Unlike other approaches to personality, psychodynamic approaches focus on the what mind.

Unlike other approaches to personality that may focus on observable behaviors or cognitive processes, psychodynamic approaches focus on the unconscious mind. This approach, pioneered by Sigmund Freud, posits that human behavior is the result of interactions among various components of the mind: the id, ego, and superego.

The id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories. The superego operates as a moral conscience, and the ego is the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the superego.

Psychodynamic approaches emphasize the importance of childhood experiences and repressed feelings, suggesting that these unconscious elements influence our behavior and personality as adults. This approach also uses therapeutic techniques such as free association and dream analysis to tap into the unconscious mind.