6. Psychodynamic Theory Flashcards
What is the psychodynamic approach about (overview)
- The role of the unconscious
- The structure of personality that is ID, Ego & Superego
- Defence mechanisms including repression, denial & displacement
- Psychosexual stages
What is the psychodynamic approach
A perspective that describes the different forces (dynamics) - most of which are unconscious- that operate on the mind, direct human behaviour & experience
Assumptions of the psychodynamic approach
- States that unconscious forces in our mind determine our thoughts, feelings & behaviour
- Adult personality & psychological disorders are strongly influenced by our childhood experiences
- Abnormal behaviour is the result of mental conflict
- Mind can be divided into 3 levels of consciousness (illustrated by the iceberg analogy). The unconscious mind, which is hidden below the surface, has the most influence on our personality
What is the conscious mind
The small amount that we are aware of at any given time
(above surface on iceberg)
What is the preconscious mind
Memories that we could be recall if we wanted to
eg. our address, phone number
(on surface on iceberg)
What is the unconscious mind
Things we are unaware of & can not become aware of. eg. desires, fears, deeply buried memories
(below surface on iceberg)
see slide 6 for dia of iceberg analogy
What is the Tripartite model of the mind
According to Freud, we all have these 3 characteristics (ID, Ego, Superego) in our mind at the same time
see slide 7 for dia of Tripartite model of the mind
What is the ID personality
(the ‘it’)
- Primitive part of our personality that contains our innate, aggressive & sexual instincts
- Wants to be satisfied by whatever means possible (obeys the pleasure principles)
- Accounts for unreasonable behaviour & appears at birth
What is the Ego personality
(the ‘I’)
- Exists both in conscious & unconscious parts of mind & develops around the age of 2yrs
- Works on the reality principle & is the mediator between the ID & SUPEREGO
- Acts as rational part of mind - aware of other ppls feelings & that they can’t always have their own way
- Its role is to reduce the conflict between demands of the ID & SUPEREGO, keeping our behaviour in line
- It manages this by employing a no. of defence mechanisms
What happens if the ID, Ego, Superego do not work together: EGO IS WEAK
Allows ID and Superego to dominate
What is the Superego personality
(the ‘other I’)
- In both conscious & unconscious parts of mind
- Formed around the age of 5
- Part of mind that takes our morals into consideration & is involved in making us feel guilty - it is our internalised sense of right & wrong
- Punishes the ego for wrongdoing (through guilt)
What happens if the ID, Ego, Superego do not work together: ID TOO STRONG
Selfish, out of control, could become psychopathic
What happens if the ID, Ego, Superego do not work together: SUPEREGO TOO STRONG
Strict, anxious, obsessive - can lead to depression, anxiety, OCD
Who proposed the psychosexual stages
Sigmund Frued
Assumptions of the psychosexual stages
- Freud believed that children are born w a libido - a sexual (pleasure) urge
- There are a no. of stages of childhood, during which the child seeks pleasure from a different ‘object’
- To be psychologically healthy, we must successfully complete each stage
- Mental abnormality can occur if a stage is not completed successfully- the persons becomes ‘fixated’
What are the 5 stages of development
- The oral stage
- The anal stage
- The phallic stage
- The latency stage
- The genital stage
What is the ORAL STAGE
Birth - 18mo old
- The mouth is the main focus of pleasure during this stage
- The child enjoys tasting & sucking
- The mother’s breast is the object of desire
Successful completion of the ORAL STAGE
- Successful competition of this stage is demonstrated by weaning - eating independently
Consequences of unresolved conflict in the ORAL STAGE
- Oral fixation - sarcastic, sensitive to rejection, overeats/drinks, bites nails, may smoke
What is the ANAL STAGE
18mo - 3yrs old
- Defecation is main source of pleasure
- Involves keeping or discarding faeces
Successful completion of the ANAL STAGE
- Successful completion marked by potty training
Consequences of unresolved conflict in the ANAL STAGE
- Anally retentive - very tidy, stubborn, likes order & being in control, perfectionist, obsessive
- Anally repulsive - thoughtless, messy
What is the PHALLIC STAGE
3yrs - 6yrs
- Form of pleasure is the genital area
- Oedipus complex - boy wants his mother as his ‘primary love object’ & wants his father out of the way
- Electra complex - girls experience penis envy; they desire their father, as the penis is the primary love object & hate their mother
Consequence of unresolved conflict in the PHALLIC STAGE
- Phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual
What is the LATENCY STAGE
6yrs - puberty
- Earlier sexual urges are repressed
- Sexual urges sublimated into sports/hobbies
- Focus on developing same-sex friendships
(Calm before the storm of puberty!)
