A psychodynamic exploration of the origins, development and completion of an artwork
Authors
O’Brien, Shane
Issue Date
2018
Degree
Higher Diploma in Arts in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
One of the fundamental building blocks of psychodynamic psychology is the idea that deep down in our psyche we harbour uncomfortable and repulsive unconscious desires which originate in childhood. However, the majority of humankind does not act on these wishes and instead acts in ways that are not only socially acceptable but which are frequently constructive and aesthetically pleasing. These primeval urges have their origins in early childhood according to thinkers like Melanie Klein (1929) and Sigmund Freud (1923) amongst others. According to such psychodynamic theorists, the frustrations originating in childhood never completely subside. However, in the reconciliation of these dissatisfactions, the resulting energy can be transformed into the undertaking of creative endeavours. Though we are ultimately fated not to get what we want in early childhood, these desires may find a substitute in various creative modes of jouissance