Psychodynamic Appr Flashcards
What des the psychodynamic approach believe?
Believes our behaviour is influenced by emotions that are beyond our conscious awareness, buried into our unconscious mind as a result of events in early childhood, which may have been traumatic.
What are the psychodynamic approach assumptions?
Influence of childhood experiences
The unconscious mind
Tripartite personality
What are the psychosexual stages?
development stages that freud argued psychological development in childhood takes place in.
Expenses during childhood shape our adult personality
Each stage represents the fixation of libido on a different area of the body
What can problems at stage of psychosexual development lead to?
Fixation (stuck) at the body part associated with that stage, which will have long-lasting effects on personality
What are the 5 psychosexual stages?
oral - (0 -18 months)
Anal - (18 - 3 years)
Phallic - (3 - 5 years)
Latency - (5 years - puberty)
Genitals (puberty onwards)
How can fixation through stages occur though?
Frustration - stage hasn’t been resolved as needed haven’t been met, e.g. child is under-satisfied
Overindulgence - the needs of the child have been more than satisfied, the result = child feels to comfortable & reluctant to move on to the next stage.
What are the key events for each psych-stage?
O= breast feeding, weaning onto solid food
A= Potty training
Ph= the Oedipus complex leads to superego & gender identity
L= Acquiring knowledge and understanding of the world.
What are the origins of libido for each psych-stage?
0= mouth; sucking, chewing, swallowing, biting.
A= anus; withholding, expelling, playing with faeces.
Ph= genitals; masturbation
L= little/no sexual motivation
G= genitals; heterosexual intercourse
what are the outcomes of fixation for each stage?
O-F = pessimism, envy,sarcasm
O = neediness, optimism, gullibility
A-F = stubborn, possessive, overly tidy.
O= messy, disorganised, reckless
Ph - self-assured, vain, problems with sexuality, difficulty building /maintaining relationships in adulthood.
How does the maternal deprivation hypothesis affect relationships?
The relationship acts as a prototype for all future relationships, its disruption would impair the persons ability to relate to others.
The first 2 1/2 years are especially important but theres continuing sensitivity up to the age of 5 yrs
How does one in denial of their sexuality form relationships?
try to form relationships which aren’t in line with their true feelings; resulting in these relationships being dysfunctional & eventually breaking down.
How do defence mechanisms affect relationships?
They affect our overall personality & will inevitably affect our relationships
Those in dishonest relationships may deal with their guilt through rationalisation
What is the maternal deprivation hypothesis?
the view that the ability to form meaningful social relationships in adulthood was dependent on a close, warm & continuous relationship with the mother in the first few years of one’s life.
What are other examples of defence mechanisms?
Displacement (transfer of impulses from 1 person/object to another
Projection (undesirable thoughts are attributed to someone else)
Repression (pushing painful memories deep down into unconscious mind to effectively forget them)
What is the boy example of ego defences?
Cannot deal with what he perceives as maternal rejection when a new baby brother is born.
May regress to an earlier developmental stage, soiling his clothes & becoming more helpless.
What is the superego, what is its aim?
forms at around 4 yrs, embodying a Childs sense of right and wrong as well as their ideal self
seeks to perfect + civilise our behaviour
learned through identification with one’s parents or others.
How do the tripartite personalities interact?
The id & superego are often in conflict.
the ego acts as a referee by resolving the conflict and considering consequences of a persons actions.
How are unresolved conflicts presented, why?
show up in our fantasies and dreams
they appear in disguised forms, in the shape of symbols as the conflicts are so threatening
What does freud believe the U.M determines?
much of our behaviour + we are motivated by unconscious emotional drives
the unconscious contains unresolved conflicts that have a powerful effect on our behaviour and experience
What is the ego defence mechanisms?
the ego protects itself with ego defences that can be the cause of disturbed behaviour if they’re overused
This is because conflicts between all tripartle’s create anxiety
What does Freud compare the mind to?
an iceberg- much of what goes on inside the mind lies under the surface
this is the preconscious and unconscious
What is the unconscious mind?
Not logical, ruled by pleasure seeking
Cannot be directly accessed, but expresses itself indirectly through, e.g. dreams
What is the ego, what is its aim?
conscious/rational part of mind, developing around 2 years
works out realistic ways of balancing the demands of the id in a socially acceptable way
governed by the reality principle
What is the id, what is its aim?
impulsive/ unconscious part of personality, present at birth
pleasure principle = demands satisfaction
Aims to gain pleasure and gratification at any cost