Psychodynamic Flashcards
What is the focus of the psychodynamic approach??
- the role of the unconscious mind
- the composition of personality
- defence mechanisms
- psychosexual stages
Assumptions of psychodynamic approach:
- unconscious forces in our mind dictate our thoughts, feelings, decisions and behaviours.
- adult behaviour is strongly influenced by childhood experiences
- abnormal behaviour -> mental conflict
- the mind can be divided by 3 levels of consciousness
Iceberg analogy :
Above water - the conscious (mental activity that requires thought)
At water level - the preconscious (things that we could be aware of if we tried)
Below water - the unconscious (things that we remain unaware of e.g instincts, buried memories)
Iceberg analogy (personality composition):
Super ego - conscious, preconscious and unconscious
Ego - conscious and preconscious
ID - unconscious
The ID ( it ) :
- primitive element of our personality
- operates on pleasure principle
- ID is our unconscious drive for our desires
- Present at birth (unlike the ego and superego )
The Ego ( I ) :
- develops at age 2
- works under reality principle
- mediator between ID and superego
- makes a person aware of others (can’t always have its own way )
- manages defence mechanisms
The Superego ( other I ) :
- formed around the age of 5
- it is our internalised sense of right and wrong ( based on that of the same sex parent)
- punishes the ego for wrongdoing (guilt)
What happens if there are inbalances between the ID, Ego and Superego ?????
Weak ego -> Impulsive and erratic mix of ID and superego
Strong ID -> leads to selfishness and psychopathic behaviour
Strong superego -> strict and anxious e.g OCD
What is the relevance of libido in psychodynamic theory????
Freud believed that all children are born with a libido - a sexual (pleasure) urge
What is the relevance of libido in psychodynamic theory????
Freud believed that all children are born with a libido - a sexual (pleasure) urge
What are the psychosexual stages in order???
- Oral stage (birth - 18 months)
- Anal stage (18 months - age 3)
- Phallic stage (3- 5)
- Latency stage (5- puberty)
- Genital stage (puberty - adulthood)
Orals stage :
Pleasure centre: mouth
- child enjoys sucking and tasting
- mothers breast becomes an object of desire
Successful completion: weaning
Consequences of unresolved conflict: oral fixation (sarcastic, critical, sensitive to rejection, overeating/overdrinking, nail biting, smoking)
Anal stage:
Pleasure centre: defication
Successful completion: potty training
Consequences of unresolved conflict:
anally retentive - very tidy, stubborn, obsessive
anally explosive - thoughtless, messy
Phallic stage:
Pleasure centre: gental area
- Oedipus complex (boy wants his mother as his primary love object and the boy hates his father)
- electra complex (girls experience penis envy during which they desire their father; the penis becomes the primary love object and the girl hates her father )
Consequences of unresolved conflict: phallic personality (narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual )
Latency stage:
- earlier conflicts are repressed
- sexual urges sublimated to sports and other hobbies
- focus on same sex friendships
Genital stage:
Pleasure centre: **genitals - not to the same extent as phallic **
- Can happen early if other stages have been appropriately navigated
Successful completion: healthy adult relationships
Consequences of unresolved conflict: difficulty forming heterosexual friendships
Freud ( 1909 ) little Hans:
- Hans had a phobia of horses (they would fall on/bite him)
- Hans dreams were given to Freud for analysis
He then developed an interest in his own penis:
- if he didn’t stop playing with it his mother threatened to cut it off (leading to castration anxiety)
Freud concluded that Hans had reached the phallic stage:
- Oedipus complex- he wanted to have an exclusive relationship with his mother and was jealous of his father. Hans had sexual feelings for his mother, shown partly by his dream of marrying her.
In this way Hans developed a fear of horses out of a displacement of his fear of his father (defence mechanisms)
- The horse symbolised Han’s father because, to him, they both had big penises
- castration anxiety (fear that the horse would bite him)
Causes of Defence mechanisms
Disagreement between the ID, ego and superego can lead to anxiety
What are the 3 different forms of defence mechanisms??
Denial, displacement and repression
Denial:
Complete rejection of the thoughts or feelings and refuse to acknowledge an aspect of reality.
E.g my partner would never cheat on me
Repression
Forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind.
- the ego prevents to unwanted and painful thoughts from becoming conscious
Displacement:
You transfer feelings from true sources onto a substitute target
- negative impulse redirected
What is a Freudian slip ???
Also called a paralysis is an error in speech, memory, or physical action that occurs due to interference of an unconscious subdued wish or internal train of thought.
Supporting research for psychodynamic approach:
Explains a plethora of elements of psychology:
- personality disorders
- development
- abnormalities
- gender
- attachment
Practical application
- psychoanalysis - discovered a range of techniques in order to access the unconscious (dream analysis and hypnosis)
- therapeutic tool
Negatives of psychodynamic approach:
Case study method
- makes universal claims about human nature of individual behaviour (highly subjective, lacks scientific rigour)
Untestable concepts
- Karl Popper argued that psychodynamic approach doesn’t meet scientific criterion of falsification s it is not open to empirical testing and the possibility of disproval
psychic determinism
- no such thing as an accident
- illusion of free will
**Gender bias **
- alpha bias
- femininity was considered to be failed masculinity
- if psychoanalysis is still relevant than 50%% of the population will struggle to be treated
