Psychoanalytic Theory Applications

Psychoanalytic ideas have been applied in many fields of study. For example,
psychoanalytic theories about loss and mourning have been used to help inner-
city children cope with their reactions to losses in mourning groups. Psychoanalytic
ideas about power and helplessness have been used in schools to
decrease violence by changing the atmosphere in which bullies can thrive.
Psychoanalytic ideas led to the concept of social and emotional learning
whereby educators have demonstrated that intelligence is not just based on
the ability to think but includes emotions and social abilities. Psychoanalytic
ideas have been used in the study of literature to understand characters such
as Hamlet or Othello. They have been used in the study of culture to understand
terrorists and the societies that support them. Psychoanalysts apply
psychoanalytic theories in the help they offer to day-care centers, businesses,
diplomats, police officers, firefighters, rabbis, priests, and others.

Sources for Further Study
Brenner, Charles. An Elementary Textbook of Psychoanalysis. Rev. ed. Garden
City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1974. This book introduces interested readers to
the fundamentals of psychoanalysis, explaining core psychoanalytic concepts
in clear language. Although originally written in 1955 (so it does
not deal with some modern developments), it remains a good resource
for understanding the basics from the point of view of ego psychology.
Gabbard Glenn. Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice. 3d ed. Washington,
D.C.: American Psychiatric Press, 2000. A textbook that approaches
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (rev. 4th ed., 2000)
from a psychoanalytic point of view. It includes an introductory section
describing psychodynamic principles and sections describing Axis I and
Axis II disorders from a psychodynamic perspective.
Gay, Peter. Freud: A Life for Our Times. New York:W.W. Norton, 1988. This is a
biography of Sigmund Freud, written by his physician. It describes the
history of psychoanalysis during Freud’s lifetime.
Vaughan, Susan. The Talking Cure: The Science Behind Psychotherapy. New York:
Henry Holt, 1998. This book is written for people who may want to visit a
psychoanalyst or who want to learn about models of mind and brain that
integrate psychoanalytic theories with other scientific theories. It includes
several descriptions of what happens when patients visit psychoanalysts.
Wallerstein, R. S. The Talking Cures: The Psychoanalyses and the Psychotherapies.
New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1995. This book provides a
comprehensive history of psychoanalytic thought, including a detailed
view of trends and developments in psychoanalysis from the 1940’s onward.
It describes conflicting and compatible psychoanalytic theories and
the debate about the dividing line between psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.
Judith M. Chertoff
See also: Analytic Psychology: Jacques Lacan; Analytical Psychology: Carl
Jung; Analytical Psychotherapy; Ego Psychology: Erik Erikson; Individual
Psychology: Alfred Adler; Personality Theory; Psychoanalytic Psychology;
Psychoanalytic Psychology and Personality: Sigmund Freud; Social Psychological
Models: Erich Fromm; Social Psychological Models: Karen Horney;
Women’s Psychology: Sigmund Freud. 647