What you’ll learn to do: describe the key concepts and treatment methods connected to the understanding of mental illness from psychodynamic and humanistic approaches

Figure 1. Sigmund Freud’s famous couch. Freud is the founder of the psychodynamic theory; while many of his ideas are now considered inaccurate, his approach to treatment and psychotherapy continues to have a profound effect on treatment today.

You have learned about biomedical approaches and treatments for mental illness. Now, we will turn our attention to psychodynamic and humanistic approaches. These perspectives look inward at psychological, rather than biological, causes for mental illness.