Approaches - Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

AO1

Answer 1

• Psychoanalysis – The Personality theory and therapy associated with Sigmund Freud
• Unconscious – The part of the human mind that contains repressed ideas, memories, desires, and impulses that cannot be accessed by the conscious mind.
• Id – entirely unconscious, the Id is made up of selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification
• Ego – the ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the id and the superego
• Superego – the moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self – how we ought to be
• Psychosexual stages – Freud’s stage theory proposing that personality develops through a sequence of five stages which are driven by libido (need for pleasure and to express sexual energy), which can be shown through Freud’s research.

Question 2

AO3

Answer 2

• A strength of the Psychodynamic approach is that it has real world application
• For example, Freud brought a new form of therapy to the world called psychoanalysis by bringing the clients repressed emotions into their conscious mind so they can be dealt with
• This is a strength because it was the first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologically rather than physically and is the forerunner to many modern-day ‘talking therapies’ such as counselling.
• However, it can be argued that psychoanalysis is regarded as inappropriate, even harmful, for people experiencing more serious mental disorders like schizophrenia, showing that Freudian therapy cannot be applied to everyone
• Despite this, the psychodynamic approach helped in creating a new approach to treatment
• Thus increasing the validity of the psychodynamic approach
• A limitation of the psychodynamic approach is that much of it is untestable
• For example, many of Freud’s concepts such as the Id and Oedipus complex are said to occur at an unconscious level, making them difficult to test, if not impossible, to test.
• This is a limitation as the philosopher of science, Karl Popper, argued that the psychodynamic approach does not meet the scientific criterion of falsification and it is not open to empirical testing and the possibility of being disproved suggesting that the approach lacks reliability.
• However, it can be argued that, it provides results through psychotherapy and psychoanalysis showing that although it may not be testable, it still provides positive results, therefore increasing the usefulness.
• Despite this, Freud’s theory was pseudoscientific rather than established fact
• Thus decreasing the internal validity of the approach
• A strength of Freud’s theory is its ability to explain human behaviour
• For example, the Psychodynamic approach was a key force in psychology for the first half of the 20th century and has been used to explain a wide range of phenomena including personality development, abnormal behaviour, moral development and gender identity
• This is a strength as Freud’s theory had a huge influence on psychology and Western contemporary thought showing how influential it is. Additionally, the approach is significant in drawing attention to the connections between experiences in childhood, such as our relationship with our parents, and our later development.
• However, it can be argued that his ideas are subjective for example, his ideas were based on the subjective study of single individuals, such as Little Hans, which makes it difficult to make universal claims about human behaviour, in turn meaning that the approach lacks generalisability and real world application.
• Despite this, the psychodynamic approach has had a positive impact on psychology as well as literature, art and other human endeavours.
• Thus increasing the validity of the psychodynamic approach

Question 3

defence mechanisms

Answer 3

unconscious strategies that involve a distortion of reality to protect our conscious mind from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety so we can cope with a situation

(repression, denial and displacement)

Question 4

psychoanalysis

Answer 4

the personality theory and therapy associated with sigmund freud

Question 5

unconscious

Answer 5

the part of the human mind that contains repressed ideas, memories, desires and impulses that cannot be accessed by the conscious mind

Question 6

the tripartite personality

Answer 6

Freud’s division of the mind in to three structures - the id, the ego and the superego

Question 7

psychosexual stages

Answer 7

Freud’s stage theory proposing that personality develops through a sequence of five stages which are driven by libido (need for pleasure and to express sexual energy)