Criticisms of Psychodynamic Theory
Although Sigmund Freud is hailed as the father of psychodynamic theory—and has since paved the way for other theorists to formulate different strains—his original theory is not without criticisms. Many argue that this theory is (a) sexist; (b) deterministic; (c) not sensitive to diversity; and (d) lacking in scientific evidence. Because of these criticisms, his theory is still very controversial.
Often, controversial topics lead to heated debates. As a scholar-practitioner, you will inevitably enter provocative debates and will need to engage with objectivity. What this means is that you enter the discourse using research evidence rather than personal opinion.
In this Discussion, you practice objectivity while examining the criticisms levied against Freud’s psychodynamic theory.
To prepare
- Review the Walden Writing Center web pages listed in the Learning Resources.
- Review the additional Required Resources from your Learning Resources this week, and cite at least one additional resource in your posts.
Post a response to the following:
- Briefly explain reasons psychodynamic theory continues to influence practice.
- Identify any strengths of this theory.
- Take a position on one of the criticisms of Freud’s theory, and start by writing a thesis statement.
- Expand on your position using literature to support your claims.
- In 1–2 sentences, evaluate your thesis statement using the guidelines from the “Writing a Paper: Thesis Statement†web page.
- In 3–4 sentences, evaluate the degree to which your argument contains bias by using the guidelines from the “Scholarly Voice: Avoiding Bias†web page.
