Psychodynamic Flashcards
(Assumptions) What are the three levels of proposed consciousness?
Concious, preconcious and unconcious
(Assumptions) What does the unconscious mind contain?
biological instincts, traumatic memories, desires that motivate our behaviour
(Assumptions) What is a ‘Freudian Slip’ and give an example.
All behaviour is symbolic and occasinally something slips from the unconscious mind into the concious.
E.g. You friend asks how a dress looks, you mean to say flattering but instead say fattening as this is what you really think.
(Assumptions) What are the 3 personality parts?
Id, Ego, Superego
(Assumptions) What is the Id and it’s effect on behaviour?
Instinctive part containing basic need, motivated by pleasure prinicple, does not consider consequences of behaviour. A strong Id would result in a selfish person
(Assumptions) What is the Ego and it’s effect on behaviour?
Meets the demands of the Id in a socially acceptable way, motivated by the reality principle.
(Assumptions)What is the Superego and it’s effect on behaviour?
motivated by the morality principle, usually represents morals of our same sex parent. A person with a weak superego would have weak morals and not consider right or wrong and go on their instincts.
(Assumptions) What are the 5 stages of psychosexual development?
oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital
(Assumptions)What are the age and characteristics of the oral stage?
0-1 years
mouth is associated with gratification due to feeding.
Fixation at this stage lead to thumb sucking or pen chewing.
(Assumptions) What is fixation?
if the unconscious conflict is not correctly resolved the person can carry characteristics of that stage through life.
(Assumptions) What are the age and characteristics of the anal stage?
2-3 years.
gratification from expelling or withholding faeces.
Fixation can result in excessive tidyness
(Assumptions) What are the age and characteristics of the phallic stage?
4-5 years
gratification from the genital area. Involves resolution of electra or oedipus complex.
fixation can result in looking for a mother figure or homosexuality
(Assumptions) When does the superego develop?
4-5 years/ phallic stage
(Assumptions) What are the age and characteristics of the latency stage?
6-12 years
period of relative calm as ego and defense mechanisms develop.
fixation rarely occurs
(Assumptions) What are the age and characteristics of the genital stage?
puberty+
gratification associated with mature sexual relationships
(Assumptions) Outline the Oedipus complex
- Boy has unconscious desires for his mother
- Boy develops castration anxiety as he fears his father will find out
- To resolve this he gives up his desires and identifies with his father taking on his morals and gender identity.
(Assumptions) Outline the Electra complex
- Girl becomes aware she doesn’t have a penis and believe she has already been castrated
- Girl blames her mother and sees them both as powerless as the penis is the symbol of male power
- Penis envy develops along with desires for her father as he has what she wants
- Girl fears losing the love of her mother and converts desires for a penis to desires for a baby
- Girl identifies with her mother taking on her morals and gender identity.
(Assumptions) Early childhood experiences influence our behaviour
(Assumptions) Early childhood experiences influence our behaviour
(Assumptions) What are defense mechanisms?
unconscious processes that protect the conscious from upsetting or harmful material
(Assumptions) What is repression?
Threatening material is forced into the unconscious mind so it cannot be recalled
(Assumptions) What is projection?
Projecting your own negative traits (e.g. fears) onto other people
(Assumptions) What is denial?
Refusing to see or believe an aspect of reality
Outline the Little Hans case study
Hans developed a fear of horses and was scared they may bite him. Especially scared of white horses wearing blinkers.
Freud interpreted the phobia as follows:
The horse symbolised his father and Hans was going through the oedipus complex.
After talking to Hans he overcame his fear
(Assumptions) What is a practical application?
treatment using psychoanalysis.
Free association releasing repressed events and dream analysis
(Evaluation) Why are childhood events influencing adult personality a strength?
Evidence to support it
(Evaluation) Why is explanatory power e.g. gender development a strength?
More things it can explain the more likely it is to be correct.
(Evaluation) Why are practical applications a strength?
More likely to be correct and can help people
(Evaluation) What is a strength of defense mechanisms?
Can be used to give plausible explanations for some behaviours (give example)
(Evaluation) Why is being too deterministic a weakness?
Too much focus on early childhood, you have no free will
(Evaluation) Why is the approach described as pessimistic and why is this a weakness?
Focuses too much on the past and suggests we cannot change who we are because of this
(Evaluation) Why is the use of case studies a weakness?
cannot be generalised, subjective, unscientific
(Evaluation) Why is the theory being outdated a weakness?
Reflects outdated attitudes so would not be reliable to use today
