Psychodynamics

-- the Science of Human Response
Psychodynamics is an evolving multi-disciplinary field which analyzes and studies human senses, thought processes, response patterns and influences, along with their potential consequences and opportunities. Research in the field is providing insights which can be applied in a number of ways, including:
1) Understanding and anticipating the range of specific conscious and unconscious (cognative and sub-cognative) responses to specific sensory inputs (e.g.: shapes, symbols, colors, textures, tones, sounds, words, etc.);
2) Utilizing the capacity for human movement and primal gestures to
both cognativly and sub-cognativly affect specific mind-body states;
3) Understanding (and utilizing) the capacity for the mind to directly affect physiological and biological change.
Our approach to psychodynamics has been to focus on combining a number of emerging communications, design and psychological sciences -- including the research of  eminent Russian neurophysiologist Dr. P.V. Simonov,  neurochemist Dr. Pavel Balaban, the late social psychologist Dr. Arnold Mitchell, movement psychologist Dr. Stuart Heller and transpersonal psychologist Dr. Beth Hedva, among others.

 
       Finkleman's paper Psychodynamic Frontiers: Counseling, Healing and the Medicine Man's Bundle has been published as a chapter of the university textbook 'It's All About Relationships' (Pabst Science Publishers 2002).

        In 2000 Harold Finkleman presented a seminar entitled The Frontiers Of Psychodynamics for the Annual Conference of the International Council of  Psychologists in Padua, Italy. It has subsequently been published by the ICP.

       July 1999 in Salem, MA, his four-hour workshop on Psychodramatic Therapeutics qualified attendees for Professional Continuing Education Credits, as approved by the ICP and the American Psychologists' Association. 
The research was originally inspired by Simonov's unique studies into the combined work of pioneering neurologist Pavlov and renowned thespian Stanislavky in Russia.

East
In the late 1920s and early 30s as art in the Soviet states was regarded as science and science was regarded as art, the Pavlov/Stanislavsky combination brought us the Theory of Psychophysical Action, which became the foundation of today's Stanislavky Method of Acting. Later, in the hands of Simonov, it also provided the groundwork for a new dynamic and expanded understanding of the mental process and psychophysical response (interpreted and evolved by Simonov at the Academy of Sciences in Moscow in the 50s and 60s).

West
Arnold Mitchell emerged in the American cash-inspired market analysis world of the late 1960s by letting some air out of the standard 'demographic' balloons with which the marketing industry wowed its clients. His research firmly established that people responded more according to their Values and Lifestyles (VALs) than they did according to their age and gender. He then went on to identify commonalties and differences among groupings he called 'typologies'.

East meets West (and a few other directions)
     Finkleman developed a keen interest in researching further into Simonov's work after reading Sonia Moore's book the Stanislavky System as a student in the late 1960s. When Simonov attained significant status at the head of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow the top research centre in the Soviet bloc, Finkleman was invited to make presentation on the psychodramatic implications and insights of Simonov's work to a group of psychologists at the Canadian government sponsored Mileu 70 conference in Winnipeg.  Later, while working as an economics writer for Reuters International News Services in the early 1970s at age 22, he met Moore and became inspired by the possibilities for opportunities to further apply Simonov's research in the field of communication and mental health.

As a television producer in 1978 in California, Finkleman met Mitchell who, as head of Stanford Research Institute's Business Intelligence Program (BIP), was looking for more practical applications for the extensive psychographicresearch base which he had developed for the (BIP) program. As head of the largest research centre of its kind in the West, he was also interested in undersdtanding more about the work of his "almost counterpart" Simonov.

Finkleman, a research journalist, broadcaster, producer and director, worked with Mitchell and  undertook his own experimental projects as well as private consulting projects that involved combining Mitchell's studies with the work of Simonov to achieve communication and design  goals with someimes amazing impact and efficiency. He was sold on doing more, took on more projects and in a effort to to help other disciplines work with these insights he began offering workshops for creative teams from architects and designers to advertising agencies and breadcasters, encouraging them to invest company time to expertiment with sometimes extreme alternative approaches and take what they learn to continue to enhance the quality and impact of their work ... and eventually to master connectiveness to their market or audience.

