Psychoanalysis, Personality & the Unconscious Mind | Prof. Nancy McWilliams

In this episode, Professor Nancy McWilliams and I explore psychoanalysis, personality, defenses, trauma, shame, narcissism, and the therapeutic relationship. We discuss what psychoanalysis is, why unconscious feelings and thoughts matter, and how personality styles develop from early adaptations to a person’s childhood environment. Professor McWilliams explains how therapists understand personality not just through checklists, but through patterns, themes, and their own emotional responses in the therapy relationship.

We also discuss psychological defenses such as denial, repression, intellectualization, humor, splitting, and dissociation, as well as how trauma, shame, guilt, and narcissism shape people’s inner lives and relationships. Finally, we explore what makes a good therapist, the importance of trust and safety in therapy, transference and countertransference, dreams, the history of psychoanalysis, and how psychoanalysis has become more collaborative over time.