Appraoches To Psychology: Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What does the psychodynamic approach investigate

Answer 1

Emphasises the active nature of mental processes and their role in shaping personality and behaviour
This approach was developed by Sigmund Freud

Question 2

Assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 2

Human behaviour has unconscious causes that we’re not aware of
From birth, humans have a need to fulfil basic biological motivations - for food, sleep warmth etc
Childhood experiences are a really important influence on the development of adult personality and psychological disorders

Question 3

What are the three levels of consciousness

Answer 3

Conscious
Preconscious
Unconscious

Question 4

What is the conscious level of consciousness

Answer 4

This is what we are aware of at any given time
E.g. what we are seeing, hearing, smelling of thinking

Question 5

What is the preconscious level of consciousness

Answer 5

This is made up of memories that we can recall when we want to
E.g. we can recall our address, phone number, childhood memories or what we did at the weekend

Question 6

What is the unconscious level of consciousness

Answer 6

Made up of memories, desires and fears which cause us extreme anxiety
This means that they are repressed and forced out of conscious awareness
However, the unconscious still influences behaviour
E.g. it causes Freudian slips and influences the content of our dreams
This part of our mind can be accessed with the help of a psychoanalyst, using the methods that Freud developed

Question 7

What are the 3 components that make up our personality according to Freud

Answer 7

id
Ego
Superego

Question 8

What is the id

Answer 8

Basic animal part of the personality which contains our innate, aggressive and sexual instincts
Wants to be satisfied by whatever means possible
Obeys the pleasure principle
It accounts for unreasonable behaviour and appears at birth

Question 9

What is the ego

Answer 9

The ego exists in both the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind
Acts as a rational part known as the reality principle
Develops within the first 3 years after birth
Balances id and superego to keep out behaviour in line

Question 10

What is the superego

Answer 10

Superego is in both conscious and unconscious parts of the mind
Part of the mind that takes our morals into consideration
Is involved in making us feel guilty
Develops around 4-5 years of age
Includes ideas about how to behave that we adopt from parents

Question 11

What are Freudian slips

Answer 11

Slips of the tongue believed to reveal a person’s secret thoughts
E.g. calling your bf/ gf by your ex’s name

Question 12

How is the iceberg used to show parts of the personality

Answer 12

The tip of the iceberg is the conscious part of the mind made up of part of the ego and part of the superego
Majority of personality comes from the unconscious mind, below the surface which is made up of the id, part of the ego and the rest of the superego

Question 13

What did Freud believe about the different parts of consciousness

Answer 13

The 3 different parts can be in conflict
E.g. there can be a conflict between the id and superego because the id wants instant satisfaction, while the superego tries to impose morals

Question 14

What can conflicts in parts of the personality lead to

Answer 14

They can lead to anxiety
It’s then the ego’s job to mediate between the id and the superego to reduce this anxiety

Question 15

What are the 3 unconscious defence mechanisms

Answer 15

Repression
Denial
Displacement

Question 16

What is repression

Answer 16

Repression involves ego stopping unwanted and painful thoughts from becoming conscious
E.g. someone who experienced a traumatic incident, such as being mugged, may not recall it later. This is because they have repressed the memory

Question 17

What is denial

Answer 17

Denial is where a threatening event or an unwanted reality is ignored and blocked from conscious awareness
E.g. a drug addict deny that they have a problem, or someone suffering from grief might deny that their loved one has died

Question 18

What is displacement

Answer 18

Displacement happens when a negative impulse is redirected onto something else
This could be another person or an object
E.g. if you boss has made you angry at work, you might redirect your anger towards something else by kicking a door at home

Question 19

What is the Oral psychosexual

Answer 19

This develops at 0 - 18 months old
Mouth is main focus of pleasure
Child enjoy tasting and sucking and the mother’s breast is the object of desire
Successful completion is shown by eating independently

If unresolved: oral fixation - sarcastic, critical, sensitive to rejection - overeats and drinks, bite nails, may smoke

Question 20

What is the anal stage

Answer 20

Develops at 18 months - 3 years

Defecation is main source of pleasure
Successful completion marked by potty training

Anally retentive - very tidy, stubborn, likes order and being in control, perfectionist, obsessive
Anally expulsive - thoughtless, messy

Question 21

What is the phallic stage

Answer 21

Develops 3 - 5 years old

Form of pleasure is the genital area

Oedipus complex: boy wants his mother as his ‘primary love object’ and 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 and hate their mother

If unresolved: phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual

Question 22

What is the latency stage

Answer 22

Develops 5 years - puberty approx

Earlier conflicts are repressed
Sexual urges sublimated into sports and other hobbies
Focus on developing same sex friendships
No particular requirements for successful completion

Question 23

What is the genital stage

Answer 23

Develops from puberty into adulthood

Focus on genitals 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

If unresolved: difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 24

How do psychosexual stages develop

Answer 24

Each stage of psychosexual development focuses on obtaining pleasure through a certain part of the body
How parents raise a child affects how much pleasure is obtained through that stage ( e.g. how strict they are when potty training and what type of roles models they are )
If a child doesn’t receive enough pleasure, or they receive too much, during a stage of development, they will become fixated at that stage

