Interdisciplinary development of depth psychology in the 20th–21st centuries: integrative approaches to psychological dynamics

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical analysis of the latest developments in depth psychology as contemporary ways of reinterpreting the classical foundations of this field and expanding our understanding of the study of the unconscious. It examines the transformation of psychodynamic concepts in the context of their evolution from classical models to interdisciplinary approaches that integrate findings from neuroscience, postcolonial studies, relational theories, and intersubjective paradigms. It is demonstrated that contemporary depth psychology goes beyond the boundaries of traditional psychoanalytic interpretations, forming an integrative, multidimensional view of mental dynamics that takes current perspectives into account.
The relevance of this study stems from the lack of a unified approach to systematically correlating the classical tenets of depth psychology with their more recent contemporary interpretations, as well as to comprehensively examining the interaction of these key ideas specifically with the experience of stress and the factors contributing to its onset. The purpose of this article is to generalize and systematize scientific approaches to understanding the field of depth psychology and its relationship to how people experience stress and the factors that act as stressors, with an emphasis on contemporary intraand interdisciplinary research in depth psychology.
The article examines the main approaches to understanding the interdisciplinary development of depth psychology in the context of the integration of approaches to mental dynamics within these frameworks, specifically within the context of integrative approaches to mental dynamics in the 20th and 21st centuries. Particular attention is paid to the scientific views of contemporary scholars who highlight psychoanalytic concepts through the application of interdisciplinary methods for studying the psyche and the actualization of its understanding in various contexts.
Among these, certain areas have been identified that analyze mental processes through the lens of: neural connections—specifically, the interaction between affective mental processes and bodily neurophysiological mechanisms—intersubjectivity, relational interactions, postcolonial approaches, and the influence of the digital environment and one’s presence within it on the formation of unconscious structures. This integrative approach allows for expanding the boundaries of depth psychology and forming a multidimensional view of mental dynamics within contemporary scientific discourse.
The transformational and integrative characteristics of the tenets of depth psychology are analyzed, as manifested in the expansion of classical concepts into the interdisciplinary approaches of the 21st century.
Based on various approaches to psychodynamics, the paper examines the development of such schools of thought as neuropsychoanalysis, relational and intersubjective psychoanalysis, the postcolonial psychoanalytic perspective, and cyberpsychoanalysis.
As a result of this theoretical study, it has been established that depth psychology remains relevant due to its conceptual flexibility and ability to adapt to contemporary socio-biopsychological challenges, allowing for a broader reinterpretation of unconscious manifestations. The expansion of its theoretical foundations toward interdisciplinary approaches is analyzed, including neuropsychoanalysis, relational and intersubjective psychoanalysis, the postcolonial perspective, and cyberpsychoanalysis.