Toward a New Paradigm for Psychoanalysis: An Evolutionary Biological Perspective on the Classical—Relational Dialectic

Psychoanalytic theories can be usefully viewed as derivative of two highly divergent, underlying paradigms: the classical-and ego-psychological traditions on one side, and aspects of object-relational, interpersonal, and self psychological approaches on the other. Attempts to combine these perspectives, though sometimes interesting and useful, typically fail to achieve a true integration. They can be seen as rooted in different visions of human nature,'and have been characterized by several theorists as essentially incompatible (Greenberg & Mitchell, 1983; Modell, 1984). For the first time historically, contemporary evolutionary biology provides us with a perspective on human nature in which these philosophically antithetical, psychoanalytic viewpoints can be substantially incorporated into a broader framework. The resulting “new paradigm” includes crucial elements of both existing traditions, yet fundamentally alters some of the basic premises of

each. Several key psychoanalytic, theoretical controversies and certain of their clinical implications are reconceptualized in light of the evolutionary-adaptive perspective.