(A-Level Only) The Psychodyamic Approach Flashcards
Which approach was one of the earliest approach in psychology?
Psychodynamic Approach
When did the psychodynamic approach originating?
19th century
Who is the main figure in the psychodynamic approach?
Freud
What was Freud trained as?
Neurologist
What are the key assumptions of psychodynamic approach?
- Unconscious processes, of which we are unaware, determine our behaviour
- Personality has three parts: the id, ego and superego
- Early childhood experiences determine adult personality – psychosexual stages of development
What does the unconscious mind to to our behaviour?
Influences our behaviour
The conscious mind is unaware of what thoughts and emotions occur in…
the unconscious
Can the unconscious thoughts and feeling effect out conscious mind?
Yes according to the psychodynamic approach
What is psychic determinism?
Unconscious forces and drives are inborn and control or determine behaviour
What is the conscious?
The small amount of mental activity we
know about. (e.g. thoughts, perceptions)
What is the preconscious?
Things we could be aware of if we
wanted or tried. E.g. memories, stored knowledge. These sometimes come out in dreams or ‘slips of the tongue’ (parapraxes).
What is the unconscious?
The part of our mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behaviour (e.g. instincts, deeply buried memories).
What metaphor did Freud use?
Metaphor of the iceberg to describe the mind – the tip of the iceberg is visible (conscious) but the much larger part is hidden under the surface (unconscious)
What did Freud describe the personality
which composed of three parts?
Tripartite
Where does the behaviour seen to be the result of a compromise between?
The three parts of the psyche
What does the psyche mean?
Personality
What is the Id?
- made up of selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification.
- unconscious part of the mind
- Operates according to the ‘pleasure principle’
- Present at birth
What is the superego?
-Conscience and ego ideal
-Moral restriction
-Battles against Id impulse
-Identification with same-sex parents
Punishes the ego with guilt when wrongdoing
When does the Id develop?
From Birth
When does the super ego develop?
Age 5
When does the ego develop?
Age 2
What is the ego?
- ‘Reality principle’
- Mediator of Id and Superego
- Cognitive abilities to manage and control Id and balance desires against the restrictions of reality and superego
- Defence mechanism from id-superego
What are the defence mechanisms?
- Repression
- Denial
- Displacement
What is repression?
Forcing a distressing or threatening memory out of your conscious
An example of repression?
Individual forgetting the trauma of their favourite pet dying
What is denial?
Failing or refusing to acknowledge some aspects of reality
An example of denial?
Continuing to turn up to work even though you have been fired
What is displacement?
Transferring feeling from the true object of anxiety onto a substitute target/object
An example of displacement?
Slamming the door after a row with your girlfriend
Childhood events have a great influence on out…..
adult lives
Events that occur in childhood remain in our…
Unconscience
Who proposed that all children go through the same five stages of development?
Freud
What are the five stages of psychosexual development?
- Oral
- Anal
- Phallic
- Latent
- Genital
What stage of the psychosexual development occur at 0-1 years of age?
Oral
What stage of the psychosexual development occur at 1-3 years of age?
Anal
What stage of the psychosexual development occur at 3-5 years of age?
Phallic
What stage of the psychosexual development occur at 6-11 years of age?
Latent
What stage of the psychosexual development occur at 12+ years of age?
Genital
What occurs at the oral stage of the psychosexual development?
- Mouth = main pleasure
- Child enjoys tasting/sucking
What happens if oral stage successfully completed?
Weaning - eating independently
What happens if oral stage is incomplete?
Oral fixation - sarcastic, critical, bite nails
What occurs at the anal stage of the psychosexual development?
- Anus = pleasure
- Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces
What happens if anal stage is successfully completed?
potty training
What causes unresolved conflict during the oral stage?
Under or over fed
What causes unresolved conflict during the anal stage?
Too strict or too lax potty
What happens if anal stage is incomplete?
- Anally retentive - very tidy, stubborn, likes orders
- Anally expulsive - Thoughtless, messy
What occurs at the phallic stage of the psychosexual development?
- Genitals = pleasure
- Oedipus complex
- Electra complex
What happens if phallic stage successfully completed?
- Boys identifies with father
- Girl identifies with mother
What causes unresolved conflict during the phallic stage?
Not identifying with the opposite parent
What happens if phallic stage is incomplete?
Phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless, possible homosexual
What occurs at the latency stage of the psychosexual development?
- earlier conflict are repressed
- Sexual urges sublimated into sports
- Developing same-sex friendships
What happens if latency stage is incomplete?
Nothing
What occurs at the gentital stage of the psychosexual development?
- Puberty into adulthood
- Focus (less than phallic stage) on genitals
- Sexual desires become conscious
- Develop healthy adult relationships
What must be completed in order for succession of the genital stage to be complete?
Earlier stages
What happens if unable to complete genital stage?
Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
How to remember the psychosexual stages of development?
Old = Oral Age = Anal Pensioners = Phallic Love = Latent Guinness = Genital
What was the case study Freud focused on to develop is theory of psychosexual stages of development?
Little Hans
What was little Hans suffering from?
Phobia of horses and range of other symptoms
How many times did freud actually have direct contact with little Hans?
No more than twice
Who gave Freud the information of Little Hans to analyse?
Little Hans father
Who did the horse in Little Hans phobia represent?
His father
What are the strengths of psychodynamic approach?
- Practical applications (counselling, psychotherapy, psychiatry)
- Idea of the motivated unconscious has had a huge impact on Western thought
- Treats who person
- Little Hans
What are the limitations of psychodynamic approach?
- Non-falsifiable
- Case study is unrepresentative = lacks generalisability
- Freud being sexist
- Psychic deterministic
