psychoanalytic psychotherapy
therapy originally conceived in the form of classical psychoanalysis or in one of the generally shorter approaches to treatment that evolved from the classical form, such as psychodynamic psychotherapy. Generally, it involves a systematic one-on-one interaction between a therapist and a patient that emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and conflicts as determinants of human behavior while helping the patient overcome abnormal behavior or adjust to the problems of life. The use of free association and therapist interpretation, as well as the development of a therapeutic alliance, are common techniques. More contemporary forms of the therapy are influenced by postclassical psychoanalytic concepts of interpersonal dynamics and the self, as emphasized, for example, in relational psychoanalysis and self psychology.