Épisodes

  • Anna Freud: Altruism as a Defense
    Jul 16 2025

    Anna Freud explores how altruism can be used to fend off anxiety (and fulfil "forbidden" wishes), with her interesting exploration of Altruism as a Defense.


    💌 Psychodynamic Newsletter → https://psychodynamicpsychology.com/newsletter


    📖 Books mentioned (Amazon affiliate link)

    The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense: https://amzn.to/467LwH9

    TIMESTAMPS

    00:00 Introduction

    01:16 Anna Freud

    02:27 Defense Mechanisms

    03:30 Altruism (as a Defense)

    05:02 Why People Use Altruism as a Defense

    06:45 How Altruism as a Defense Works

    08:45 Consequences

    10:15 (Superficial) Examples + Variations

    14:33 My Takeaway


    EQUIPMENT (affiliate links)

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    DISCLAIMER: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. This description contains affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost for you if you decide to purchase an item or sign up for a free trial.

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    15 min
  • Anna Freud: Identification with the Aggressor
    Jun 25 2025

    This is an introduction to Anna Freud's concept of the Identification with the Aggressor (from her book The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence).

    For more book recommendations and deep-dives into psychodynamic theory join my newsletter 💌 → https://psychodynamicpsychology.com/newsletterCORRECTION at 08:25: the term Anna Freud uses is not "acting out (=Ausagieren) aggression" but "abreaction (=Abreagieren) in the transference" in psychotherapy! I made a mistake.📖 Resources mentioned (Amazon affiliate link)Link to study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255419693_Does_Venting_Anger_Feed_or_Extinguish_the_Flame_Catharsis_Rumination_Distraction_Anger_and_Aggressive_RespondingThe Ego and Mechanisms of Defense: https://amzn.to/4lhgctETIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction03:06 What is Identification with the Aggressor?05:41 "Prophylactic" Aggression06:55 Helpful vs. Unhelpful08:57 Back to the Study...I'm Alina, a German psychoanalyst in training. I share what I read and learn online to make psychodynamic theory more accessible.DISCLAIMER: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. This description contains affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost for you if you decide to purchase an item or sign up for a free trial.

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    12 min
  • How to Read Karen Horney
    May 27 2025

    👀 Curious about Karen Horney? My workshop is your shortcut to understand her core ideas (distilled from 2,000+ pages of her writing) including basic anxiety, neurotic trends, idealized self, tyranny of the shoulds, and more… in 150 minutes: https://karen-horney.teachery.co/checkout


    📖 Books mentioned (Amazon affiliate links)

    Book #1: https://amzn.to/3XOMuSO

    Book #2: https://amzn.to/470yo55

    Book #3: https://amzn.to/4cne9Qc


    I'm Alina, a German psychoanalyst in training. On this channel, I introduce you to psychodynamic theory and help you find your next favourite book ;)


    💌 Psychodynamic Library + Newsletter → https://psychodynamicpsychology.com/newsletter🤳

    Instagram: Casual updates → https://instagram.com/psychodynamicpsychology


    TIMESTAMPS

    00:00 Intro

    00:39 My Karen Horney Workshop

    01:14 Book #1

    04:36 Book #2

    06:42 Book #3


    EQUIPMENT(affiliate links)

    Camera: https://amzn.to/40o7jah

    Lens: https://amzn.to/420Igvb

    Microphone: https://amzn.to/4fQQ0TN

    Music: https://share.epidemicsound.com/un7jc6


    DISCLAIMER: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. This description contains affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost for you if you decide to purchase an item or sign up for a free trial.

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    10 min
  • Screen Hunger, Eternal Dilettante, Narcissism of Minor Differences | Salman Akhtar's Dictionary
    Mar 14 2025

    Psychoanalysis is full of weird ideas, some are weird in a good way and some... well... see for yourself. In this video I take you along as I browse through Salman Akhtar's masterpiece the "Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychoanalysis" and *ramble* through how I discover and study three random new concepts as a psychoanalyst in training.


