Approaches: Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

Psychodynamic Approach Overview.

Answer 1

• Freud was the founder of the psychodynamic approach.
• Psychodynamic means any theory that emphasises individual change and development.
• Freud argued that behaviour is due to psychological factors (the mind). No behaviour is random there is a psychological reasoning behind it.
• Developed psychoanalysis - talking therapy which deals with conflicts in the mind. Once the conflict is resolved the individual is ‘mentally healthy’ again.

Question 2

Psychodynamic Basic Assumptions.

Answer 2

• The unconscious mind is thought to drive behaviour so if there is any issues with an individual’s behaviour, their unconscious mind must be accessed in order to rectify the behaviour.
• Instincts are thought to motivate behaviour this means we go through stages within development as there is an innate drive that helps to form our behaviour and personality.
• Early childhood experiences are important in making us who we are, meaning that certain experiences at a particular time can be reflected in our adult behaviour.

Question 3

Role Of The Unconscious: Iceberg Model

Answer 3

• The unconscious mind is explained with the iceberg model:
  Conscious Mind - the tip of the iceberg that we can see.
  Preconscious Mind - look into water, you can see some of the iceberg.
  Unconscious Mind - the part of the iceberg that we are unable to see, unless we are submerged in the water.

Question 4

Role Of The Unconscious Mind

Answer 4

• The part of the mind that we are unaware of but every day action is thought to be controlled by unconscious mind.
• Our conscious mind is thought to show our behaviour through: Freudian slips.
• The unconscious also contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed - forgotten about.

Question 5

Structure Of Personality.

Answer 5

• There are three parts to personality known as tripartite system.
• Early experiences are thought to be vital in shaping our personality and this affects how someone behaves.
• All three parts demand gratification, but are frequently in contact with each other.
• The three parts which make up personality is the Id, the ego, the superego.

Question 6

Describe The Id.

Answer 6

• Present at birth and forms up until about 18 months.
• Operates on pleasure principle - the id gets what it wants.
• It is entirely selfish and demands instant gratification of its needs.

Question 7

Describe The Ego.

Answer 7

• Develops between 18 months and 3 years.
• It operates on the reality principle and is the mediator between the id and the superego.
• Its role is to reduce the conflict between the demands of the id and the superego.
• Does this through demand mechanism which offers the ego protection to ensure that neither ‘force’ is dominant.

Question 8

Describe The Superego.

Answer 8

• Develops between 3 and 6 years and formed at the end of phallic stage.
• It is our internalised sense of right and wrong.
• It operates on the morality principle which represents the moral standards of society and parents values.
• It strives for you to be the best person you can be.

Question 9

Describe The Defence Mechanisms.

Answer 9

• They distort reality to reduce anxiety.
• This is because anxiety weakens the ego and means it cannot mediate between the ID and superego.
• Repression: Blocking of an unpleasant memory.
• Denial: Refusal to accept reality.
• Displacement: Redirecting of emotions onto other objects or people.

Question 10

Psychosexual Stages Overview.

Answer 10

• Instincts drive our unconscious mind dictate the stages.
• Underlying drive is sexual-pleasure which comes from the release of the tension due to the build up of sexual energy.
• Each stage is marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve in order to progress successfully into the next stage
• Strict parenting vs overindulgence in each stage can cause fixation.
• Conflict unresolved which leads the child becoming ‘stuck’ and carry certain behaviours and conflicts from that stage into adult life.

Question 11

Stage 1: Oral

Answer 11

• 0-1 years.
• Focus of pleasure is the mouth, mother’s breast is object of desire.
• Consequence of unresolved conflict: oral fixation - smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical.

Question 12

Stage 2: Anal

Answer 12

• 1-3 years.
• Focus on pleasure is the anus. Child gains pleasure from withhold and expelling faeces.
• Consequences of unresolved conflict: Anal retentive - perfectionists, obsessives. Anal expulsive - thoughtless, messy.

Question 13

Stage 3: Phallic

Answer 13

• 3-5 years.
• Focus of pleasure is the genital area. Child experiences the Oedipus or Electra complex.
• Consequences of unresolved conflict: Phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless, possibility homosexual.

Question 14

Stage 4: Latency

Answer 14

• Earlier conflicts are repressed.

Question 15

Stage 5: Genital

Answer 15

• Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty.
• Consequence of unresolved conflict: difficulty forming heterosexual relationships.

Question 16

What Is Oedipus Complex?

Answer 16

• In phallic stage little boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother and murderous hatred for their mother’s rival in love - their father.
• Fearing that their father will castrate them they repress their feelings for their mother and identify with their gender, taking on gender role and moral values.

Question 17

What Is Electra Complex?

Answer 17

• Girls experience penis envy - they desire their father, as the penis is primary love object and they hate their mother.
• Although Freud was less clear on the process in girls, they thought to give up the desire for their father over time and replace with desire for wanting a baby. Therefore identifying with their mother in the process.

Question 18

Strength: Evaluation - Influential Approach.

Answer 18

• The psychodynamic approach had a huge influence on psychology.
• It has been used to explain a wide range of phenomena including personality development, abnormal behaviour, moral development and gender.
• This shows how important Freud’s ideas have been in the development of psychology as a discipline.
• This suggests that the approach has a place in explaining human behaviour.

Question 19

Weakness: Evaluation - Case Study Limitation

Answer 19

• The research methods used in psychodynamic approach have been criticised .
• Freud’s theory is based on the intensive study of single individuals such as Little Hans who were often in therapy.
• This questions the accuracy of the theory and approach as the findings from the case studies may not true for everyone.
• This limits how useful the psychodynamic approach is when trying to explain behaviour.

Question 20

Weakness: Evaluation - Unfalsifiable.

Answer 20

• The psychodynamic approach cannot be falsified (does not have the potential to be disapproved).
• For example, the id and Oedipus complex are said to occur at an unconscious level meaning that they are difficult, if not impossible to test.
• This means that the psychodynamic approach is classed as pseudoscience.
• This reduces its credibility in explaining human behaviour.

Question 21

Strength: Evaluation - Practical Application.

Answer 21

• The psychodynamic approach has practical application.
• Freud developed psychoanalysis which involves a range of techniques designed to access the unconscious.
• Psychoanalysis is used to treat many patients with mental health problems.
• The fact that the approach has led to the development of a therapy which is effective for some individuals suggests that the unconscious is involved in our thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

Question 22

Limitation: Evaluation - Physic Determinism

Answer 22

• The psychodynamic approach is deterministic.
• It suggests that all human behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control.
• This removes the notion of free will as it suggests that people do not have a choice over their behaviour.
• This goes against the beliefs that a lot of us hold the decisions that we make and may mean that people are not as accountable for their behaviour as society would like them to be.