Psychodynamic theory and Cognitive Psychology

[toby jones]

I finally managed to wade my way through 'Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self: The Neurobology of Emotional Development'.

Do we have any cognitive psychologists posting here? (I don't mean cognitive therapists, I mean cognitive psychologists).

What I'm wondering is...

How do you reconcile psychodynamic structures / processes with cognitive psychological structures / processes?

Sometimes we can do a little bit of a hierarchy like this:

Biology
Chemistry
Physics

Where (so to speak) once God fixed the facts of physics the facts of chemistry and biology were fixed for free. It wasn't that on day one he fixed the facts of physics and on day two he fixed the facts of chemistry etc.

Is pychodynamic theory at the same level as cognitive psychology (hence they could be genuine rivals) or is it higher level (where the facts of psychodynamic theory are fixed by the facts at the cognitive psychological level)? Of course cognitive psychology is far from complete, but I hope you get the notion that I'm gesturing towards some idealised 'final science' when it is complete.

I found this a while back:

http://arts.adelaide.edu.au/humanit...s/Dispensing_with_the_Dynamic_Unconscious.pdf

I agree with the authors conclusion that cognitive psychology HAS NOT vindicated the dynamic unconscious. Then the issue becomes 'how crucial is the dynamic unconscious for psychodynamic theory'? Because maybe psychodynamic theory could simply dispense with it too...

I'd be interested in peoples thoughts.

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[zenman]

Maybe you're thinking too much

 

[toby jones]

Maybe.

I thought i posted this message on a different board lol.

 

[50960]

Oh the days of undergrad.....spanking of the cognitve monkey comes to mind...

 

[zenman]

Oh the days of undergrad.....spanking of the cognitve monkey comes to mind...

Cum to think of it...you do think or fantasize while spanking that monkey!

 

[toby jones]

I meant to post this to the clinical/PhD board because Megan told me to go read Schore and now I've done just that and wanted to chat about it...

I'm a little surprised that people here don't like to think...

But remembering back to undergraduate psychology...

I'm not all that surprised really.

Sigh.

 

[50960]

It is just that we work all day dealing with real world people with big real-world problems and use our brains to try and treat them. You post is legit and someone may want to engage you if you post it in a place where psychologists, particularly academics can respond.

 

[toby jones]

> someone may want to engage you if you post it in a place where psychologists, particularly academics can respond.[/quote]

To repeat:

> I meant to post this to the clinical/PhD board

Can I move my post or do I need to formerly request that a moderator do that?

 

[50960]

Just repost your ? there....but they are all still students. This is not an academic think tank by any means...

 

[toby jones]

thanks, i will repost. i wasn't sure whether a repost would be considered 'spamming the boards'.

> they are all still students.

thats okay, i'm a student too. i didn't think that JUST students were posting... but i've had some good theoretical discussion / debate over there already. this was kind of continuing on past themes really.

thanks.