Approaches in psychology Flashcards
What is the psychodynamic approach?
Any theory that emphasises change & development in the individual
Also used to describe theories where drive is a central concept in this development
The best known psychodynamic theory is the Freudian psychoanalysis
What are defence mechanisms?
Unconscious strategies that protect our conscious mind from anxiety.
They involve a distortion of reality in some way, so that we are better able to cope with a situation.
What is psychoanalysis?
A term used to describe the personality theory & therapy associated with Sigmund Freud
What is the unconscious mind?
Part of the human mind that contains repressed ideas & memories, as well as primitive desires & impulses that have never been allowed to enter the conscious mind
What was Sigmund Freud’s main belief?
He believed that behaviour was determined more by psychological factors than by biological factors or environmental reinforcement
What did Freud think people were born with?
He assumed that people are born with basic instincts & needs and behaviour that is in large part controlled by the unconscious mind
What did Sigmund Freud believe the unconscious mind was?
He believed in the existence of a part of the mind that was inaccessible to conscious thought - he referred to this as the unconscious mind
What was the metaphor that Freud had to describe the mind?
An iceberg
- The tip of the iceberg represents the conscious mind which is visible
- The larger part that is hidden underwater is the unconscious mind
How did Freud believe the unconscious mind affected our everyday actions and decisions?
He believed that most of our everyday actions & behaviours are not controlled consciously but are the product of the unconscious mind
The unconscious mind reveals itself in slips of the tongue, in creativity and in neurotic symptoms
What did Freud believe about how the mind controls our unconscious mind?
The unconscious mind influence every part of our waking and sleeping lives
He believed that the mind actively prevents traumatic memories from the unconscious from reaching conscious awareness
How did Freud believe that memories from the unconscious mind affect people?
These memories can cause anxiety; therefore the mind uses defence mechanisms to prevent the person becoming aware of them
What were the 3 structures called that Freud divided the mind into?
- The id
- The ego
- The superego
What was the id?
The id operates solely in the unconscious and it operates according to the pleasure principle
What is contained in the id?
The libido - the biological energy created by the reproductive instincts
What was the ego?
The ego mediates between the impulsive demands of the id and the reality of the external world (the reality principle)
It must also compromise between the impulsive demands of the id and the moralistic demands of the superego
What is the superego divided into?
It is divided into the conscience and the ego-ideal
What is the superego?
(It is divided into the conscience and the ego ideal)
The conscience is the internalisation of societal rules, it determines what behaviours are acceptable and causes feelings of guilt when the rules are broken
The ego-ideal is what a person strives towards, and is most probably determined by parental standards of good behaviour
When do people tend to use defense mechanisms?
If an individual is faced with a situation that they are unable to deal with rationally they may trigger defence mechanisms
How do defence mechanisms tend to operate?
They operate unconsciously & work by distorting reality so that anxiety is reduced
How does using defence mechanisms help an individual?
It allows them to stop themselves becoming aware of any unpleasant thoughts & feelings associated with the traumatic situation
What are 3 examples of defence mechanisms?
- Repression
- Denial
- Displacement
What is repression?
It refers to the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts & impulses
How does repression affect soemone’s behaviour?
Rather than staying quietly in the unconscious, these repressed thoughts & impulses continue to influence behaviour without the individual being aware of the reasons behind their behaviour
What was the unconcious mind like according to Freud?
It is unaccesible to concious thought
What did Freud name the parts of the the mind that you cannot interact with?
The preconcious and unconcious mind
What metaphor did Freud use to describe the mind?
The iceberg metaphor
What was the structure of the iceberg that Freud described?
- Concious level –> (ego) Above the surface of the water (what people see)
- Subconcious level –> (superego) Just below the suface, memories etc
- Unconcious level –> (Id) below the surface, conciously unaware of these thoughts
What does the Id drive?
Pleasure, selfish, fear, anger and lust
What does the ego drive?
Reality, logic, balance, compromise and reason
What does the superego drive?
Morality, guilt and conscience
Why did Freud think that we can’t access certain areas of the mind?
The brain is intelligent so it stops harmful thoughts/mems from becoming concious
What did Freud call the unconcious mind surpressing harmful thoughts/memories?
A defence mechanism
What was a “Freudian slip”?
Where the unconcious mind lets something through that it was trying to surpress
What are the 4 types of defence mechanisms?
- Repression
- Denial
- Displacement
- Minimalisation
What happens in the defence mechanism Repression?
Individual “bottles up” their feelings (try not to think about them)
What happens in the defence mechanism Denial?
Individual pretends there’s no problem
What happens in the defence mechanism Displacement?
Individual takes out their feelings on another, usually a similar object/person
What happens in the defence mechanism Minimisation?
Individual tells themself it’s not as big a deal as it is
What are Freud’s 5 Psychosexual Stages of Development
- Oral (Mouth)
- Anal (Anus)
- Phallic (Penis/clitoris)
- Latent (No sexual motivation)
- Genital (Penis/vagina)
In which pychosexual stage does the ego develop?
Oral
In which pychosexual stage does the superego develop?
Phallic
What are some +ives of the psychodynamic approach?
- Explanatory power
- Influence on the field (behaviourism)
- Prac. applications
- Face validity - easy to explain & understand
- Treatments well-accepted & show some success
