How did the originators of psychodynamic and neo-analytic theory conduct personality science?

A good answer would include the following key points:
-Psychodynamic and neo-analytic thinkers did not conduct personality science in the same way researchers do today.
-Psychodynamic theory used a "big-picture" approach to understand personality, relying far less on empirical data than modern personality researchers do.
-The goal was to develop large theoretical models that could explain a wide range of clinical observations. Many concepts of the psychodynamic theory are difficult to measure because people cannot just report on their unconscious.