Lesson 7 - Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

Psychodynamic Approach Assumptions

Answer 1

The Role of the Unconscious Mind
The Structure of Personality
Defence Mechanisms
Psychosexual Stages

Question 2

The Role of the Unconscious Mind

Answer 2

Three levels to the mind (Freud)
Conscious Mind - thoughts/feelings/memories that individual is aware of
Preconscious Mind - thoughts/feelings/memories that can be accessed if wanted
Unconscious Mind - largest part of mind which is inaccessible

Question 3

Unconscious Mind

Freud

Answer 3

Everyday behaviours are controlled by unconscious mind
Reveals itself in slips of the tongue (Freudian slips) in creativity and neurotic symptoms
Mind actively prevents traumatic thoughts/feelings/memories from reaching conscious mind as they would cause anxiety
During psychoanalysis, therapist tries to access unconscious mind of patients using free association and dream interpretation

Question 4

The Structure of Personality

Answer 4

Personality has a tripartite structure; Id, Ego, Superego

Experience and conflicts in childhood shape development of the three parts of personality, affecting behaviour

Question 5

The Structure of Personality

The Id

Answer 5

Formed between birth and 18 months
In the unconscious mind
Focuses on the self and is irrational and emotional
Deals with feelings and needs and seeks pleasure
Operates on the pleasure principle

Question 6

The Structure of Personality

The Ego

Answer 6

Formed from 18 moonshot to 3 years
Within the conscious mind
Rational and obtains a balance between the Id and Superego
Operates on the reality principle

Question 7

The Structure of Personality

The Superego

Answer 7

Formed between 3 and 6 years
Within the unconscious mind
Acts as a conscience or moral guide based on parental and societal values
Operates on the morality principle

Question 8

Psychoanalysis

Answer 8

Set of theories and therapeutic techniques that deal in part with the unconscious mind, and which together form a method of treatment for mental disorders

Question 9

Pleasure Principle

Answer 9

Instinctive seeking of pleasure and avoiding of pain to satisfy biological and psychological needs
Driving force guiding the Id

Question 10

Reality Principle

Answer 10

The tendency to defer immediate instinctual gratification so as to achieve longer-range goals or so as to meet external demands

Question 11

Morality Principle

Answer 11

Guidelines that people live by to make sure they are doing the right thing
Different for everyone as they depend on how a person was raised and what is important to them in life

Question 12

Defence Mechanisms

Answer 12

Help ego to manage the conflict between the Id and Superego
Provide solutions to deal with conflict
Also provide strategy to reduce ancients, which weakens the ego’s influence
Repression, Denial and Displacement

Question 13

Defence Mechanisms

Repression

Answer 13

Unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts
These repressed thoughts still continue to influence behaviour
E.g. a person who is abused as a child may not remember the abuse but could still have trouble forming adult relationships

Question 14

Defence Mechanisms

Denial

Answer 14

Refusal to accept reality to avoid having to deal with any painful feelings that may be associated with a traumatic situation
E.g. an alcoholic may deny they have a drinking problem

Question 15

Defence Mechanisms

Displacement

Answer 15

Occurs when the focus of a strong emotion is expressed on an alternative person or object
E.g. a student given a detention may kick their locker

Question 16

Psychosexual Stages

Answer 16

Personality developed through sequence of 5 stages; driving force in development to express sexual energy
If child experiences too much/little gratification at any stage, fixation occurs in which child’s later adult personality could show permanent signs reflecting stage at which fixation occurred

Question 17

5 Psychosexual Stages

Answer 17

Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latent
Genital

Question 18

Psychosexual Stages

Oral

Answer 18

0-2 years
Focus of pleasure is the mouth and the control of sucking, tasting and biting
Resolved => trusting and able to give/receive affection
Unresolved => smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical

Question 19

Psychosexual Stages

Anal

Answer 19

2 - 3 years
Focus of pleasure is the anus
Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces
Resolved => can deal with authority figures
Unresolved
=> Anal retentive personality (perfectionist and obsessive)
=> Anal expulsive personality (thoughtless and messy)

Question 20

Psychosexual Stages

Phallic

Answer 20

3 - 6 years
Focus of please is the genital area
Children experience the Oedipus or Electra complex
Resolved => adopts the behaviour/traits of the same sex
Unresolved => narcissistic, reckless and possibly homosexual

Question 21

Psychosexual Stages

Latent

Answer 21

6 - 12 years
Focus is on the mastery of the world and social relationships
Earlier conflicts are repressed

Question 22

Psychosexual Stages

Genital

Answer 22

12+ years
Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty
Resolved => individual is a well adjusted adult
Unresolved => difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 23

Oedipus Complex

Answer 23

During phallic stage, boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother and a hatred for their rival in love - their father
Fearing that their father will castrate them (castration anxiety), bots repress their feelings for their mother and identity with their father
In doing so, they internalise his gender role and moral values (his superego)

Question 24

Electra Complex

Answer 24

During the phallic stage, girls experience penis envy and so desire their father
They also believe they have been castrated and blame their mother for this
Over time, girls give up their desire for their father and replace this with a desire for a baby
In turn, they identify with their mother and internalise her gender role and moral values (her superego)

Question 25

Psychodynamic Approach Evaluation Points

Answer 25

Defence Mechanisms
Practical Applications
Little Hans
Falsifiability
Generalisability

Question 26

Psychodynamic Approach Evaluation
Defence Mechanisms
Positive

Answer 26

Psychodynamic concepts such as defence mechanisms do have intuitive appeal
Most people appreciate ideas of denial, repression and displacement

Question 27

Psychodynamic Approach Evaluation Points
Practical Applications
Positive

Answer 27

Led to development of psychoanalysis
Therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders
Laid foundations for psychotherapy in modern psychiatry

Question 28

Psychodynamic Approach Evaluation Points
Little Hans
Positive

Answer 28

Case of Little Hans supports the Oedipus Complex proposed by Freud
However, Oedipus Complex can only be inferred by behaviour or reported thoughts/experiences where subjection interpretation is open to investigator bias
The psychodynamic approach lacks scientific rigour

Question 29

Psychodynamic Approach Evaluation Points
Falsifiability
Negative

Answer 29

Key concepts of psychodynamic approach such as unconscious mind and defence mechanisms lack falsifiability
They are unconscious processes and therefore difficult to test

Question 30

Psychodynamic Approach Evaluation Points
Generalisability
Negative

Answer 30

Concepts of psychodynamic approach are based on small samples due to reliance of the case study method
Poses problems of generalisability