Chapter 3: Neoanalytical Approaches

        Neo-Analytic Approach looks to personality psychology that is concerned with the individual’s sense of self ego as the core of personality. Generally under this approach a person does not have free will to make choices and their destiny is set. Most of the Theorists were founded in Freud’s Psycho-Analytic Society; however these Theorists broke away from this approach to create the Neo-Analytic Approach. All of the neo-analytical theories extend from Freud, but differ from the orthodox psychoanalysis theory. One of the main philosophical differences between neo- analytical writers is based upon what type of thinker they are, objective, positivist, relativist, or constructivist. Although there are multiple neo-analytics all of the theoretical variables that relate to psychoanalytic theory. Popular neoanalytics include Anna Freud, Heitz Kohut, J.R Greenburg and Mitchell, Melanie Klein and Carl Jung. 

       Ego psychology: (Anna Freud) is a school of psychoanalysis rooted in Sigmund Freud's structural id-ego-superego model. An individual interacts with the external world as well as responds to internal forces. 

       Object relations: (Melanie Klein) describes how experiences affects unconscious predictions of others' social behaviors, with repeated experiences of the care taking environment forming internalized images, which usually depict one's mother, father, or primary caregiver, and later experiences only somewhat reshaping these early images.

       Relational Psychoanalysis: (Sullivan and Franzecki) The association is a professional and intellectual community of clinicians and non-clinicians (such as academics) who are committed to developing relational perspectives and exploring similarities and differences with other approaches to psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.

      Self- psychology: Heitz Kohut) recognizes the critical role of empathy in explaining human development and psychoanalytic change. Kohut and followers have transformed the practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy by deepening the therapist's empathic atonement to the patient. 

      Video: Object Relations Family Session

      This video looks at the relationship between the daughter and her two parents. The Daughter likes to sit between her two parents because it makes her feel closer to her parents, especially after her brother committed suicide. Her brother was 4 years younger than her and he died 10 years ago, so this has resulted in some faulty early development for the daughter. The daughter seemed to be making good connections with the therapists. Melanie Klein talks about how parent/ infant relationships are important and primary so by talking through this tough situation perhaps it will help restore healthy object relations and a more solid sense of self.