psychodynamic 2

Question 1

who is a key figure in psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

freud

Question 2

what is most of our mind made up of

Answer 2

• the unconscious

Question 3

what is the unconscious

Answer 3

• a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that has a significant influence on our behaviour and personality

Question 4

what does the unconscious also contain

Answer 4

• threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed

Question 5

how can the disturbing memories be accessed

Answer 5

• dreams
• slip of the tongue

Question 6

what is the preconscious

Answer 6

• contains thoughts and memories which are not currently in conscoius awareness but can be accessed if desired

Question 7

what are the 3 parts of personality

Answer 7

id
ego
superego

Question 8

what is the id

Answer 8

• primitive part of personality
• operates on pleasure principle
• present at birth
• selfish and demands instant gratification of its needs

Question 9

what is the ego

Answer 9

• works on reality principle
• mediator between id and superego
• develops at 2
  employs defence mechanisms

Question 10

what is the superego

Answer 10

• developed at 5 at end of phallic stage
• based on morality principle
• represents moral standers of the child’s same gender parent
• punishes the ego for wrongdoings through guilt

Question 11

what are the psychosexual stages

Answer 11

• oral
• anal
• phallic
• latency
• genital

Question 12

oral

Answer 12

• 0-1 year
• The mouth is the primary focus of pleasure, with activities like sucking, biting, and swallowing
• Fixations can lead to oral behaviours like smoking, nail-biting

Question 13

anal stage

Answer 13

• 1 - 3 years
• The anus and the process of elimination become the focus of pleasure, particularly during toilet training
• Fixations can result in either anal retentive behaviours (neatness, perfectionism) or anal explosive behaviours (messiness, chaos)

Question 14

phallic stage

Answer 14

• 3 - 6 years
• The genitals become the primary source of pleasure, and children develop an awareness of their differences and a potential Oedipus or Electra complex
• Fixations can lead to vanity, over-ambition, or narcissism

Question 15

Latency Stage

Answer 15

• 6 years to puberty
• Sexual interests and urges become repressed, and children focus on social and intellectual activities

Question 16

Genital Stage

Answer 16

• puberty onwards
• Sexual interests reemerge, and individuals develop the capacity for mature sexual relationships

Question 17

what happens if psychosexual conflicts are unresolved

Answer 17

• leads to fixation where the child becomes stuck and carries certain behaviours and conflicts though to adult life

Question 18

what are defence mechanism

Answer 18

• used by the ego to prevent us form being overwhelmed by temporary threats or trumas
• repression
• denial
• displacement

Question 19

strengths (R)

Answer 19

1. real world application
   - introduced the idea of psychotherapy
   - Freud’s psychoanalysis was the first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologically rather than physically
   - range of techniques to access the unconscious eg dream analysis
   - psychoanalysis helps clients by bringing their repressed emotions into their conscious minds so they can be dealt with
   - led to counselling
   HOWEVER - psychoanalysis is regarded and inappropriate and harmful for people experience serious mental disorders as many symptoms of schizophrenia such as paranoia and delusional thinking means that those with the disorder have lost their grip on reality and cannot articulate their thoughts in the way required by psychoanalysis

Question 20

strength (E)

Answer 20

2. explanatory power
   - ability to explain human behaviour
   - Freud’s theory had a huge influence on psychology and contemporary thought
   - used to explain personality development, the origins of psychological disorders, moral development and gender identity
   - draws attention to the connection between childhood experiences

Question 21

limitations

Answer 21

1. untestable concept
   - Popper argues that the psychodynamic approach does not meet the scientific criterion of falsification
   - not open to empirical testings
   - many of Freud’s concepts are said to occur at the unconscious level making it difficult to test
   - also his ideas were based on the subjective study of single individuals eg little Hans making it difficult to make universal claims about human behaviour