Psychodynamic Appr

Question 1

What des the psychodynamic approach believe?

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

What are the psychodynamic approach assumptions?

Answer 2

Influence of childhood experiences
The unconscious mind
Tripartite personality

Question 3

What are the psychosexual stages?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What can problems at stage of psychosexual development lead to?

Answer 4

Fixation (stuck) at the body part associated with that stage, which will have long-lasting effects on personality

Question 5

What are the 5 psychosexual stages?

Answer 5

oral - (0 -18 months)
Anal - (18 - 3 years)
Phallic - (3 - 5 years)
Latency - (5 years - puberty)
Genitals (puberty onwards)

Question 6

How can fixation through stages occur though?

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

What are the key events for each psych-stage?

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

What are the origins of libido for each psych-stage?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

what are the outcomes of fixation for each stage?

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

How does the maternal deprivation hypothesis affect relationships?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

How does one in denial of their sexuality form relationships?

Answer 11

try to form relationships which aren’t in line with their true feelings; resulting in these relationships being dysfunctional & eventually breaking down.

Question 12

How do defence mechanisms affect relationships?

Answer 12

They affect our overall personality & will inevitably affect our relationships

Those in dishonest relationships may deal with their guilt through rationalisation

Question 13

What is the maternal deprivation hypothesis?

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

What are other examples of defence mechanisms?

Answer 14

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)

Question 15

What is the boy example of ego defences?

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

What is the superego, what is its aim?

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

How do the tripartite personalities interact?

Answer 17

The id & superego are often in conflict.

the ego acts as a referee by resolving the conflict and considering consequences of a persons actions.

Question 18

How are unresolved conflicts presented, why?

Answer 18

show up in our fantasies and dreams

they appear in disguised forms, in the shape of symbols as the conflicts are so threatening

Question 19

What does freud believe the U.M determines?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What is the ego defence mechanisms?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What does Freud compare the mind to?

Answer 21

an iceberg- much of what goes on inside the mind lies under the surface

this is the preconscious and unconscious

Question 22

What is the unconscious mind?

Answer 22

Not logical, ruled by pleasure seeking

Cannot be directly accessed, but expresses itself indirectly through, e.g. dreams

Question 24

What is the ego, what is its aim?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

What is the id, what is its aim?

Answer 25

impulsive/ unconscious part of personality, present at birth

pleasure principle = demands satisfaction

Aims to gain pleasure and gratification at any cost