Sigmund Freud’s

PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY
 SIGMUND FREUD
- Austrian neurologist and the founder of
psychoanalysis
- Freud may justly be called the most influential
intellectual legislator of his age

Freud’s Works
- Psychoanalytic theory
- Studien über Hysterie (Studies in Hysteria)
- The Interpretation of Dreams
- Zur Psychopathologie des Alltagslebens (The
Psychopathology of Everyday Life)
- Der Witz und seine Beziehung zum Unbewussten (Jokes
and Their Relation to the Unconscious)
LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

The unconscious id contains our most primitive drives

or urges, and is present from birth.

Freud believed that the id operates on what he called

the “pleasure principle”

The superego develops as a child interacts with others,

learning the social rules for right and wrong.

The superego acts as our conscience

the ego is the rational part of our personality

It’s what Freud considered to be the self and called it

called the “reality principle”

Its job is to balance the demands of the id and superego

in the context of reality
Situational Example:

You are a newly hired Principal I of a small school, then you have
noticed that the school winnings is commendable (though it is small).
A teacher told you that, the problem is budget and their previous
school head did not want to use the PTA Fund for the activities
wherein the school excels, and the fund must be allocated to
additional perimeter fence of the school. In addition, the teacher
tells you that the fund is currently on-hand with her.

Tell me the first thing that comes up in to your mind,

Were your thought changes? In what reason?

Does it change again, after realizing something?

Freudian Psychodynamic Theory

an approach to understanding human behaviour that focuses on

the role of unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories

certain aspects of your personality are more primal and might

pressure you to act upon your most basic urges. Other parts of
your personality work to counteract these urges and strive to
make you conform to the demands of reality.

explains personality in terms of unconscious psychological

processes (for example, wishes and fears of which we’re not
fully aware), and contends that childhood experiences are
crucial in shaping adult personality
FREUDIAN PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY

Core Assumptions of the Psychodynamic Perspective

Assumption 1:Primacy of the Unconscious

Psychodynamic theorists contend that the

majority of psychological processes take
place outside conscious awareness. In
psychoanalytic terms, the activities of the
mind (or psyche) are presumed to be largely
unconscious. Research confirms this basic
premise of psychoanalysis: Many of our
mental activities—memories, motives,
feelings, and the like—are largely
inaccessible to consciousness (Bargh &
Morsella, 2008; Bornstein, 2010; Wilson,
2009).
FREUDIAN PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY

Core Assumptions of the Psychodynamic Perspective

Assumption 2: Critical Importance of Early Experiences

Psychodynamic theory is not alone in

positing that early childhood events play a
role in shaping personality, but the theory is
unique in the degree to which it emphasizes
these events as determinants of personality
development and dynamics. According to
the psychodynamic model, early experiences
—including those occurring during the first
weeks or months of life—set in motion
personality processes that affect us years,
even decades, later (Blatt & Levy, 2003;
McWilliams, 2009).
 FREUDIAN PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY

Core Assumptions of the Psychodynamic Perspective

Assumption 3: Psychic Causality

The third core assumption of psychodynamic theory

is that nothing in mental life happens by chance—
that there is no such thing as a random thought,
feeling, motive, or behavior. This has come to be
known as the principle of psychic causality, and
though few psychologists accept the principle of
psychic causality precisely as psychoanalysts
conceive it, most theorists and researchers agree that
thoughts, motives, emotional responses, and
expressed behaviors do not arise randomly, but
always stem from some combination of identifiable
biological and psychological processes (Elliott, 2002;
Robinson & Gordon, 2011).
 FREUDIAN PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY

Core Assumptions of the Psychodynamic Perspective

Assumption 3: Psychic Causality

The third core assumption of psychodynamic theory

is that nothing in mental life happens by chance—
that there is no such thing as a random thought,
feeling, motive, or behavior. This has come to be
known as the principle of psychic causality, and
though few psychologists accept the principle of
psychic causality precisely as psychoanalysts
conceive it, most theorists and researchers agree that
thoughts, motives, emotional responses, and
expressed behaviors do not arise randomly, but
always stem from some combination of identifiable
biological and psychological processes (Elliott, 2002;
Robinson & Gordon, 2011).
FREUDIAN PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY

Psychosexual Development Stages

 How can I apply
Psychodynamic theory
to management?
PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH AND ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT

1. Focus on the inner theatre

One of the core concepts of the psychodynamic paradigm is the “inner theatre” (McDougall, 1985).
It is the stage filled with people who have influenced, for better or worse, our experiences in life.
Early experiences with key individuals (such as early caregivers) contribute to the creation of
response patterns that have a tendency to repeat themselves in other contexts, with different people.

