Lesson 10: Defence mechanisms and the psychosexual stages

Question 1

What do defence mechanisms help the ego to manage

Answer 1

conflicts between the ID and SUPEREGO

Question 2

How do defence mechanisms help the ego manage conflict between the id and superego

Answer 2

by providing COMPROMISE SOLUTIONS to deal with unresolvable conflict

+ provide a strategy to REDUCE anxiety

Question 3

What are the THREE types of defence mechanisms?

Answer 3

1) Repression
2) Denial
3) Displacement

Question 4

What is repression?

Answer 4

the process by which the UNCONSCIOUS blocks unacceptable thoughts
(+however, these thoughts continue to influence behaviour)

Question 5

What is denial?

Answer 5

the REFUSAL to accept reality to avoid having to deal with any PAINFUL feelings that may be associated with a traumatic situation

Question 6

What is displacement?

Answer 6

occurs when the focus of strong emotion (e.g. anger) is expressed on an alternative person or object

Question 7

How many sequence of stages did freud believe personality developed through?

Answer 7

5

Question 8

What are these 5 stages referred to as?

Answer 8

Psychosexual stages

Question 9

Name the 5 psycho sexual stages
(hint: Oscar And Pedro Look Good)

Answer 9

Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latent
Genital

Question 10

What do the psychosexual stages emphasize that the most important driving force in development is?

Answer 10

the most important driving force in DEVELOPMENT is the need to express SEXUAL ENERGY (libido)

Question 11

What happens at each stage of the psychosexual stages?

Answer 11

sexual energy is expressed in different ways and through different BODY parts

Question 12

According to Freud, who played an important role in the child’s progression through the psychosexual stages

Answer 12

Parents

Question 13

What happens if a child experiences too MUCH or too LITTLE gratification at any of the stages?

Answer 13

They become FIXATED on the stage-> adult life reflects the stage in which an adult has fixated on

Question 14

Give a description of the Oral stage
(give consequences if resolved+ unresolved)

Answer 14

Description: (0-2 years)
-focus of pleasure is in the MOUTH + the control of sucking, tasting and biting

Consequence of RESOLUTION:
-trusting and able to give/receive affection

Consequence if UNRESOLVED:
-oral FIXATION- smoking, biting nails, sarcastic + critical

Question 15

Give a description of the Anal stage
(give consequences if resolved+ unresolved)

Answer 15

Description: (2-3 years)
-focus of pleasure is in the ANUS-> child gains pleasure from WITHOLDING or expelling faeces

Consequence of resolution:
Can deal with authority figures

Consequence if unresolved:
Anal RETENTIVE personality- perfectionist and obsessive

Anal EXPULSIVE personality- thoughtless and messy

Question 16

Give a description of the phallic stage
(give consequences if resolved+ unresolved)

Answer 16

Description: (3-6 years)
-Focus of pleasure is in the GENITAL area-> child experiences the Oedipus complex or Electra complex

consequences of resolution:
-adopts the behaviours/ traits of the same sex

Consequences if unresolved:
narcissistic, reckless and possibly homosexual

Question 17

Give a description of the Latent stage

Answer 17

Description: (6-12 years)
Focus is on the mastery of the world and social relationships. Earlier conflicts are
repressed.

Question 18

Give a description of the Genital stage
(give consequences if resolved+ unresolved)

Answer 18

Description:
Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty.

consequences of resolution:
Individual is a welladjusted adult.

consequences if unresolved:
Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 19

What is the oedipus complex?

Answer 19

-occurs during the PHALLIC STAGE

-boys develop INCESTUOUS feelings towards their mother + hatred for their father (rival)

-develop fear that father may castrate them (castration anxiety) they REPRESS
their feelings for their mother and IDENTIFY with their father-> INTERNALISE father’s gender role and moral values

Question 20

What is the ELECTRA complex

Answer 20

-occurs during PHALLIC stage

-girls develop PENIS ENVY and as a result desire their FATHER
-they believe they have been CASTRATED and therefore blame their MOTHERS for this

-overtime girls give up their desire for their father + replace this with the desire to have a baby -> INTERNALISE mother’s gender roles and moral values

Question 21

State a POSITIVE evaluation of the psychodynamic approach
(hint: intuitive appeal)

Answer 21

+ Psychodynamic concepts such as defence mechanisms do have INTUITUVE APPEAL; most people appreciate the ideas of denial, repression and displacement.

Question 22

State a POSITIVE evaluation of the psychodynamic approach
(hint: practical applications+ psychoanalysis)

Answer 22

+ The psychodynamic approach has PRACTICAL applications.

It has led to the development of PSYCHOANALYSIS– a therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

This laid the foundation for psychotherapy in modern psychiatry.

Question 23

State a NEGATIVE evaluation of the psychodynamic approach
(Hint: oedipus complex + subjective)

Answer 23

The case study of Little Hans SUPPORTS the Oedipus complex proposed by Sigmund Freud.

HOWEVER, the Oedipus complex could only be INFERRED from behaviour or reported thoughts/experiences (e.g. through dream analysis) where SUBJECTIVE interpretation is open to INVESTIGATOR bias.

The psychodynamic approach lacks scientific rigour.

Question 24

State a NEGATIVE evaluation of the psychodynamic approach
(Hint: Falsifiability)

Answer 24

• The key concepts of the psychodynamic approach such as the unconscious mind and defence mechanisms lack FALSIFIABILITY because they are unconscious processes and therefore difficult to TEST.

Question 25

State a NEGATIVE evaluation of the psychodynamic approach
(Hint: cases studies + generalise)

Answer 25

• Concepts of the psychodynamic approach are based on small samples due to the reliance of the case study method. This poses problems of generalisability.