Approaches 2 Flashcards
what is the main idea of the psychodynamic approach?
What was Freuds proposition about the symptoms of his patients?
that the unconscious mind can influence behaviour
physical symptoms were actually caused by deep rooted psychological conflict within the unconscious mind
what are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
- the unconscious forces in our mind determine our thoughts, feelings and behaviour
- behaviour as adults is strongly influenced by childhood experiences
- abnormal behaviour is a result of mental conflict
- the mind can be divided into 3 levels of consciousness- demonstrated by iceberg (unconscious has most influence on behaviour but is hidden)
- behaviour is determined more by psychological factors than biological or environmental. born with basic instincts and needs
- most actions and behaviours are a product of the unconscious
what did freud suggest made up the structure off personality? tripartile
Id
Ego
Superego
what is the Id?
instinct part of personality that we are born with
source of unconscious desires and impulses and demands instant gratification of hunger, thirst, sex
primitive part of our personality
operates according to
pleasure principle
What is the ego?
represents conscious mind
develops around 2-3
balances Id in society as it realises needs cant always be met
logical, rational and seeks Id in socially acceptable ways
operates according to reality principle
What is superego?
formed 5-6
contains morals
internalised same-sex parent
ensures ego doesnt use unacceptable means to satisfy Id
superego takes over role of parents telling us how to behave
2 parts:
- conscious- tells what we should not do- guilt
- ego ideal- tells us what we should do- pride
operates according to
morality principle
what is someone with a strong id like?
what is someone with a strong superego like?
demanding, selfish, irrational
judgemental or people pleaser
What are defence mechanisms?
role?
triggered when we are unable to deal with a situation
mainly unconscious and distort reality to decrease anxiety (prevent conscious from experiencing anxiety) but are only temporary (need to directly confront situations to properly deal with them)
can be psychologically damaging as person is no longer aware of unpleasant feelings associated w the situation
What are the 3 defence mechanisms?
repression
denial
displacement
what is repression?
unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts/ impulses
rather than staying quietly in unconscious, repressed thoughts and impulses continue to influence behaviour wo person being aware of reasons
what is denial?
refusal to accept reality so as to avoid dealing w painful feelings associated w the event
person acts as if event didnt happen- bizarre to people around them
what is displacement?
redirecting thoughts/ feelings in situations where person feels unable to express them is presence of person they should be directed to
take it out on helpless victim/ object- gives hostile feelings a route for expression
eg Little Hans’ fear of horses was displaced fear of father due to unresolved oedipus complex
What are psychosexual stages of development
freud though different parts of our body are sensitive as we grow- erogenous zones
we pass through 5 stages and in each, libido (sexual energy) is focused on a particular organ
remembered by ‘old age pensioners love guiness’
what is the oral stage?
0-1 years
mouth is the organ of pleasure
babies do actually have more nerve endings here
become fixated in this stage if they were over or under fed
what is the anal stage?
1-3 years
organ of pleasure is the anus
pleasure from retention or expulsion
ego develops
fixation can come from too strict or too lax potty training- become anally retentive or anally expulsive
what is the phallic stage?
3-6 years
organ of pleasure is genitals as child becomes fully aware of gender differences
most important stage and this is where oedopus complex occurs
what is the oedipus complex?
children in phallic stage have unconscious sexual desires for opposite sex parent so resentful of same sex parent as they are a competitor for love
boys unconsciously desire mothers but realise father is bigger and stronger so cant compete
realise girls dont have a penis and think they have been castrated so have castration anxiety
to overcome this, they identify with father and internalise his morals- superego
if they become more masculine, father will like them and wont want to castrate them
what is the electra complex?
not as clearly defined- afterthought
viewed femininity as failed masculinity
says girls believe they dont have a penis as mothers already castrated them
turn to fathers for love in hopes of regaining penis
suffer penis envy- only resolved by having a male baby, male lover or career (become more like a man)
what is the latency stage?
age 6
puberty
sexual desires remain dormant
want nothing to do with opposite sex as social and intellectual development occurs
what is the genital stage?
puberty- maturity
beginning of mature adult sexuality
the calm of latency makes Id more powerful in demands for heterosexual desires
opposite sex is now required to satisfy libido
what is fixation?
child needs to successfully pass through psychosexual stages of development yet conflict can occur in each (except latency)
if child receives too much/ little stimulation, libido can be fixated in this stage- seriously affects development of adult personality
fixation in genital stage is normal (viewed homosexuality as abnormal)
personality traits if suck in:
oral stage
anal stage
phallic stage
genital stage
dependant, trusting, excessive eating, drinking, smoking, nail biting
anally retentive (strict potty training)- orderly, clean, miserly. anally expulsive (lax potty training)- untidy, generous, impulsive
vain, reckless, self-centred, ambitious, exploits others
struggle forming heterosexual relationships
Evaluate the psychodynamic approach
+
explanatory power- controversial but had big influence & used to explain things eg personality development, abnormal behaviour. draws attention to connection between experiences in childhood and later development
case study method- not generalisable, subjective (so lacks reliability)
untestable concepts- doesnt meet scientific criterion of falsification. unconscious so impossible to test accurately- pseudoscience
Little Hans case study
what is the humanistic approach?
