Reductive or synthetic interpretations

In psychotherapy, we use either the reductive or the synthetic approach to understanding the psyche.  The reductive approach tries to trace every symptom back to one's childhood which is helpful to some new clients who have not developed a strong ego.  The synthetic approach asks the question of why a particular experience develops now in this time in one's life.  Why this dream now, why this panic attack now, etc.  These questions serve to find the meaning in our lives hidden in our dreams, fantasies, and daily happenings which may appear in a symptom.  Freud believed that the unconscious held pathological energies while Jung believed that the unconscious was a self regulating system which attempted to bring us back in balance.  Often when a client is new to therapy work, reductive understanding are best but later, a synthetic approach helps the client assess the direction of his/her life.  Perhaps it is time for a change in life; perhaps the psyche is challenging one to reconsider or to change perspectives or develop a new world view.