How does psychoanalytic theory explain the causes for behavior in gereral?

Answer 1

The 2nd answer is correct, but here is a simpler explanation.

The psychoanalytic theory revolves around the idea that we all have unconscious motives and internal conflicts that we don't realize we have. So for example if you lose your car keys and are late for school/work, there is a tiny part of your brain that didn't want you to attend school/work that day. Reasons may be that you had a fight with a friend, or you are having a bad hair day, etc. The point though is that an unconscious level your brain is telling you not to go to work so it is also not helping you find your keys.

Freud talks about how peoples behavior can be explained by looking at these internal conflicts and desires, however actually pinpointing the real reason for behavior is nearly impossible to do.

I hope that helps...answer 2 is still good.

Answer 2

Psychoanalytic theory is a general term for approaches to psychoanalysis which attempt to provide a conceptual framework more-or-less independent of clinical practice rather than based on empirical analysis of clinical cases.
Development is described as primarily unconscious - that is, beyond awareness - and is heavily colored by emotion. The term often attaches to conceptual uses of analysis in critical theory, literary, film, or other art criticism, broader intersubjective phenomena (for example, those broadly conceived as cultural or social in nature), religion, law, or other non-clinical contexts, sometimes signifying its use as a hermeneutic or interpretative framework. In some respects this can resemble phenomenology insofar as it attempts to account for consciousness and unconsciousness in a more or less eidetic fashion, although there are inherent conflicts between phenomenology as a study of consciousness and the frequent psychoanalytic emphasis on the unconscious or non-coincidence of consciousness with itself.
There are many different theoriesand approaches to therapy, my favorites being adlerian and feminist approaches. Basically, those state that behavior is the result of culture, environment, and experiences throughout life that form the basis from which you think and act. You can generally read about psychoanalytic theory at the site I provided, however, it is a very broad subject.

Answer 3

There could be volumes written to answer your question, however, I will try to give you a "blanket" simply answer: Each person is affected by their environment and everything that surrounds them -- hence, the reason for each person's unique behavior (in general).

Answer 4

Short summary- Your past, mainly bad experiences but also good, shape who you are and how you behave.