That Was Then, This is Now: An Introduction to Contemporary Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (Part 7)

Part 7 of 7: Psychological causation, concluding comments

Index

This work is in seven parts. Here are links to each section.

Part 1: Roots of misunderstanding
Part 2: Unconscious mental life
Part 3: The mind in conflict
Part 4: The past lives on in the present
Part 5: Transference
Part 6: Defense
Part 7: Psychological causation ◀

Psychological Causation

Psychological symptoms often seem senseless. They serve no apparent purpose and often feel alien to the person suffering from them. Many depressed patients have told me that feelings of despair and sadness come on “out of the blue.” Feelings of anxiety or even panic can also come on unpredictably. In fact, the DSM diagnostic criteria for panic disorder specify that the panic attacks come on “unexpectedly,” that is, with no apparent cause.