Self-Regulation
Psychodynamics is directed towards regulating wellbeing. Wellbeing is not a fixable state, because it rests upon internal polar needs, which can never be satisfied at the same time or permanently and which must be able to cope with an external world which is never the way one wishes it to be in every respect. Therefore, wellbeing is something different than ‘having good feelings’ or being happy. It is the consequence of finding a suitable answer to the internal and external situation and therefore regulating oneself in accordance with it.
To regulate oneself well, one therefore needs a variety of competences: it requires self-direction competence, needs regulation competence and the ability to freely choose within the psychological guiding processes. Self-regulation is, accordingly, an intense process, requiring many preconditions and, therefore, failure prone. This is why the impairment of self-regulation is always an important focus in personal counselling processes – no matter whether in psychotherapy or coaching.