personality -> psychoanalytic approach

Question 1

what is the tripartite model of personality by freud

Answer 1

id

ego

super ego

Question 2

discuss the Id brain

Answer 2

• present at birth and represents instinctual drives such as hunger, sex, and aggression
• it knows no laws and obeys nothing, it is chaotic
• it is entirely unconscious
• operates on pleasure

Question 3

discuss the ego brain

Answer 3

• largely conscious, executive aspect of personality
• decides suitable courses of actions
• acts as the mediator between id and superego
• operates on the reality principle.

Question 4

discuss the superego

Answer 4

• advocate seeking perfection
• embodiment of societal rules, values and ethics
• includes the egos ideal, the person you strive to become

Question 5

outline intra-psychic conflict of the interplay between id, ego, superego.

Answer 5

a disagreement or competition with each other over how to satisfy the individual’s needs and desires while adhering to societal norms and moral standards.

This conflict can manifest in various ways, such as defence mechanisms

Question 6

what are the three levels of consciousness and outline them.

Answer 6

conscious level -> what we are aware of.

preconscious -> thoughts that are not currently thinking of, but can retrieve and bring to consciousness.

unconscious level -> thoughts, memories, feeling, urges or fantasies we are unaware of.
unacceptable sexual urges and aggressive instincts.

Question 7

what is meant by defence mechanisms

Answer 7

• largely unconscious mental strategy employed by an individual to defend against open expression of id impulses and opposing superego pressures.

Question 8

outline denial as a coping mechanism

Answer 8

-> refuse to admit that an unpleasant event had occurred
-> used when people cannot face reality.

Question 9

outline repression as a coping mechanism

Answer 9

• excluding unacceptable thoughts and feelings from consciousness
• they are kept deep in the unconscious and do influence behaviour.

(being abused but not remembering the abuse)

Question 10

outline rationalisation as a coping mechanism

Answer 10

-> involves explaining unacceptable behaviour in a logical manner and avoiding the true reasons for the behaviour.

Question 11

outline reaction formation as a coping mechanism

Answer 11

• ego guard against a forbidden impluse is repression by expressing the opposite in thought and behaviour.
• unacceptable impulse repressed, the exact opposite is expressed at a conscious level.

Question 12

outline displacement as a coping mechanism

Answer 12

• shifting your reaction from the real source of distress to a safer individual or object.

Question 13

outline regression as a coping mechanism

Answer 13

• reverting to immature and childlike patterns of behaviour.
• under stress some people hide, cry or wet themselves.

Question 14

outline projection as a coping mechanism

Answer 14

• person attributes unacceptable interests, thoughts and behaviours to other people.
• enables someone to blame another person for their own shortcoming

Question 15

outline sublimation as a coping mechanism

Answer 15

• makes the person adaptive by diverting impulses to be expressed via socially approved thoughts or actions.

Question 16

what are Freuds psychosexual stages of developments

Answer 16

• childhood stages of developments during which the id’s pleasure seeking is associated withs timulations of different bodily areas.

oral
anal
phallic
latency
genital

Question 17

outline the oral stage in psychosexual development

Answer 17

• primary source of pleasure is the mouth.
• conflict - weaning from breast to bottle
• fixation at this stage -> thumb sucking
• personality -> dependent and passive from prolonged breastfeeding
  aggressive when weaning is too abrupt.

Question 18

outline the anal stage in psychosexual development

Answer 18

primary focus - controlling bladder and bowel movement
conflict - toilet training (demands of id, pleasure from immediate defecation)

fixation at this stage
personality -> extremely orderly and punctual (too much pressure)

disorderly, impulsive (too little pressure)

Question 19

outline the phallic stage in psychosexual development

Answer 19

primary focus - genitals
conflict - attraction to opposite sex parent and perceive same sex as rival

oedipal complex boys & electra for girls

fixation:
personality:
males - strive to be successful
females - flirtatious and seductiveness

Question 19

outline the latency period in psychosexual development

Answer 19

• primary focus is social relationships
• no conflicts
• challenges: learning social roles, building relationships with peers.

Question 20

outline the genital stage in psychosexual development

Answer 20

primary focus - genitals, sexual drive

conflict - balancing sexual interests with life commitments

personality type
- genital character
- mature and responsible
- experience satisfaction through heterosexual love.

Question 21

what are projective tests

Answer 21

• personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli and people are asked to give the first response that comes to mind.
• people will be assumed to project their hidden motives and conflicts into ambiguous images.

Question 22

what is the Rorschach inkblot technique (projective test)

Answer 22

• subjects describe what they see in a series of 10 inkblots.

Question 23

what is the thematic apperception test (projective test)

Answer 23

• projective test requiring subjects to make up stories that explain ambiguous pictures.

Question 24

what are the basic assumptions of psychoanalysis

Answer 24

• the root of the psychological problems is the unconscious
• typical causes -> unresolved conflicts during development

aims of psychoanalysis:
- bringing unconscious to conscious
- address and deal with the problems

Question 25

outline free association
(therapeutic techniques in psychoanalysis)

Answer 25

• a therapist gives a word or idea to patients
  -> responds with first word or whatever thoughts comes to mind.
• any repressed memories will emerge in the course of free association

Question 26

outline dream analysis
(therapeutic techniques in psychoanalysis)

Answer 26

• to unravel and interpret the symbolic nature of the patients dreams
• find the real underlying meaning

Question 27

outline transference analysis
(therapeutic techniques in psychoanalysis)

Answer 27

• patients may transfer feelings about significant people in their lives
• countertransference -> therapists emotional response.

Question 28

what contribution did psychoanalysis

Answer 28

• revolutionised how we think about and treat mental health conditions.
• had a massive influence on modern psychology and psychiatry.

Question 29

discuss some criticisms of this theory

Answer 29

• untestable - lacks empirical evidence, difficult to tests and validate objectively.
• overemphasis on sexual dives -> emphasis on sexual drives as primary motivators of behaviour has been seen as reductionist.