Psychodynamic Flashcards
Iceberg Analogy - The Mind
Preconscious: accessible info not conscious at present moment - dream state, recent experiences. (Ego)
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(Superego)
1) Parts of unconscious mind (id & superego) are in constant conflict with the conscious part (ego) –> creates anxiety but can be dealt with the ego’s use of defence mechanisms.
Basic Assumptions - PD
1) Our behaviour/ feelings are affected by our unconscious mind as all behaviour (even slip of tongue - Freudian Slip) has a cause.
2) Behaviour as adults are rooted in our childhood experiences.
3) Personality is made up of 3 parts: the id, ego & superego. (Collectively Freud called these the Psyche).
Role of the Unconscious
1) Freud was first to challenge the medical model, claiming the conscious mind is merely the tip of the iceberg.
2) Most of the mind is made up of the unconscious:
–> storehouse of biological drives & instincts that has a significant influence on our behaviour & personality.
–> contains repressed & threatening memories & ideas.
3) Unconscious mind (id & superego) are in constant conflict with conscious part (ego) –> creates anxiety but can be dealt with the ego’s use of defence mechanisms.
Tripartite Structure of Personality
Freud saw personality as having 3 parts:
1) Id (pleasure principle) - primitive part of the personality, demands instant gratification.
2) Ego (reality principle) - the mediator between the Id and Superego.
3) Superego (morality principle) - internalised sense of right & wrong. Punishes Ego through guilt. Appears at age 5.
Id
Mind is split into 3 parts - id, ego, superego.
Id:
1) The pleasure principle - instant gratification (e.g. if hungry, id demands to eat there & then)
2) Operates solely in the unconscious.
3) Behaviour is motivated by 2 instinctual drives: Eros (sex drive & life instinct) & Thanatos (aggressive drive & death instinct).
4) Id & superego are in constant conflict with ego –> creates anxiety but can be dealt with the ego’s use of defence mechs.
Ego
1) The reality principle
2) Develops at 2-ish
3) Doesn’t like to feel guilt
4) Mediates between the impulsive demands & moralistic demands (e.g. may delay gratifying id until more suitable opportunity arises).
5) Id & superego are in constant conflict with ego –> creates anxiety but can be dealt with the ego’s use of defence mechs.
Superego
1) The morality principle
2) Develops at 3-6 yrs old
3) It determines which behaviours are permissible and causes feelings of guilt when rules are broken.
4) Id & superego are in constant conflict with ego –> creates anxiety but can be dealt with the ego’s use of defence mechs.
5 Psychosexual Stages
Determine Adult Personality
1) Each stage is marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve to move on to the next.
2) Unresolved conflicts leads to fixation where the child becomes ‘stuck’ and carries behaviours associated with that stage through to adult life.
3) Referred to as psychosexual stages to emphasise the most important driving force in development was the need to express sexual energy (libido).
4) States individuals experience tension due to build-up of this sexual energy & the pleasure that comes from its discharge - at each stage the energy is expressed in different ways.
Sequence of Stages is Fixed
1) Oral (0-2):
- Id impulse satisfied by feeding so pleasure focus is mouth
- Mother’s breast is the object of desire
- Activities include sucking, biting, chewing
- Fixation at OS –> adult gains pleasure through oral satisfaction e.g. smoking, chewing gum.
2) Anal (2-3 yrs):
- Pleasure focus is anus
- Child gains pleasure from retaining & expelling faeces.
- Child can now exert control over its environment, showing obedience/ disobedience.
- Fixation at AS –> obsessive cleanliness (retaining) / obsessive hygiene or untidiness (expelling).
3) Phallic (3-6 yrs):
- Pleasure focus is genital area & gratification comes through genital stimulation.
- Oedipus complex - boys have intense desire for mother.
- Electra complex - girls suffer penis envy.
4) Latency (6 yrs - puberty):
- Earlier conflicts are repressed –> sexual desire is dormant
- Pleasure focus is on peer friendship & school.
5) Genital (puberty & beyond):
- Sexual desires become conscious & are directed at gaining heterosexual pleasure through intercourse.
Oedipus/ Electra Complex
It is a psychosexual conflict at the phallic stage.
OEDIPUS:
1) Boys have intense affection/desire for mothers –> Sees father as a rival, produces a fear of losing father’s love & castration anxiety if father knows of his desire.
2) Boy is driven by castration anxiety and must therefore resolve his conflict. He does this by identifying with his father, adopting his morals/values —> foundation of the child’s super-ego.
ELECTRA
1) Girls suffer penis envy - She has great desire for father and desires him to provide her with a baby, preferably male.
2) Girls fear mother will discover their desire & fear she will withdraw her love.
3) To resolve this, the little girl identifies with the mother adopting her mannerisms, morals, values and belief systems.
Little Hans Study
EVIDENCE FOR OEDIPUS
1) At 3, he developed interest in his & other ppl’s ‘widdlers’.
2) Mother told him not to touch his ‘widdler’ or she’d castrate it.
3) At 5, he developed his horse phobia & it somehow connected to him being frightened by large penis.
4) This phobia escalated & when consulting Freud he described he didn’t like horses with black bits around mouth & blinkers —> symbolised moustache & glasses.
Had 2 Fantasies:
1) Married to mother// father became the grandfather.
2) Plumber replaced his bottom & widdler with larger ones.
Little Hans - Findings
1) Supported Freud’s Oedipus complex - fantasy of marrying mother.
2) Little Hans’ phobia of horses was a displaced fear of his father.
Evaluation - Hans Study
1) Case study –> detailed examinations of individual, BUT it lacks population validity - often based on a unique individual so can’t generalise to wider population.
2) Bias –> Freud’s info on Hans came from the father (an admirer of Freud’s theories) - so interpretation of behaviour would be biased.
3) Better explanations –> Classical conditioning from behaviourist approaches might be more plausible.
A Defence Mechanism
1) If individual is faced with situation where they cannot deal with it rationally –> defence mechanisms may be triggered.
2) Tend to operate unconsciously - distort reality so anxiety is reduced, prevents traumatic memories from unconscious to reach conscious awareness.
Defence Mechanisms - 3 Detailed
1) Repression - unconsciouse blocking of painful memories, such as a child blocking out memories of physical and sexual abuse.
Influences behaviour without the individual being aware of the reason for their behaviour. (e.g. a child abused by a parent may have no recollection of events but has trouble forming relationships).
2) Denial - refusal to accept reality. Act as if traumatic event never happened. (e.g. an alcoholic will often deny having a drinking problem even after being arrested several times for being drunk & disorderly).
3) Displacement - redirecting hostile feelings on more acceptable targets, even though they’re misapplied to innocent ppl or objects.