Finkleman first applied Mitchell's research in communication efforts -- using it to anticipate positive, negative or neutral psychological impact of words, symbols, shapes, textures, colors, fonts, size or scale on specific typologies. Finkleman worked on using Mitchell's original "primal" tools to anticipate the impact of communication efforts on  large combined target market groups, small groups, or even on specific individuals. These insights can offer a creative advantage in the development of broadcast and print materials, corporate identities, images, campaigns and communication strategies. 

What more could Mitchell's work be used for? As a foundation for social group analysis, Mitchell's psychographics took on new forms in the hands of artists, media experts and clients who were invited to join with Finkleman in creating applications. When combined with Simonov's work on nervous systems and the chemistry of emotion, the opportunities to effectively employ Mitchell's psychographics grew exponentially. Once understood, Psychographics become a power accompanyment to Simonavian-style Psychodynamics.

For 16 years Finkleman applied the work of Mitchell and Simonov to architectural and environmental design as a consultant to architect Maurice Sunderland -- originator of contemporary mega mall and micro city design strategies, designer of the West Edmonton Mall, Le Grande Littoral in France and winner of the design competition for the Mall of America, three of the first and most successful commercial mega malls of the past century. Watching the design and development of  environments ranging from underground communities to 15,000 acre resorts, Finkleman acted as both a paid consultant (scientific sounding board) and student to Sunderland, helping to support designs by better analyzing of design components and anticipating the specific impact Sunderland's design strategies would have on  specific users/visitors/audiences; working to help him identify opportunities to enhance all aspects of his amazing designs and design strategies.

"Simonov's work is broad in scale and massive in volume. When even a (relatively) small amount of his work is combined with Mitchell's work, it helps us to better understand how information is processed by the individual and how communication impact can be further enhanced." -- Harold Finkleman

Adding to the Dance Card:
In his book The Dance of Becoming, movement psychologist, executive trainer and management consultant  Dr. Stuart Heller introduced Western readers to new concepts in the dynamics of human 'energy systems' which the business community was quick to pick up on. He developed unique models for illustrating how individuals could focus body and mind to create a change in 'state'. The work and his later book Retooling On The Run (co-authored with Dr. David Surrenda) offered insights into how our primitive sub-conscious brain could be brought into action through selective combinations of movements, gestures and thought processes. It also gave us new models to better understand and help anticipate our primal responses (in action and thought) to encountering those same gestures and 'implications' or 'suggestions' (instead of 'thoughts').  Heller's work adds to our ability to speak to the most primal, hidden and subconscious parts of our brain (our own brains or others') in practical, useful  and healing ways. 

More Magic in the Bottle
Late in 1999, in a phone call between Moscow and Calgary, Canada, Dr. Simonov introduced his "associate" Dr. Pavel Balaban who took the time to offer a unique (homeopathic?) insight into the electrical nature of neurocellular communication. The eastern block has played aggressively in this field for most of the last century. It offers direct models for the application of Dr. Candice Pert's extensive work and the efforts of other neuroscience specialists. Discoveries have been made in the last few years which explain for the first time how many cells which are 'biological' rather than 'neurological' can still have 'neurological receptors' and thereby take messages directly from the brain. The implications, if applied, are tremendous and practical. The science even bring us new insights into how intuition works. 

As neurophysiologists and neurochemists increasingly gather more detail and understanding of the specifics of these cell-to-cell signals, particle-physicists such as Cao Dayong of Beijing have already stepped in to identify and quantify the minute electrical impulses and our capacity to both track and transmit at those same frequencies. This illustrates how the science of psychodynamics continues to gather more tools for increasing the opportunities for impact on human response. This capacity currently includes initiating or inspiring enhanced allertness, improved memory, reduced stress, deeper levels of comfort or confidence ... stimulate specific glands in the body, initiate any number of physical responses, and more. Mental activation and physical healing opportunities abound almost equally.

Copyright 2005 - 2013   Finkleman Communications Ltd., Calgary, Canada

 
 
 

What is the difference between 
Psychodynamics and Psychographics?

Psychodynamics is a science that primarily studies how people might react similarly to common facets of the world around them due to their common neurology and psychopathology

Psychographics is a science that primarily studies how people might react differently to common facets of the world around them due to their  different values and lifestyles

Combined, these sciences provide powerful tools for anticipating or initiating impact on the human psyche.

 
 


Click here to contact us to discuss a Consultation or Workshop 

Return to Communication Counseling