Evaluation Of The Approaches

Question 1

What are the NNURDS?

Answer 1

Nature vs Nurture
Nomothetic vs Idiographic
Usefulness
Reductionist vs Holistic
Deterministic vs Free Will
Scientific vs Unscientific

Question 2

Which of the NNURDS applies to Psychodynamic Psychology? (9)

Answer 2

Nature, Nurture, Nomothetic, Idiographic, Useful, Reductionist, Holistic, Deterministic, Unscientific.

Question 3

In what way is Psychodynamic Psychology an interactionist approach?
Provide Evidence.

Answer 3

Focuses on both Nature and Nurture
- Nature: The unconscious mind, every persons is set up the same.
- Nurture: Influence of childhood experiences suggests that psychological issues are caused by fixations of the libido during the psychosexual stages.

Question 4

What does it mean if an approach is Interactionist?

Answer 4

It considers both nature and nurture.

Question 5

What does it mean if an approach is Multi-Method?

Answer 5

It is both nomothetic and idiographic.

Question 6

In what way is the Psychodynamic Approach Multi-Method?
Provide Examples.

Answer 6

The approach is both Nomothetic and Idiographic.
Nomothetic: Bowlby’s study focused on maternal deprivation and delinquency allowed us to understand the general importance of a maternal bond.
Idiographic: In dream analysis therapy, every interpretation is subjective and unique to the individual.

Question 7

In what way is the Psychodynamic Approach Useful?
Provide Examples.

Answer 7

Useful: The importance of a caring attachment between infants and parents comes from psychodynamics. (eg. Children’s hospitals allow guests overnight now due to Bowlby’s study emphasising the importance of parents.)

Question 8

In what way is the Psychodynamic Approach Reductionist?
Provide Examples.

Answer 8

Reductionist as some human behaviours are reduced into simple components. For example, Bowlby’s study reduced emotional disturbances and delinquency to maternal deprivation.

Question 9

In what way is the Psychodynamic Approach Holistic?
Provide Examples.

Answer 9

Holistic as human behaviour can be explained by more complex components, such as complex, unconscious traumas developed during childhood that can explain behaviour.

Question 10

In what way is the Psychodynamic Approach Deterministic?
Provide Examples.

Answer 10

Deterministic: Behaviour is pre-determined by external and internal forces, such as the assumption of the influence of childhood experiences saying that an individual’s personality is determined by fixations of the libido in the psychosexual stages. (eg. Anal retentive fixation = overly tidy personality)

Question 11

In what way is the Psychodynamic Approach Unscientific?
Provide Examples.

Answer 11

Unscientific as many psychodynamic theories have no empirical evidence, such as the assumption of the unconscious mind.

Question 12

What is meant by Nature vs Nurture?

Answer 12

Nature: Biological factors (innate) or genetics.
Nurture: Everything that is learnt through interactions and your environment.

Question 13

What is meant be Nomothetic vs Idiographic?

Answer 13

Nomothetic: Ability to generalise study’s to the rest of the world and create general laws.
Idiographic: Study of individuality, every person is different.

Question 14

What is meant by Useful?

Answer 14

How useful an approach and its findings are to society.

Question 15

What is meant by Reductionist vs Holistic?

Answer 15

Reductionism: Reducing human behaviours to simple components.
Holistic: Human behaviour cannot be explained by simple components, focusing on all aspects of life.

Question 16

What is meant by Determinism vs Free Will?

Answer 16

Determinism: Behaviour is pre-determined by external/internal forces.
Free Will: People are fully able to chose their own actions, self-determining.

Question 17

What is meant by Scientific vs Unscientific?

Answer 17

Scientific: Uses objective methods to conduct research. Offers empirical evidence and is unfalsifiable.
Unscientific: Uses no empirical evidence (theory > fact).

Question 18

What are the strengths of an approach that is interactionist?

Answer 18

Gives a more holistic understanding of the causes of human behaviour than other approaches.

Question 19

What are the strengths of an approach that is Multi-Method?

Answer 19

It allows us to create general laws which can aid society’s understanding, whilst still recognising individual differences.

Question 20

What are the strengths of a Useful approach?

Answer 20

A useful approach aids society, for exaple it could:
- Reduce crime rates
- Reduce negative impact of poor mental health.
- Improve the wellbeing of society and its citizens.

Question 21

What are the strengths of an approach that is Reductionist?

Answer 21

This allows us to reduce the cause of a behaviour down to one thing which is simple to understand, test, measure and therefore prevent.

Question 22

What are the weaknesses of an approach that is Reductionist?

Answer 22

Other causes of behaviours could be overlooked (eg. Genes, brain function, conditioning etc.)
Could result in labelling.

Question 23

What are the strengths of an approach that is Deterministic?

Answer 23

We can identify factors that predetermine negative behaviours and rectify them.

Question 24

What are the weaknesses of an approach that is Deterministic?

Answer 24

Disregarding free-will can be seen as unethical as it removes personal accountability and can lead to prejudice

Question 25

What are the weaknesses of an approach being Unscientific?

Answer 25

Undermines the goals of psychology to understand and predict behaviours and risks psychology’s status as a science.