    💌 Psychodynamic Library + Newsletter → https://psychodynamicpsychology.com


    📖 Books mentioned (Amazon affiliate link)

    Salman Akhtar: Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychoanalysis → https://amzn.to/3FshnH3

    Otto Fenichel: The Economic Function of Screen Memories (1927)

    Kata Levy: The Eternal Dilettante (1948)

    Sigmund Freud: The Taboo of Virginity (1918)


    🤳 Instagram: Casual updates → https://instagram.com/psychodynamicpsychology


    Timestamps

    00:00 Introduction

    01:41 Screen Hunger - Otto Fenichel

    09:11 Eternal Dilettante - Kata Levy

    14:43 Narcissism of Minor Differences - Sigmund Freud


    Equipement I use (affiliate links)

    Camera: https://amzn.to/40o7jah

    Lens: https://amzn.to/420Igvb

    Microphone: https://amzn.to/4fQQ0TN

    Music: https://share.epidemicsound.com/un7jc6


    DISCLAIMER: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. This description contains affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost for you if you decide to purchase an item or sign up for a free trial.

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    19 min
  • Psychoanalytic Diagnosis (and Why It Matters) | Nancy McWilliams
    Jan 20 2025

    If I could only recommend one book to every psychodynamic psychotherapist (in training), this would be it: Psychoanalytic Diagnosis - Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process by Nancy McWilliams. It’s a masterpiece that you shouldn’t miss in your own library to improve your clinical knowledge and practice.


    📖 Get the book (Amazon affiliate link) → https://amzn.to/4hkDwF3


    🎥 Videos mentioned Defense Mechanisms: https://youtu.be/tiQRJh0HL4E Dwight Schrute: https://youtu.be/Xjbzbe0ubqU


    💌 Psychodynamic Library + Newsletter → https://psychodynamicpsychology.com/newsletter


    🤳 INSTAGRAM: Casual updates → https://instagram.com/psychodynamicpsychology


    TIMESTAMPS 00:00 My favourite psychodynamic book 00:51 Why (psychoanalytic) diagnosis matters 04:22 Content of the book 09:19 Personality types aka my favourite part 11:40 Limits


    EQUIPMENT (affiliate links):

    Camera: https://amzn.to/40o7jah

    Lens: https://amzn.to/420Igvb

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    Music: https://share.epidemicsound.com/un7jc6


    DISCLAIMER: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. This description contains affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost for you if you decide to purchase an item or sign up for a free trial.

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    15 min
  • What I Read in December 2024 (as a Psychoanalyst in Training): Karen Horney, Thomas Ogden, and more
    Jan 1 2025

    In this ongoing series of “What I Read” I hope to help you find interesting new books to discover (and at least sometimes understand) the great minds and ideas of psychoanalysis. Here is what I read in December 2024 as a psychoanalyst in training. 💌 NEWSLETTER: Get my Psychodynamic Library → https://psychodynamicpsychology.com/newsletter 🤳 INSTAGRAM: Casual updates → https://instagram.com/psychodynamicpsychology 📚 Books mentioned (Amazon affiliate links): Karen Horney, New Ways in Psychoanalysis: https://amzn.to/470yo55 Karen Horney, Final Lectures: https://amzn.to/49rektU Andrew Morrison, Essential Papers on Narcissism: https://amzn.to/4fz2Upk Heinz Kohut, The Restoration of the Self: https://amzn.to/3WRbKsc TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 00:29 Overview 01:28 Karen Horney, New Ways in Psychoanalysis 05:01 Thomas Ogden, Reading Loewald: Oedipus Reconceived 06:07 Karen Horney, Final Lectures 08:23 What’s next DISCLAIMER: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. This description contains affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost for you if you decide to purchase an item or sign up for a free trial.

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    14 min
  • Best (Psychodynamic) Books of 2024 | What I Read as a Psychoanalyst in Training
    Dec 19 2024

    Here are my favourite psychodynamic books and articles out of 4200+ pages I read in 2024 (as a psychoanalyst in training). Each of them allowed me to dive into another great mind, theory, or contribution of psychoanalysis.


