Approaches in psychology

Question 1

What is the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

What is psychoanalysis?

Answer 3

A term used to describe the personality theory & therapy associated with Sigmund Freud

Question 4

What is the unconscious mind?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What was Sigmund Freud’s main belief?

Answer 5

He believed that behaviour was determined more by psychological factors than by biological factors or environmental reinforcement

Question 6

What did Freud think people were born with?

Answer 6

He assumed that people are born with basic instincts & needs and behaviour that is in large part controlled by the unconscious mind

Question 7

What did Sigmund Freud believe the unconscious mind was?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

What was the metaphor that Freud had to describe the mind?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

How did Freud believe the unconscious mind affected our everyday actions and decisions?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What did Freud believe about how the mind controls our unconscious mind?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

How did Freud believe that memories from the unconscious mind affect people?

Answer 11

These memories can cause anxiety; therefore the mind uses defence mechanisms to prevent the person becoming aware of them

Question 12

What were the 3 structures called that Freud divided the mind into?

Answer 12

• The id
• The ego
• The superego

Question 13

What was the id?

Answer 13

The id operates solely in the unconscious and it operates according to the pleasure principle

Question 14

What is contained in the id?

Answer 14

The libido - the biological energy created by the reproductive instincts

Question 15

What was the ego?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What is the superego divided into?

Answer 16

It is divided into the conscience and the ego-ideal

Question 17

What is the superego?

Answer 17

(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

Question 18

When do people tend to use defense mechanisms?

Answer 18

If an individual is faced with a situation that they are unable to deal with rationally they may trigger defence mechanisms

Question 19

How do defence mechanisms tend to operate?

Answer 19

They operate unconsciously & work by distorting reality so that anxiety is reduced

Question 20

How does using defence mechanisms help an individual?

Answer 20

It allows them to stop themselves becoming aware of any unpleasant thoughts & feelings associated with the traumatic situation

Question 21

What are 3 examples of defence mechanisms?

Answer 21

• Repression
• Denial
• Displacement

Question 22

What is repression?

Answer 22

It refers to the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts & impulses

Question 23

How does repression affect soemone’s behaviour?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

What was the unconcious mind like according to Freud?

Answer 24

It is unaccesible to concious thought

Question 25

What did Freud name the parts of the the mind that you cannot interact with?

Answer 25

The preconcious and unconcious mind

Question 26

What metaphor did Freud use to describe the mind?

Answer 26

The iceberg metaphor

Question 27

What was the structure of the iceberg that Freud described?

Answer 27

• 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

Question 28

What does the Id drive?

Answer 28

Pleasure, selfish, fear, anger and lust

Question 29

What does the ego drive?

Answer 29

Reality, logic, balance, compromise and reason

Question 30

What does the superego drive?

Answer 30

Morality, guilt and conscience

Question 31

Why did Freud think that we can’t access certain areas of the mind?

Answer 31

The brain is intelligent so it stops harmful thoughts/mems from becoming concious

Question 32

What did Freud call the unconcious mind surpressing harmful thoughts/memories?

Answer 32

A defence mechanism

Question 33

What was a “Freudian slip”?

Answer 33

Where the unconcious mind lets something through that it was trying to surpress

Question 34

What are the 4 types of defence mechanisms?

Answer 34

• Repression
• Denial
• Displacement
• Minimalisation

Question 35

What happens in the defence mechanism Repression?

Answer 35

Individual “bottles up” their feelings (try not to think about them)

Question 36

What happens in the defence mechanism Denial?

Answer 36

Individual pretends there’s no problem

Question 37

What happens in the defence mechanism Displacement?

Answer 37

Individual takes out their feelings on another, usually a similar object/person

Question 38

What happens in the defence mechanism Minimisation?

Answer 38

Individual tells themself it’s not as big a deal as it is

Question 39

What are Freud’s 5 Psychosexual Stages of Development

Answer 39

• Oral (Mouth)
• Anal (Anus)
• Phallic (Penis/clitoris)
• Latent (No sexual motivation)
• Genital (Penis/vagina)

Question 40

In which pychosexual stage does the ego develop?

Answer 40

Oral

Question 41

In which pychosexual stage does the superego develop?

Answer 41

Phallic

Question 42

What are some +ives of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 42

• Explanatory power
• Influence on the field (behaviourism)
• Prac. applications
• Face validity - easy to explain & understand
• Treatments well-accepted & show some success