5.6 The psychodynamic approach Flashcards
list three basic assumptions of the psychodynamic approach.
unconscious factors beyond our conscious control/determine behaviour
Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis:
- defence mechanisms and the role of the unconscious: repression, denial, displacement
- psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, latent, genital.
- Split mind and the structure of personality: id, ego, superego
when looking at the psychodynamic approach, nature and/or nurture?
Both.
Nature: focuses on the nature side of human behaviour in the unconscious forces, and the conflicts we must deal with.
Nurture: however, how we cope with these is in a large way a product of our upbringing.
when looking at the psychodynamic approach, scientific or nonscientific? (methods and theories; explain)
psychodynamic psychology does not really align itself with the scientific method.
although some aspects of this approach are open to scientific investigation, there tends to be much greater reliance on case studies and subjective interpretation
when looking at the psychodynamic approach, determinism or free will?
Determinism:
Behaviour is determined by unconscious factors, which are largely unknown to us and therefore beyond our conscious control. e.g ‘Freudian slips’, are caused by unconscious factors operating within the individuals motivational system.
when looking at the psychodynamic approach, reductionism or holism?
Reductionism and Holism:
Behaviour is reduced to innate drives, while taking into account the multiple aspects of human behaviour
positive evaluations/strengths of the psychodynamic approach?
Freud was the first to demonstrate the potential of psychological treatments for disorders
Fisher and Greenberg found support for many psychodynamic claims
negative evaluations/limitations of the psychodynamic approach
Psychoanalysis is gender biased (based largerely on male sexuaility, discounts women) (Freud)
Psychoanalysis is culture biased - little relevance for people from non-western cultures
Psychoanalysis is a comprehensive theory, including use as a form of a literary criticism
What 4 things is Freud most known for? (1856 - 1939)
dream analysis
hypnotism
‘The Couch’
psychosexual stages.
What approaches did Freud use? (1856 - 1939)
Empiricism
determinism.
List the 5 psychosexual stages.
fixation and adult personality oral anal phallic latency genital
define defence mechanisms
unconscious strategies that protect our conscious mind from anxiety
defence mechanisms involve a distortion of reality in some way, so that we are able to better cope with a situation
define psychoanalysis
a term used to describe the personality theory and therapy associated with Sigmund Freud
define psychodynamic
refers to any theory that emphasises change and development in the individual, particularly those theories where ‘drive’ is a central concept in development.
the best known psychodynamic theory is Freudian psychoanalysis
define unconscious
the part of the human mind that contains repressed ideas and memories, as well as primitive desires and impulses that have never been allowed to enter the conscious mind
what did Freud believe regarding the unconscious mind, what did he use to represent this?
Freud believed that part of your mind is inaccessible to conscious thought
He called bits you can’t interact with the preconscious and unconscious
He used an iceberg metaphor to illustrate his idea…
give the 3 parts of the psyche, named by Freud (3 parts of the personality)
Id - pleasure
Ego - reason
Superego - justice
when looking at the 3 levels of consciousness, what is meant by the conscious mind
the content of our awareness at any given time
when looking at the 3 levels of consciousness, what is meant by the preconscious mind
memories that are available for retrieval, such as episodes of our lives and general knowledge about the world
when looking at the 3 levels of consciousness, what is meant by the unconscious mind
memories, desires and fears that cause us anxiety and have become inaccessible due to the conscious mind due to repression
how did Freud suggest the brain was able to stop harmful thoughts/memories from becoming conscious, where we can perceive them?
defence mechanisms
can you name the 4 types of defence mechanisms that Freud suggested?
Repression
Denial
Displacement
Minimisation
what did Freud call it when the unconscious mind would let ‘something slip’ through into the conscious mind
Freudian slip
summarise the ID
You are born with this part of the personality and it therefore develops first
It is the instructive part of our personality – it can be very demanding!
It is often referred to as the “I want
An infant will demand for its needs to be satisfied
It is important to know that the id works on the pleasure principle
summarise the superego
The superego develops next, around 4 years old
It works on the morality principle
It’s the “you can’t have that” part of the personality
The superego is your conscience given to you by parents, rules, society etc.
summarise the ego
The ego develops last
It is the rational part of the personality because it works on reality principles
The ego tries to satisfy the needs of the id (I want) with realistic ways to achieve these desires
when looking at the 5 psychosexual stages, summarise the oral stage
0-2 years
the mouth is the focal point of sensation and is they way the child expresses early sexual energy
when looking at the 5 psychosexual stages, summarise the anal stage
2-3 years
the beginnings of ego development, as the child becomes aware of the demands of reality and the need to conform to the demands of others
the major issue at this stage is toilet training as the child learns to control the expulsion of bodily waste
when looking at the 5 psychosexual stages, summarise the phallic stage
3-6 years
sexual energy is now focused on the genitals.
the major conflict at this stage is the oedipus complex.
as a result of this desire the boy experiences castration anxiety (punishment from the father), and in an attempt to resolve this problem, the child identifies with the far.
summarise the oedipus complex, as suggested by Freud
the child unconsciously wishes to possess their mother and get rid of the father.
when looking at the 5 psychosexual stages, summarise the latent stage
6-12 years
the child develops their mastery of the world around them.
during this stage, the conflicts and issues of the previous stages are repressed with the consequences that children are unable to remember much of their early years
when looking at the 5 psychosexual stages, summarise the genital stage
12+ years
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
