ABSTRACT
The psychodynamic approach has its origins in the work of Sigmund Freud and makes use of the important assumption of psychological determinism, the doctrine that all psychological events have a cause. Freud developed a model of the mind that employed three general systems, the id, the ego, and the superego. Psychosexual development takes place as the focus of the libido moves from the mouth to the anus and then to the genitals. The resolution of the male Oedipus complex and the female Electra complex, leading to identification with the same-sex parent, to conclude the genital stage is particularly important. The central terms of psychoanalytic theory are ambiguous and processes tend to be defined in terms of metaphors and analogies. The theory can encompass the complexity of human personality in descriptive terms but cannot predict what will happen in any defined set of circumstances.