    🎥 Watch the video version here on YouTube: ⁠https://youtu.be/sRsfqNkNwBo⁠


    💌 Psychodynamic Library + newsletter → https://psychodynamicpsychology.com/newsletter


    🤳 Instagram + casual updates → https://instagram.com/psychodynamicpsychology


    📚 Books mentioned (Amazon affiliate links):

    "Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Guide" by Nancy McWilliams: https://amzn.to/4ccruul

    "The Hidden Spring" by Mark Solms: https://amzn.to/3SB7tqg

    "The Neuroscientific Underpinnings of Psychoanalysis" by Mark Solms: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00294/full

    "The Shadow of the Object" by Christopher Bollas: https://amzn.to/3T13N1B

    "Psychoanalytic Studies of the Personality" by W. R. D. Fairbairn: https://amzn.to/3ywLKJp

    "Why Read Fairbairn?" by Thomas Ogden "New Ways in Psychoanalysis" by Karen Horney: https://amzn.to/470yo55

    "A Mind of Her Own: The Life of Karen Horney" by Susan Quinn: https://amzn.to/3XOMuSO

    "Triangulierung" Jürgen Grieser: https://amzn.to/3YzPwwq

    "Schopenhauer’s Porcupines: Intimacy and Its Dilemmas" by Deborah Luepnitz: https://amzn.to/3yqDlHw TIMESTAMPS

    00:00 Introduction

    02:03 Nancy McWilliams, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Guide

    04:16 Mark Solms, The Hidden Spring

    06:53 Mark Solms, The Neuroscientific Underpinnings of Psychoanalysis

    07:46 Christopher Bollas, The Shadow of the Object

    10:29 W. R. D. Fairbairn, Psychoanalytic Studies of the Personality

    13:08 Thomas Ogden, Why Read Fairbairn?

    13:50 Susan Quinn, A Mind of Her Own: The Life of Karen Horney

    15:33 Karen Horney, New Ways in Psychoanalysis

    17:38 Jürgen Grieser, Triangulierung

    19:52 Deborah Luepnitz, Schopenhauer’s Porcupines: Intimacy and Its Dilemmas


    DISCLAIMER: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. This description contains affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost for you if you decide to purchase an item or sign up for a free trial.

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    23 min
  • What I Read (as a Psychoanalyst in Training) | Oedipus Complex, Fairbairn, Karen Horney...
    Dec 11 2024

    This is another rambly (video) podcast episode, where I share 5 niche psychodynamic/psychoanalytic articles and books I read in the last two months. In case you look to discover what to read next as a psychodynamic psychotherapist in traning, this might be interesting for you. Thematically they ranged from the Oedipus complex, to Fairbairn, solid introductions into psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and lots of Karen Horney.

    💌 Psychodynamic Library + newsletter → https://psychodynamicpsychology.com/newsletter 🤳 Instagram + casual updates → https://instagram.com/psychodynamicpsychology

    Articles and books mentioned (affiliate links): "The Waning of the Oedipus Complex" by Hans W. Loewald "Why Read Fairbairn?" by Thomas Ogden "Introduction to the Practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy" by Alessandra Lemma → https://amzn.to/3X7WPci "Feminine Psychology" by Karen Horney → https://amzn.to/3WUA9xj "A Mind of Her Own: The Life of Karen Horney" by Susan Quinn → https://amzn.to/3XOMuSO

    If you're new here: Hi! My name is Alina, I'm a German psychoanalyst in training. I dive into psychodynamic books for a living and hope to make the great psychodynamic thinkers more accessible.

    TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction 01:58 "The Waning of the Oedipus Complex" by Hans W. Loewald 06:02 "Why Read Fairbairn?" by Thomas Ogden 08:25 "Introduction to the Practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy" by Alessandra Lemma 13:10 "Feminine Psychology" by Karen Horney 15:57 "A Mind of Her Own: The Life of Karen Horney" by Susan Quinn

    DISCLAIMER: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. This description contains affiliate links. That means I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost for you if you decide to purchase an item or sign up for a free trial.

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    22 min