Successful completion of the LATENCY STAGE
- No particular requirements for successful completion
What is the GENITAL STAGE
Puberty - adulthood
- Awakened sexual urges - but not to same extent as PHALLIC STAGE
- Task is to develop healthy adult relationships
- This should happen if earlier stages have been negotiated successfully
Consequence of unresolved conflict in the GENITAL STAGE
- Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
What was the study that Freud believed to support his theory of psychosexual stages (& oedipus complex in particular)
Little Hans, 1909
Conflict between the parts of the personality
Conflict between ID & SUPEREGO bc ID wants instant satisfaction, whilst SUPEREGO tries to impose morals —> these conflicts lead to anxiety. Its then the EGO’s job to mediate between ID & SUPEREGO to reduce anxiety (by using unconscious defence mechanisms)
Unconscious defence mechanisms of EGO
- Repression
- Denial
- Displacement
Unconscious defence mechanisms of EGO: Repression
Involves the EGO stoppage unwanted & possible painful thoughts from becoming conscious
eg. someone who experienced traumatic incident may not recall it later bc they have repressed the memory
Unconscious defence mechanisms of EGO: Denial
Where a threatening event or unwanted reality is simply ignored & blocked from conscious awareness
eg. drug addict denies they have a problem
Unconscious defence mechanisms of EGO: Displacement
Happens when a negative impulse is redirected onto smth else (another person or an object)
eg. boss made you angry at work, & you redirect your anger towards smth else by kicking a door at home
Method of Little Hans
Carried out on a child called Hans who had a phobia of horses. Hans was observed by his father, who made notes of Han’s dreams & things he said, passing them onto Freud for analysis
Results of Little Hans
- Han’s was afraid of horses bc he thought they might bite him/fall on him.
- During study, he developed an interest in his ‘widdler’ (penis). His mum had told him not to play w it or she’d cut it off
- Hans told his dad abt a dream where he was married to his mum & his dad was now his grandfather
Conclusion of Little Hans (in terms of stages of development)
Freud’s interpretation was the Hans had reached the PHALLIC stage of development & showed ev of the ‘Oedipus complex’ - he wanted an exclusive relationship w mother & was jealous of father
- Hans had sexual feelings for his mother, showed partly by his dream or marrying her
- The horse symbolised Han’s father bc, to him, they both had big penises
Conclusion of Little Hans (in terms of defence mechanisms)
His fear of horse is an eg of DISPLACEMENT - a defence mechanism that protected him from his real fear of his father. Hans suffered from castration anxiety - afraid he would be castrated by father if he found out abt his feelings for his mother. This was symbolised by Han’s fear that a horse would bite him
Evaluation of Little Hans: PROS
- This was a case study, meaning it provided lots of detailed data abt one subject, BUT it means results cannot be generalised
- Findings provided ev to support Freud’s theories
Evaluation of Little Hans: CONS
- Results were based entirely on observations & interpretations - so cause & effect relationships cannot be established
- There could be other explanations - eg. Han’s anxiety may have come from his mother threatening to cut his penis off
- Before study, Hans had been frightened by a horse falling down in the street, which cold explain his fear of them
- Freud analysed info from Han’s father - so results could be biased
What actually are psychological disorders
Psychological disorders are defence mechanisms against repressed emotional problems & impulse
Proof of the unconscious
Freudian slips
What are Freudian slips
Also called ‘parapraxis’ - an error in speech, memory, or physical action that occurs due to the interference of an unconscious subdued wish or internal train of through
What did Karl Popper argue
That the psychodynamic approach does not meet the scientific criterion of falsification as it is not open to empirical testing & the possibility of disproval.
- Freud argued back that unconscious is difficult to test
Practical applications of Freuds work (psychodynamic approach)
- Psychoanalysis
- Dream analysis & hypnosis
- Therapeutic tools for neuroses
What is psychic determinism
States that:
- No such thing as an accident
- Slip of the tongue is driven by the unconscious forces & has deep symbolic meaning
- Free will is an illusion- conflict from childhood
STRENGTHS of the psychodynamic approach
- First theory to focus on psychological causes of disorders. (Before this, focus was on physical causes)
- First approach to suggest mental health disorders may be linked to unresolved conflicts related to biological needs
- Offers methods of therapy (psychoanalysis) - patients able to understand causes of problems & resolve to release anxiety
WEAKNESSES of the psychodynamic approach
- Freud’s claims are based on subjective interpretations of his patients’ situations - unreliable, open to bias
- Freud’s theories relate to the unconscious mind, which cant be accessed. As such, his theories are unfalsifiable (cant be proved wrong)
- Psychoanalysis may take long time & so very expensive. The childhood conflicts ‘uncovered’ may be emotionally distressing/possibly inaccurate
- Approach is based on case studies of ppl in ‘distress’ - findings *8cant be generalised** to everyone else
