1- Ph.D. Candidate of Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2- Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. , besharat@ut.ac.ir
Abstract: (24 Views)
The present article examines moral development within psychoanalytic schools of thought, tracing the conceptual trajectory from Freud’s structural theory to contemporary neuropsychoanalytic and relational approaches. While classical psychoanalysis emphasized internal conflict and the formation of the superego, later schools advanced more nuanced understandings of moral growth, incorporating concepts such as object relations, intersubjectivity, affect regulation, and mentalization. This interdisciplinary integration marks a shift from viewing morality as an internal, ideal-based structure to understanding it as a dynamic process grounded in empathy, recognition, and neurodevelopmental integration. The article examines the perspectives of psychoanalytic theorists, including Freud, Hartmann, Klein, Winnicott, Kohut, Benjamin, Fonagy, Solms, and others, demonstrating how the theoretical path of moral development has moved from intrapsychic conflict toward relational and neurobiological models.
Type of Article:
Analysis |
Subject:
Psychoanalysis- Analytical psychology Received: 2025/07/12 | Accepted: 2025/07/24 | ePublished: 2025/10/2