Replete with superior and subordinate relationships, we act out these themes onto others and, based on
those wishes, rightly or wrongly anticipate how others will react to us; then we react to their perceived
reactions, and not to their actual reactions
PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH AND ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT

2. Focus on the Leader-Follower Relationships

A study of leader-follower relationships necessarily addresses the psychology of groups. The

psychiatrist Wilfred Bion (1959) identified three basic assumptions in groups—dependency, fight-
flight, and pairing—that may result in pathological regressive processes, deflecting people from the
principal tasks to be performed.

In groups subject to the fight-flight assumption, there is a tendency to split the world into camps of
friend or foe

Pairing up with a person or sub-group perceived as powerful will help a person cope with anxiety,
alienation, and loneliness
PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH AND ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT

2. Focus on the Leader-Follower Relationships

Social defense mechanisms - When organization anxieties are not properly managed, people may act out and
engage in regressive social defenses to transform and neutralize strong tensions

Mirroring and idealizing - mirroring dynamic between leader and follower can become collusive.
Followers are eager to use their leaders to reflect what they would like to see. Leaders, on the other
hand, find the affirmation of followers hard to resist.

Identification with the aggressor - To overcome the anxiety prompted by a leader’s aggressive
behavior, some followers may resort to the defensive process known as “identification with the
aggressor.”
PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH AND ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT

3. Focus on the Shadow Side of Leadership

Narcissism - behaviors that range from a normal self-interest to a pathological self-absorption—offers leaders the
conviction about the righteousness of their cause, which in turn inspires loyalty and group identification

Constructive, or healthy narcissists have been fortunate enough to have caretakers who provided a
supportive environment that led to basic trust and to a sense of control over one’s actions.
 TO SUM UP
The psychodynamic approach provides another lens to the study
of organizational dynamics beyond a purely rational, structural
approach. Specifically, it addresses the undercurrents of
organizational life through issues such as interpersonal
communication, group processes, social defenses and
organization-wide neurosis

a relatively mild personality disorder typified by

excessive anxiety or indecision and a degree of social or
interpersonal maladjustment.
PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY OF PERSONALITY

Some Programs that may enhanced by the psychodynamic appraoch

peer group coaching methodology

consciousness raising
career trajectory
PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY OF PERSONALITY

Let’s think about it!!!

Robert wondered why he was always so stressed out when he was dealing with Lucas,the latest addition to his team. On the face of it, the new hire seemed
very agreeable and supportive, but whatever interactionshe had had with him left him wondering about his true intentions. Lucas made lots of promises but
never really seemed to deliver on them. What troubled him especially was that Lucas didn’t respect deadlines. Whenever he pointed this out, Lucas always had
a good excuse: the instructions hadn’t been clear, perhaps, or he had misunderstood, or that he had been relying on someone else for some key task and that
person hadn’t come through. To make matters even worse (according to some colleagues), Lucas also had the habit of constantly complaining about Robert
behind his back. It is not difficult to ascertain that Lucas’s behavior is passive-aggressive: continuously expressing negative feelings, resentment, and
aggression in an unassertive, passive manner. All the while, people like Lucas show all the signs of agreeable compliance, which makes them difficult to pin
down and hold to account. As a coach, what can you do to help Robert and Lucas work more effectively together ?

Questions
1. Should Robert confront Lucas directly?
2. What can the coach do to get Lucas to express his negative feelings openly?
3. What subjects or issues should be explored with Lucas?
4. What exercises can Lucas do to practice direct confrontation with Robert?
5. What can Robert do to improve his relationship with Lucas?