Psychodynamic Flashcards
Who created the Psychodynamic approach?
Sigmund Freud
What theory did Freud create?
Theory of the Unconscious
What is the Theory of the Unconscious?
- we have unconscious wishes & desires that we are not aware of
- but these desires influence our decision making & motivations
- we repress these unconscious thoughts from consciousness
According to Freud, what 3 components make up our personality (psyche)?
- ID
- EGO
- SUPEREGO
What is the ‘ID’? WHen is the ID formed?
- pleasure principle - represents our desires & wishes, especially our biological & sexual urges
- birth -> 18 months
What is the function of the ‘EGO’? When does it form?
- represents the reality principle, which is part of our personality that makes decisions based on demands of ‘ID’ & restrictions from ‘SUPEREGO’
- releases the defence mechanisms
- formed from 18 mnths -> 3 yrs
What is the function of the ‘SUPEREGO’? When does it form?
- represents moral principles & ideas of what we ought to be like
- learnt from our upbringing & go against our ‘ID’s desires
- formed from 3-6 years old
In a healthy psyche, which component is in charge?
EGO
What did Freud believe most of the influences on behaviour come from?
unconscious mind
What did Freud argue about how the Psychosexual stages affect behaviour?
conflicts that arise during the psychosexual can affect later behaviour
What are the 5 stages of psychosexual development?
- oral stage
- anal stage
- phallic stage
- latency stage
- genital stage
At what age, does the oral stage take place?
0-2 years old
At what age does the anal stage take place?
2-3 years old
At what age, does the phallic stage take place?
3-6 years old
At what age, does the latent stage take place?
6 years old - puberty
At what age, does the genital stage take place?
puberty-death
What is the source of libido & pleasure during the oral stage?
What does the child enjoy doing?
Mouth - enjoys sucking, biting & feeding
What is the source of libido & pleasure during the anal stage?
What does the child enjoy doing?
Anus - enjoys expelling or withdrawing faeces
What is the source of libido & pleasure during the phallic stage?
What does the child enjoy doing?
penis & clitoris - enjoys masturbation
- Oedipus complex occurs
What is the source of libido & pleasure during the Latency stage? What does the child enjoy doing?
no source as sex drives are repressed
What is the source of libido & pleasure during the Genital stage?
What does the person enjoy doing?
Genitals - masturbation & sexual intercourse within heterosexual relationships
What 2 conflicts might arise during the oral stage?
- forceful feeding
- early weaning
What might be result of unresolved conflicts from the oral stage?
smoking, nail-biting
What conflict might arise during the anal stage?
- toilet training: too harsh or too lax
What might be the unresolved conflicts from the anal stage?
be anal-retentive - obsessive, tidy & passive aggressive
or
be anal-expulsive - disorganised, reckless, defiant
What is the Oedipus complex?
during the phallic stage, infant boys must overcome an unconscious sexual desire for their mother by identifying with their father
What conflicts may arise as the result of the Oedipus conflict?
unusual relationship with mother or father
What may be the unresolved conflicts for men & women as the result of the Oedipus complex?
men - anxiety about sex, fear of castratio, vanity
women - feelings of inferiority & penis envy
What conflicts may take place at the Latency stage?
interacting with same sex peers
What may be the unresolved conflicts as the result of this stage?
no unresolved conflicts due to repression of sexual drives
What conflicts/fixations may arise during the genital stage?
establishment of intimate relationships with opposite sex
What may be the unresolved conflicts from the genital stage?
no unresolved conflicts - fixation of intimate relationships should happen & indicates a secure adult
What can help control conflict caused by events during the psychosexual stages?
defence mechanisms
What are the 3 defence mechanisms?
- repression
- denial
- displacement
What is repression?
forgetting an unpleasant memory or strong emotion associated with it
What is denial?
refusal to admit an unpleasant fact
What is displacement?
shifting an emotion directed at one person towards another object/partner
What are 4 strengths of the psychodynamic approach?
acknowledges the:
- significance of psychological factors within abnormal behaviour
- importance of childhood in explaining behaviour
- importance of the unconscious in influencing behaviour
4. Freud’s theories have been highly influential on our modern day understanding of psychology
Why is psychological factors a strength fo the psychodynamic approach?
Freud was the first to emphasise the importance of psychological factors causing abnormal behaviour
Why is importance of childhood a strength of the psychodynamic approach?
most psychologists accept that childhood is important in determining adult behaviour
Why is importance of unconscious a strength of the psychodynamic approach?
many people agree that the unconscious does affect behaviour
Why is influential theory a strength of the psychodynamic approach?
Freud remains best known psychologist & his ideas have been represented in various media & his terminology adopted in everyday language
Why is problems validating theory a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?
impossible to scientifically test model
Why is poor methodology a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?
dominant use of case studies
- more subject to researcher bias
- difficult to generalise to wider population
Why is over-emphasis on sexual factors a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?
Freud fails recognise other important factors eg. social relationships, instead of just sexual factors - reductionist
Why is blame of parents a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?
good for individual but damaging for parent
Why is andocentric a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?
sees men as ‘normal’ & women as wanting to be men eg. penis envy
Why is the psychoanalytic theory culturally biased?
- Freud’s patients were all Viennese middle-class people
- his therapy was called the ‘talking cure’ & thus is only suitable for cultures where personal discussion of problems is encouraged
- can’t be generalised
Why is the psychodynamic approach not directly observable?
- it is difficult to measure concepts such as the unconscious
- little objective evidence to support the approach
- any evidence is not
