for therapeutic approaches which supports a person who is experiencing emotional problems to clarify, understand and work on their feelings and experiences so that they can move towards a realization of alternative ways of acting.

Psychodynamic approaches within educational contexts have developed from early 20th century theories of psychoanalysis based on the work of Sigmund Freud, particularly on his analysis of the unconscious mind. Therapeutic interventions focus on uncovering unconscious forces that mold personality, influence attitudes and produce emotional disorder. Central to this analysis is that a person’s present emotional and behavioural difficulties stem from unresolved conflicts dating back to early childhood. Psychodynamic approaches stress the importance of early childhood attachments (see Glossary Item: Attachment) and of the need for a...