jones - psychodynamic approach Flashcards
What is the psychodynamic approach?
A perspective that describes the different forces (dynamics) most which are unconscious that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience.
What did Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) develop?
Psychoanalysis (theory of mental life)
-> emphasises the psychodynamics of the mind (forces that operate + inner mental conflicts)
-> therapy: pressure is released by expressing
What are the three levels of the mind according to freud?
1) conscious
2) unconscious
3) preconscious
What is the conscious part of the brain?
all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware of
What is the pre-conscious part of the brain?
Thoughts and ideas which we can easily gain access to
-> “slips of the tongue”: calling a female teacher “mum” instead of “miss”
-> dreams
What is the unconscious part of the brain? and what is its role?
Processes we are not aware of (eg. biological instincts, threatening and disturbing memories)
-> Role: locks away / represses memories that cause anxiety or depression
What is the structure of personality?
1) Id
2) Ego
3) Superego
What is the id?
-primitive part of personality
-present at birth
-entirely selfish
-demands instant gratification of its needs
What principle is the id based on?
Pleasure principle
What are babies called according to Freud?
bundles of Id
What is the ego?
-develops at around the age of two
-mediator be tween the two other parts of the personality (reduces conflict)
-employs a number of defence mechanisms (unconscious strategies)
What principle is the ego based on?
Reality principle
What is the superego?
-formed at the end of phallic stage (age of five)
-internalised sense of right and wrong
-represents moral standards of the same sex parent
What principle is the superego based on?
Morality
-> punishes the ego for wrongdoing through guilt
What are defence mechanisms?
-unconscious strategies
-employed by the ego
-purpose: prevent people from experiencing anxiety caused by the id and the superego
-> protect ego and maintain self esteem
What are the three main defence mechanisms?
1) repression
2) denial
3) displacement
What is repression?
banishing anxiety arousing thoughts and feelings from conscious part of the brain
What is denial?
The unwillingness to face or accept unpleasant events
What is displacement?
Taking out aggression on an object or human other than the one originally directed at
What are psychosexual stages?
-occurs throughout child development
-failing to resolve conflicts during particular stages will lead to problems later on in life
What are the five psychosexual stages?
1) oral
2) anal
3) phallic
4) latency
5) genital
What psychosexual stage is the id associated with?
oral
What psychosexual stage is the ego associated with?
anal
What psychosexual stage is the superego associated with?
phallic
When do the psychosexual stages throughout child development?
1) oral - 0 to 1 years
2) anal - 1 to 3 years
3) phallic - 3 to 5 years
What is the description of the oral psychosexual stage?
-focus of pleasure is the mouth
-mother’s breast is the object of desire
What are the consequences if the conflict is unresolved in the oral stage?
oral fixation
-smoking
-biting nails
-sarcastic
-critical
-overreacting
What is the description of the anal psychosexual stage?
-focus of the pleasure is the anus
-child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faces
What are the consequences if the conflict is unresolved in the anal stage?
1) anal retentive
-perfectionist
-obsessive
-stingy
2) anal expulsive
-thoughtless
-messy
What is the description of the phallic psychosexual stage?
-focus of pleasure is the genital area
-child experiences the Oedipus or the Electra complex
What are the consequences if the conflict is unresolved in the phallic stage?
phallic personality
-narcissistic
-reckless
-identity with gender issues (possibly homosexual)
What is the description of the latency psychosexual stage?
earlier conflicts are repressed
What is the description of the genital psychosexual stage?
sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty
What are the consequences if genital stage?
difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
What is a summary of the complex freud introduced?
A child develops…
-feelings of desire for their opposite sex parent
-jealousy and rivalry towards their same sex parent
-during the phallic stage of the psychosexual development (3-6 years old)
What is the oedipus complex?
Boys - involves unconscious feelings of desire for the mother and rivalry with the father, whom they view as a competitor
What is the castration fear?
a fear of punishment from the father boys feel
-> resolution; identification of the father - helps internalise male roles and morality
What is the electra complex?
Girls - feels desire foe her father and envy for her mother
(less developed in Freud’s work)
What is the case study of little hans?
-conducted in 1909
-involved a five year old boy with a phobia of horses (freud interpreted as stemming from the oedipus complex)
-> fear of horses: unconscious fear of father whom he saw as a rival for his mother’s attention
-> fear of being bitten: anxiety over potential punishment for these feelings
What are some strengths of the psychodynamic approach?
+theraputic applications: psychoanalysis
+insight into unconscious process
+focus on childhood impact
What are some weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach?
-lack of scientific evidence: based on interpretations
-highly subjective -> falsification
-deterministic
