Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
[The structural dynamic approach: its psychopathologic origin and application to considerations of personality]
1Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Heidelberg, 69115 Heidelberg. birgit.woelk@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Abstract:
Concepts based on brain structure and function with a tendency towards elimination of the subject have assumed a position of central importance in modern psychiatry. With respect to structural dynamics, the primary role in relating to others is played by each person's internal world. Psychic structure is a precondition of our intentions and personal identity. In psychopathology the three basic functions autopractice, desactualisation, and activation had been differentiated as contributing to the psyche as a whole. Their application is expanded to an anthropological conceptualisation.
Related Concept Videos
Psychodynamic Perspectives on Personality
Psychodynamic theorists argue that unconscious...
Psychodynamic Therapy
Structuralism
Titchener's approach to structuralism was unique. He employed introspection, a method...
Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorder
Biological approach
The biological approach posits that internal, organic factors are the primary causes of such disorders. This perspective emphasizes brain structure and function, genetic predispositions, and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, schizophrenia has been associated with both genetic...
Introduction to Personality Psychology
Early Theories of Personality
The study of personality dates...
Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory
Freud's concept of psychic determinism asserts that...