Question 25

How do psychosexual stages effect our behaviour or personality

Answer 25

This experience is all repressed into the unconscious, but influences adult personality
Severe fixation could lead to a psychological disorder

Question 26

Method of Freud’s The case study of Little Hans study

Answer 26

Freud carried out case study of a child called Hans who had a phobia of horses
Hans was observed by his father, who made notes of Han’s dream and what he said
He passed these onto Freud for analysis

Question 27

Results of Freud’s The case study of Little Hans study

Answer 27

Hans was afraid of horses because he thought they may bite or fall on him
During study he developed an interest in his penis
His mum had told him not to play with it or she’d cut it off
Hans told his dad about a dream where he was married to his mum and his dad was now his grandfather

Question 28

Conclusion of Freud’s The case study of Little Hans study

Answer 28

Freuds interpretation was that Hans had reached phallic stage of development
Showed evidence of Oedipus complex ( wanted relationship with mother as wanted father out of the way )
Hans had sexual feelings for his mother, shown partly by his dream of marrying her
The horse symbolised Han’s father because, to him, they both had big penises

His fear of horses horses is an example of displacement - a defence mechanism that protected him from his real fear of his father

Hans suffered from castration anxiety
He was afraid that he would be castrated by his father if he found out about his feelings for his mother
This was symbolised by Hans’s fear that a horse would bite him

Question 29

Evaluation of Freud’s The case study of Little Hans study

Answer 29

Case study - it provided lots of detailed data about one subject
Results cannot be generalised because of this
Findings provided evidence to support Freuds theories
Results were based entirely on observation and interpretation
This means cause and effect relationship cannot be established
Could be other explanations e.g. Hans’ anxiety may have come from his mother threatening to cut his penis off
Also, before the study, Hans had been frightened by a horse falling down in the street, which could explain his fear of them
Freud analysed information from Hans’s father, results could be biased

Question 30

Positive evaluation of psychodynamic approach: explanatory power

Answer 30

Freud has had a huge influence on Psychology, as he conducted research on personality disorders
- Development
- Abnormalities
- Moral development
- Gender
- Attachment- experiences as children and our parents and later development
He had a big influence and other psychologists were more likely to listen to him

Question 31

Negative evaluation of psychodynamic approach: the case study method

Answer 31

We can’t make universal claims about human nature based on studies about individuals with psychological abnormalities
Highly subjective
Lacks scientific rigour

Question 32

Negative evaluation of psychodynamic approach: untestable concepts

Answer 32

Popper argued that the psychodynamic approach does not meet the scientific criterion of falsification as it is not open to empirical testing and the possibility of disproval.
Unconscious is difficult to test
Suggested it is a pseudoscience

Question 33

Positive evaluation of psychodynamic approach: practical application

Answer 33

Psychoanalysis – range of techniques used to access the unconscious, includes dream analysis and hypnosis
Useful therapeutic tool for neuroses

Question 34

Negative evaluation of psychodynamic approach: psychic determinism

Answer 34

No such thing as an accident
Slip of the tongue is driven by the unconscious forces and has deep symbolic meaning
Free will is an illusion- conflict from childhood

Question 35

Negative evaluation of psychodynamic approach: gender bias

Answer 35

Gender bias- alpha bias
Freud said femininity was failed masculinity and that we can never believe that the 2 sexes are equal in position or worth.

Horney broke away from Freudian theory and criticised the approach.
Dismissing women and their sexuality in such a way is problematic because psychoanalysis is still influential today and many female patients are treated by it.
With such a clear bias it is inappropriate for the approach to be applied to both sexes

Question 36

Strengths of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 36

Psychodynamic approach was first theory to focus on psychological causes of disorders
Before this, focus had been on physical causes or possession by evil spirits

One of the first approaches to suggest that mental health disorders may be linked to unresolved conflicts related to biological needs

Offers methods of therapy ( such as psychoanalysis ) which may also uncover unconscious conflicts.
Patients can then understand causes of their problems and resolve and release their anxieties

Freud’s theory places emphasis on how experiences in early childhood can affect later development which formed the basis for lots of other important theories

Question 37

Weaknesses of psychodynamic approach

Answer 37

Freud’s claims are based on subjective interpretations of his patients’ dreams, etc
Therefore they’re often unreliable and open to bias

Freud’s theories are related to the unconscious mind, which can’t be accessed
As such, his theories are unfalsifiable ( i.e. they can’t be proved wrong )

Psychoanalysis may take a long time and so be very expensive
Childhood conflicts that are uncovered may be emotionally distressing and possibly inaccurate, depending on the reliability of the patient’s memory, the techniques used to uncover them and the analyst’s interpretations

The focus is on patient’s past, rather than on the problems that they are currently suffering

The approach is based on case studies of people in distress, so findings can’t be generalisable to everyone else

These non scientific research methods mean it’s not possible to establish cause and effect

Question 38

Negative evaluation of psychodynamic approach: limited practical application

Answer 38

Psychoanalysis is unable to treat more severe mental health disorders such as schizophrenia