5.3. Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What is the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

It emphasises unconscious motives and desires and the importance of early childhood experiment. The best known of the psychodynamic theories is Freudian psychoanalysis.

Question 2

The role of the unconscious

Answer 2

Our unconscious mind influences our behaviour. Our conscious mind is unaware of what thoughts and emotions occur in the unconscious.
HW, these unconscious thoughts and feelings can have an effect on our conscious mind.

Question 3

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 3

Unconscious forces and drives, control or determine behaviour and thought processes.
Everything we say or do has a cause.

Question 4

What did Freud suggest?

Answer 4

He suggested that the part of our mind that we know about and are aware of is merely ‘the tip of the iceberg’ .
Freud uses the metaphor of the iceberg to describe the mind.
Tip of the iceberg - is visible - conscious.
But the larger part is hidden under the surface - unconscious and subconscious.

Question 5

The Conscious

Answer 5

Thoughts and perceptions.
The small amount of activity we know about.

Question 6

The Subconscious

Answer 6

Memories, stored knowledge.
Things we could be aware of if we wanted or tried.

Question 7

The Unconscious

Answer 7

Instincts, deeply buried memories.
Things we are unaware of and not become aware of

Question 8

What did Freud believe about our everyday actions and behaviours?

Answer 8

He believed that most of our everyday actions and behaviour are not controlled consciously but are the product of the unconscious mind.
The idea is that our traumatic (repressed memories) which are stored on our unconscious drive our conscious behaviour.
One way in which it can show itself is in slips of the tongue (Freudian slips), or in terms of creativity or neurotic symptoms.

Question 9

What are 2 ways to access the unconscious?

Answer 9

-dream analysis
-free association

Question 10

Accessing the unconscious: Dream Analysis

Answer 10

-Repressed ideas in the unconscious are more likely to appear in dreams than when we are awake - Freud referred to these ideas as the latent content (what the dream was about)
-The manifest content is the dream as if it appears to the dreamer. Dream symbols that are used to disguise unacceptable ideas. A therapist interprets the dreams in order to provide insight about what the dream really represents

Question 11

Accessing the unconscious: Free Association

Answer 11

-The individual is encouraged to relax and say anything that comes into their mind, no matter how absurd.
-The ideas is that the EGO will be unable to carry out its normal role of keeping check of the treating unconscious impulses, and the conflict can be brought into the consciousness.
-Once verbalised, the therapist can interpret and explain.

Question 12

Structure of the personality: ID

Answer 12

• primitive part of our personality
• present from birth
  -operates on the pleasurable principle (gets what it wants)
  -it is a mass of unconscious drives and instincts

Question 13

Structure of the personality: EGO

Answer 13

• develops around the age of 2
• works on the ‘reality principle’
• it is the mediator between the other two parts of the pers
• makes the person aware of other people feelings and that it cannot always have its own way
• its role is to reduce the conflict between the demands of ID and superego.
• it manages this by employing a number of defence mechanisms

Question 14

Structure of the personality: SUPEREGO

Answer 14

• formed around the age of 5
• known as the ‘morality principle’
• it is internalised sense of right and wrong
• represents the moral standards of the child’s same sex parent
• punishes the EGO for wrongdoing

Question 15

What are Defence Mechanisms?

Answer 15

The constants disagreement between the ID and the SUPEREGO can lead to a lot of anxiety.
So the EGO develops methods of defending itself.
Defence mechanisms are unconscious, but if we overuse them they may lead to mental abnormalities.

Question 16

Defence Mechanisms: Denial

Answer 16

The refusal to accept reality to avoid having to deal with any sinful feelings that might be associated with the event, the person acts as if the traumatic event had not happened, which others may find bizarre.

Question 17

Defence Mechanisms: Repression

Answer 17

Refers to the unconscious blocking of the unacceptable thoughts and impulses, rather than staying quietly in the unconscious, these represses thoughts and impulses continue to influence behaviour without the individual awareness.

Question 18

Defence Mechanisms: Displacement

Answer 18

Redirecting thoughts and feelings in situations where the person feels unable to express them in the presence of the person, they should be directing it to, instead they may take it out on someone else.

Question 19

Psychosexual stages

Answer 19

Freud believed that personality developed through a sequence of five stages, referred to them as psychosexual to emphasise that the more important at driving force in development is the need to express sexual energy.

Question 20

Psychosexual stages in order

Answer 20

Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latency
Genital

Question 21

Psychosexual Stage 1 - Oral

Answer 21

The mouth is the focal point of sensation, the child expresses their early sexual energy through sucking and biting. (Mothers breast is the object of desire)

Consequences of unresolved conflict - oral fixation, smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical

Question 22

Psychosexual Stage 2 - Anal

Answer 22

EGO begins to develops. CHild becomes aware of the demands of reality and the need to conform to the demands of the others, the major issues at this stage is toilet training as the child learns to control bodily waste.

Consequences of unresolved conflict - anal retentive (perfectionist, obsessive); anal expulsive (thoughtless, messy)

Question 23

Psychosexual Stage 3 - Phallic

Answer 23

Sexual energy focused on genitals. Major conflict at this stage is the Oedipus Complex in which the make child unconsciously wishes to possess their mother and get rid of their father. As a result of this desire, boys can experience castration anxiety and in attempt to resolve this may identify with their father.

Consequences of unresolved conflict - phallic personality (narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual

Question 24

Psychosexual Stage 4 - Latency

Answer 24

The child develops mastery of the world around them, during this stage conflicts and issues of the previous stages are repressed with the consequence that children are unable to remember much of their early years.

Question 25

Psychosexual Stage 5 - Genital

Answer 25

The culmination of psychosexual development and the fixing of sexual energy in the genitals, this eventually directs us towards sexual intercourse and the beginnings of adult life.

Consequences of unresolved conflict - difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 26

Little Hans - case study - supporting Freud theory of the psychosexual stages (particularly the Oedipus complex)

Answer 26

At 3 yrs old Lil was interested in his penis, his mother threatened to cut it off and Hans developed a fear of castration. Around this time, Hans saw a horse die and was upset. Horse represented Hans’ dad.

Question 27

One positive of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 27

Is a a pioneering approach.
Freud championed case studies and observations. Demonstrated potential of psychological rathe than biological treatments for disorders such as depression and anxiety. DeMaat et al concluded that psychoanalysis produced significant improvements in symptoms that lasted years after treatment.
Ther4, some have benefitted for the intro of treatment without drugs.

Question 28

Second positive of the psychodynamic approach.

Answer 28

There is scientific support.
In a review of 2500 studies, Fisher and Greenberg claimed that exper. Test of psychoanalysis lent support for the existence of the unconscious motivation and defence mechanisms.
HW, critics of psychoanalysis often claim there that it is not testable or falsifiable.
There4, research support but it may not fulfil all of the feature of science.

Question 29

One problem of the psychodynamic approach.

Answer 29

Cultural bias.
Sue & Sue argue that psychoanalysis has little relevance for people from non-western culture. Eg. Chine, a person who is depressed or anxious avoids thought that cause distress rather than discuss them openly. Contrasting with western beliefs that open discussion and insight are helpful.
Ethnocentric and of little use outside the western culture.