4.2.1 PSYCHODYNAMIC Flashcards
what are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
- all behaviour can be explained in terms of the inner conflict of the mind
-> has unconscious causes - Freud highlights:
-> the role of the unconscious mind
-> structure of personality
-> influence that childhood experiences have on later life - Freud believed that the unconscious mind determines most of our behaviour and that we’re motivated by unconscious emotional drives
who developed the psychodynamic approach and when?
- Sigmund Freud
- in the 18th / early 19th century
according to Freud our personality is composed of three parts
what are these?
what’s it called?
Tripartite Personality
1) ID
2) ego
3) superego
what is the Id?
- it’s the biological part (instincts and drives) of the personality
- it’s present at birth
- motivated by the pleasure principle
- demands instant gratification of its needs
- accounts for unreasonable behaviour
- if dominant, individual might develop a psychosis eg) schizophrenia
what’s the ego?
- develops from 1-3 years
- exists in both unconscious and conscious parts of the mind
- is motivated by the reality principle
- mediates the conflicts between the Id and superego
- uses defence mechanisms to achieve this
what’s the superego?
- develops from 3-5 years
- motivated by the morality principle
- punishes the ego with guilt for ‘doing wrong’
- to be mentally healthy the ego has to be able to balance the demand of the ego and superego
- if it’s dominant, the individual might develop a neurosis eg) depression
the mind is divided into three parts - what are these?
- the conscious
- the preconscious
- the unconscious
what is the conscious?
the part we are aware of and can access without any effort
contains part of the ego
eg) what we’re seeing / hearing / smelling / thinking
what is the preconscious?
the part of the mind that we can’t access without effort
contains the ego and some of the superego
made up of memories
eg) we can recall our address / phone number / childhood memories / what we did at the weekend
what is the unconscious?
the part of the mind that cannot be accessed without the help of a trained psychologist
contains the superego and the Id
made up of memories, desires and fears that cause us extreme anxiety and therefore have been ‘repressed’ of forced out of our conscious awareness
still influences our behaviour
to reduce anxiety we use defence mechanisms - what are these?
- repression
- displacement
- denial
what is repression?
- used by the ego to keep disturbing memories out of the conscious mind
- puts them in the unconscious mind where they cannot be accessed
- eg) sexual and aggressive urges or painful childhood memories
what is displacement?
- an impulse may be redirected from its original target onto a more acceptable one
- eg) being angry with your father and shouting at your little sister
what is denial?
- the existence of unpleasant internal or external realities is denied and kept out of consciousness awareness
- eg) having lost your job and yet you go to work every day
what are the psychosexual stages of development?
and what are the ages they are experienced?
1) oral -> 0-18 months
2) anal -> 18months - 3.5 years
3) phallic -> 3.5 years - 6 years
4) latent -> 6 years - puberty
5) genital -> puberty - adult
what is the source of pleasure of the oral stage?
mouth
- sucking, swallowing etc
what is the source of pleasure for the anal stage?
the anus
- withholding or expelling faeces
what is the source of pleasure in the phallic stage?
the penis / clitoris - genital fixation
- masturbation
- Oedipus and Electra complex
what is the source of pleasure for the latent stage?
sexual drives are repressed
what is the source of pleasure for the genital stage?
the genitals
- adult derives pleasure from masturbation and sex
awakened sexual urges
what is the outcome of the oral stage?
- if forceful feeding, deprivation or early weaning occur
- then fixation could lead to:
-> oral activities eg) smoking
-> dependency and aggression
what is the outcome of the anal stage?
- if toilet training is too harsh or too relaxed
- then fixation could lead to:
-> obsessiveness
-> tidiness
-> meanness
too relaxed
-> untidiness
-> generosity
what is the outcome of the phallic stage?
if abnormal family set-up leading to unusual relationship with mother/father
- then fixation could lead to:
-> vanity
-> self-obsession
-> sexual anxiety
-> inadequacy
-> inferiority
-> envy
what is the outcome of the latent stage?
fixation doesn’t happen in this stage
what is the outcome of the genital stage?
fixation at this stage should occur in a mentally healthy adult
what does each stage of psychosexual development focus on?
obtaining pleasure through a certain part of the body
what is pleasure affected by?
how parents raise a child affects how much pleasure is obtained through that stage
eg) how strict they are when potty training, and what type of role models they are
why do children become ‘fixated’?
what can it lead to?
if they receive too much or not enough pleasure during a stage of development
- severe fixation can lead to psychological disorders in later life
as part of psychoanalysis Freud did case studies on his patients using several methods to reveal conflicts, fears and desires in their unconscious mind
these could then be faced so the patient would know how to resolve them
who did Freud do a case study on?
LITTLE HANS
what was the method of the Little Hans case study?
- carried out a case study of a child called Hans who had a phobia of horses
- was observed by his father
- his father made notes of Han’s dreams and stuff he said, and passed them on to Freud for analysis
what were the results of the Little Hans case study?
- was afraid of horse because he thought they might bite him or fall on him
- during the study he developed an interest in his ‘widdler’ (penis)
- mum told him not to play with it or she’d cut it off
- he told his dad about a dream where he was married to his mum and hid dad was now his grandad
what were Freud’s conclusions of the Little Hans case study?
- Hans had reached the phallic stage of development
- showed evidence of the ‘Oedipus complex’
-> wanted to have an exclusive relationship with his mum
-> was jealous of his dad - had sexual feelings for his mum
- horse symbolised his dad, because to him, they both had big dicks
- afraid he’d be castrated by his dad if he found out about his feelings for his mum
-> symbolised by the fear of the horse that it’d bite him
how can we evaluate the Little Hans case study?
1) was a case study
- provided lots of detailed data about 1 subject (+ve)
- but means the data can’t be generalised (-ve)
2) findings provided evidence to support Freud’s theories
- results were based entirely on observation and interpretation
- means a cause and effect relationship can’t be established
3) could be other explanations
- Han’s anxiety may have come from his mum threatening to cut his dick off
- before the study Hans had been frightened by a horse falling down in the street -> could explain his fear of them
4) Freud analysised data from his father
- results could be biased
what are two applications of the psychodynamic approach?
AO3 PROS
1) given rise to one of the first ‘talking cure’ psychoanalysis
- many psychosocial therapies are now based on this
2) can be used to explain mental disorders
- such as depression and schizophrenia
- these explanations are rarely used by mainstream psychology
3) very influential concept by Freud of the lasting importance of childhood on later life and development
what are some pros of the psychodynamic approach?
AO3
1) was the first theory to focus on psychological causes of disorders
- before the focus had been on physical causes or things like possession by evil spirits
2) one of the first approaches to suggest that mental health disorders may be linked to unresolved conflicts related to biological needs
what are some cons of the psychodynamic approach?
1) Freud’s claims are based on his subjective interpretations of his patients’ dreams, etc
-> they’re often unreliable and open to bias
2) Freud’s theories are related to the unconscious mind, which can’t be accessed
- his theories are unfalsifiable (i.e. they can’t be proved wrong)
3) The approach is based on case studies of people in ‘distress’, so the findings can’t be generalised to everyone else
4) The unscientific research methods mean it’s not possible to establish cause and effect
5) is determinist as it rejects the idea of free will
- person’s behavior is determined by their unconscious motives which are shaped by their biological drives and their early experiences
