Individual Differences studies Flashcards
What are the main assumptions of the psychodynamic approach
- Behaviour is caused by both NATURE and NURTURE - a combination of innate tendencies and life experiences
- We are strongly controlled by our UNCONSCIOUS mental processes. Which is why we often don’t know why we think and feel the way we do.
- Psychopathology (psychological disorders) occur when there is an unresolved unconscious CONFLICT
- To treat disorders or change behaviour, we need to access what is in the unconscious mind so that we can RESOLVE any conflicts
Why do we still pay attention to the controversial ideas of Sigmund Freud today
- Freud was a founding father of psychology - before him no-one thought it was important to study the mind and its links to behaviour
- Invented ‘talking therapy’ - before him, no-one thought you should talk about your problems/anxieties
- Was the first to link childhood experiences and adult well-being
What did Freud believe the personality was split up into
Id
Ego
Superego
What did Freud believe the id was about in the personality
Key principle = pleasure
- innate (born with it)
- selfish
- aggressive
- impulsive
What did Freud believe the ego was about in the personality
Key principle = reality
- mediates between the id and superego
- finds a compromise
- decision maker of socially acceptable behaviour
- develops around 2-3 years
What did Freud believe the superego was about in the personality
Key principle = guilt
- works on basis of morality
- tells us right from wrong
- often prevents us from doing what we would want
- moral conscience
- develops around 3-4 years, learn through parents
What were the 5 stages called Freud mentioned as we grow up and what are they
The psychosexual stages –> these explain how the mind develops along with the body
Oral (0-1 years)
Anal (1-3 years)
Phallic (3-5 years)
Latency (5-12 years)
Genital (12-18 years)
What do the psychosexual stages help to develop
The psychosexual stages help us to develop particular aspects of your pesonality
What is a fixation stage in the individual differences
During the psychosexual stages if a conflict is not resolved we develop a fixation at that stage. This means the conflict at that stage is going to affect our personality and a psychoanalysis would be able to identify which stage the problem occurred in.
It does not mean we get ‘stuck’ at that stage - we still continue through the rest of the stages
What did Freud use as a model for the personality and the conscious/unconscious mind
An ice berg
Where does the main conflict happen in our mind
Where the ego is not present
What is it called when information is forced from our conscious mind down to our pre-conscious and unconscious mind
Repression
What are the two studies in the individual differences area
Freud (1909)
Baron-Cohen et al (1997)
What is the key theme for both the individual studies
Understanding disorders
What is the key theme of the Freud study
Analysis of a phobia
What is the key theme for the Baron-Cohen at al study
Autism in adults
What is the definition of a phobia
An extreme or irrational fear if a certain stimulus, which often has a negative impact on the daily life of the sufferer
What happens during the phallic stage in the Freud study (both genders)
- Attention and pleasure focused on the penis
- Attraction to the opposite sex parent (oedipus complex)
- Boys experience castration anxiety
- Girls experience penis envy (elecra complex)
- Conflict resolved by identifying with same sex parent this:
a) Teaches gender roles
b) Reassures opposite sex and same sex parent that child is not attracted to them
How easily can we test the psychodynamic perspective
Can not easily be tested because there is no physical evidence/part of the personality as it is in the unconscious mind
Not falsifiable
Does it suggest negative behaviour can be easily changed in the psychodynamic perspective
Through psychoanalysis ‘talking therapy’ this helps the conflict in the mind to be resolved
Although very difficult to do as it is in the unconscious mind
Are the treatments effective and useful in the psychodynamic perspective
It is effective for certain disorders (like depression, phobias and anxiety)
It is NOT effective for more complex disorders (like schizophrenia)
Who does it blame for negative behaviour
Mainly blames the parents due to nurture and how they influenced their children at the different psychosexual stages
- -> this could be bad due to the blame being taken away from the individual
- -> this could be good as it could teach us about child care
How was the psychodynamic perspective developed
Developed his theories on the basis of evidence first (‘a posterior’) - he analysed his patients THEN worked out the details of his theories using the experience of his patients.
But he mainly analysed:
- women
- in vienna
- who were rich/upper class
- who already had psychological problems
What are some of the debates for the psychodynamic perspective:
Nature/nurture
Individual/situational
Holism/reductionism
Socially sensitive research
Nurture = childhood experiences and how they were brought up
Nature = everyone goes through the psychosexual stages
Individual = shows how everyone goes through the stages differently
Holism = not just influenced by one single factor
Socially sensitive research = can be very sensitive for parents to hear and acknowledge
What are the aims of the Freud study
- To analyse the phobia of a 5 yer old boy
- To investigate the oedipus complex and how it could be resolved by psychoanalysis (therapy)
What was used in the Freud study
Experiment or case study
Longitudinal or observation
Qualitative or quantitative
Primary or secondary
Experiment or case study. —> case study
Longitudinal or observation. —> Longitudinal
Qualitative or quantitative. —> Qualitative
Primary or secondary. –> primary data collected for this study but from a secondary source
Why was the Freud study not an experiment
Because there was no Independent variable and Dependent variable
What was the sample for the Freud study
1 boy between ages of 3-5 years (studied for 2 years)
What was the target population for the Freud study
Whole population of boys between ages of 3-5