developed by abraham maslow and carl rogers in 1950s
focus on conscious human experience and free will- paved way for positive psych and emphasises personal growth and fulfillment
all unique so making generalised laws about behaviour is inappropriate
cant know what someone will do wo knowing the individual
what are the key features of the humanism
maslow’s hierarchy of needs and self-actualisation
free will
focus on the self
congruence/ incongruence
conditions of worth
what is maslow’s hierarchy of needs and self-actualisation
maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been very influential in psych and econ
most basic needs must be met before move onto next
the goal is self-actualisation where we feel most alive, moments of inspiration and ecstasy- doesnt happen often
all born w innate drive to self-actualise but all get there in own ways
what is free will?
we have full conscious control over destiny
not necessarily free to do anything- subject to forces such as biological and societal influences
still able to make significant personal choices within these constraints
what is the focus on the self?
rogers argues concept of self comes from opinion of others (positive regard) and own feelings of self-worth developed in childhood as a result of interactions w parents
what is congruence/incongruence?
rogers argues that we have a slef-concept (how we see ourselves) and ideal self (how we would like to be)
if they are similar, we are in a state of congruence
if large gap, incongruence
what are conditions of worth?
unconditional love- unconditional positive regard
conditional love- conditional positive regard
other people may hinder persons progress to self-actualisation by placing conditions upon them
what is the influence of the humanistic approach on counselling psychology?
- rogers 1959 said individuals psychological probs were result of conditions of worth & conditional positive regard
- believed that counselling could allow people to solve own probs in constructive ways and become more fully functioning
- therapists are guides/ facilitators not directors to help people understand themselves and self actualise
- therapists provide unconditional positive regard- supportive- dissolve conditions of worth
- person becomes more authentic to themselves
what are some characteristics and behaviours of self-actualisers?
perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty
accept themselves and others
spontaneous
creative
deep appreciation for basic events
experience life like a child
try new things
take responsibility in working hard
evaluate the humanistic approach
+
research support for conditions of worth- increases validity- harter et al 1996- teens who feel they have to fulfil certain conditions to gain parents approval end up not liking themselves and more likely to develop depression
prac aps through therapy- client centred therapies help people solve problems in constructive ways. therapist shows unconditional positive regard offering supportive environ to dissolve conditions of worth
-
evidence used to support fails to establish causal relationship between variables - correlation not causation- non-experimental research methods were used
unrealistic, idealised view of human nature. doesnt recognise capacity for pessimism and self destructive behaviour . oversimplification (all problems due to blocked self actualisation) unrealistic to just focus on self- development rather than situational forces
cultural diffs in hierarchy of needs- nevis 1983 carried out study in china finding belongingness needs were seen as more fundamental than physiological needs and self actualisation was determined by contributions to community
what themes are used to compare approaches?
- determinism- refers to belief that behaviour is determined by outside forces beyond control and ignores free will
- nature vs nurture- product of biology/ interaction with environment
- reductionism- belief that human behaviour can most effectively explained by breaking it down into constituent parts and focusing on one factor
- holisim- opposite of reductionism
- psychology as a science- extent to which scientific method is used
- practical applications
behaviourism
environmental determinism- learning (classical, operant, SLT)
nurture
scientific- experimental methods
reductionist- breaks behaviour into stimulus-response links
biological
deterministic- genes, brain structure, hormones
nature
scientific- experimental methods and tech eg EEG
reductionist- reduces to genes/ neurons
cognitive
free will and determinism- cant control if have - thoughts but can change them
nature (thought processes are innate) and nurture (experiences can affect thought processes)
scientific- but inference as thoughts arent directly observable. cognitive neuroscience
machine reductionist
psychodynamic
deterministic- unconscious motivation
nature and nurture
not scientific- unfalsifiable, untestable- decreases reliability
reductionist- reduces to sexual drives and instincts (avoid using this)
humanistic
free will- choice
nature (innate drive to self actualise) and nurture (experiences affect growth)
not scientific- human experiences are too complex for simple experimentation
holistic- lots of factors
SLT
free will and determinism- cant control what behaviour you see but can control if you imitate
nurture
scientific- uses experimental methods and control conditions
reductionist and holistic- reduces to observation and imitation but includes cognitive processes
what is the order of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem needs, self-actualisation
