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WJEC AS Psychology > Psychodynamic Approach > Flashcards

Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards

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1
Q

Name the three assumptions.

A
  • Influence of childhood experiences.
  • The unconscious mind.
  • Tripartite personality.
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2
Q

Explain the assumption of influence of childhood experiences.

A

The idea that these experiences shape our adult personality. Freud proposed that psychological development in childhood takes place in a series of psychosexual stages. Each one represents the fixation of libido on a different area of the body.

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3
Q

What happens if a problem occurs at a stage of development?

A

A child will get fixated at the body part associated with the specific stage.

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4
Q

How does fixation show?

A

Through frustration (when stage needs have not been met so stays at stage) and overindulgence. (needs have been overly met so child feels too comfortable to move onto next stage)

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5
Q

Name the 5 psychosexual stages.

A

Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital.

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6
Q

When does the Oral stage take place?

A

0-18 months.

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7
Q

When does the Anal stage take place?

A

18 months - 3 years.

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8
Q

When does the Phallic stage take place?

A

3-5 years.

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9
Q

When does the Latency stage take place?

A

5 years - puberty.

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10
Q

When does the Genital stage take place?

A

Puberty onwards.

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11
Q

What is the origin of libido and source of pleasure in the Oral stage?

A 
Mouth: 
•Sucking
•Chewing
•Swallowing
•Biting
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12
Q

What are the key events involved in the Oral stage?

A

Breast feeding & weaning onto solid food.

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13
Q

What are the outcomes of fixation in the Oral stage? (6)

A 
Frustration: 
1. Pessimism
2. Envy
3. Sarcasm
Overindulgence:
1. Optimism
2. Gullibility 
3. Neediness
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14
Q

What is the origin of libido and sources of pleasure in the Anal stage?

A

Anus:
•Withholding
•Expelling
•Playing with faeces

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15
Q

What is the key event involved in the Anal stage?

A

Potty training

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16
Q

What are the outcomes of fixation in the Anal stage? (6)

A 
Frustration:
1. Stubborn
2. Possessive
3. Overly tidy
Overindulgence:
1. Messy
2. Disorganised
3. Reckless
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17
Q

What is the origin of libido and source of pleasure involved in the Phallic stage?

A

Genitals:

•Masturbation

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18
Q

What is the key event in the Phallic stage?

A

The Oedipus complex leads to superficial gender identity.

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19
Q

What are the outcomes of fixation in the Phallic stage? (4)

A
  1. Self assured
  2. Vain
  3. May have problems with sexuality
  4. May have difficulty building & maintaining relationships in adulthood
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20
Q

What is the origin of libido and source of pleasure in the Latency stage?

A

Little/no sexual motivation.

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21
Q

What is the key event in the Latency stage?

A

Acquiring knowledge and understanding of the world.

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22
Q

Is there an outcome of fixation in the Latency stage?

A

No fixations as no pleasure focus.

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23
Q

What is the origin of libido and source of pleasure in the Genital stage?

A

Genitals:

•Heterosexual intercourse.

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24
Q

What are the key events in the Genital stage?

A

There are none

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25
Q

What is the outcome of fixation in the Genital stage?

A

Well developed adult personality & well adjusted. (if complexes are resolved during phallic stage)

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26
Q

Who formed the basis of the psychodynamic approach?

A

Sigmund Freud (between 1890s-1830s)

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27
Q

Explain the assumption of the unconscious mind.

A

Freud proposed the mind is like an iceberg. (Most of what goes on inside the mind lies under the surface) This is the preconscious and unconscious mind. The conscious mind is at the top.

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28
Q

What is the conscious mind described as?

A

Logical

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29
Q

What is the unconscious mind described as?

A

Ruled by pleasure seeking and not logical.

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30
Q

As the unconscious mind cannot be directly accessed, how does it express itself?

A

Indirectly, like through dreams or disguised symbols.

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31
Q

Which part of our mind did Freud say controls most of our behaviour? Why?

A

The unconscious mind. We are motivated by it’s emotional drives. Freud believed that it contained unresolved conflicts which had a powerful effect on behaviour and experience.

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32
Q

What can conflicts between the id, ego and superego cause?

A

Anxiety

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33
Q

What is the unconscious mind also related to?

A

Ego defence mechanisms

34
Q

What are ego defence mechanisms?

A

What the ego protects itself with. The defences can be the cause of a disturbed behaviour if they are overused.

35
Q

Give an example of an ego defence mechanism.

A

A boy who cannot deal with ‘maternal rejection’ when a baby brother is born may regress to an earlier psychosexual stage.

36
Q

What are the 4 ego defence mechanisms?

A
  • Regression- going back to an earlier psychosexual stage.
  • Displacement- Transfer of impulses from one person/object to another.
  • Projection- Undesirable thoughts are attributed to someone else.
  • Repression- Pushing painful memories deep into unconscious mind so they are ‘forgotten’.
37
Q

Explain the assumption of the tripartite personality.

A

The idea that the adult personality is structured into 3 parts:
•Id
•Ego
•Superego

38
Q

Explain and describe the Id. (3)

A
  • The impulsive and unconscious part of personality.
  • Present at birth
  • Demands immediate satisfaction (pleasure principle) which is the main aim.
39
Q

Describe and explain the ego. (4)

A
  • The conscious & rational part of the mind
  • Develops around 2 years old
  • Function is to work out realistic ways of balancing demands from id in a socially acceptable way
  • Governed by the reality principle
40
Q

Describe and explain the superego. (5)

A
  • Last part to develop
  • Forms around 4 years old
  • Embodies child’s sense of right and wrong
  • Seeks to perfect and civilise behaviour
  • Often in conflict with id
41
Q

How do childhood experiences explain relationship formation?

A

Fixations during certain stages can opt for certain traits and feelings towards others. (Overindulgence in oral stage results in neediness—> feeling needy in a relationship)

42
Q

How could fixation in the phallic stage affect relationship formation?

A

The outcome generally is that the individual would struggle with sexuality and maintaining relationships. This could lead to them being unable to love someone.

43
Q

How does Freud explain the ‘development’ of homosexuality?

A

When the Oedipus complex is not successfully resolved.

44
Q

What are the ego defence mechanisms used for?

A

To avoid anxiety

45
Q

How do defence mechanisms explain relationship formation?

A

They affect our overall personality and will inevitably affect our relationships. (A person who is in denial about their sexuality may try to form relationships with those who are not in line with their sexuality, it eventually breaking down and being dysfunctional)

46
Q

What is the therapy involved in the psychodynamic approach?

A

Dream analysis

47
Q

Name the main components of dream analysis. (4)

A
  1. Dreams as wish fulfilment
  2. Symbolic nature of dreams
  3. Dreamwork
  4. Role of the therapist
48
Q

Dream analysis is a form of psychoanalysis. What does it involve?

A

Establishing whether repression (defence mechanism) is causing a persons psychological illness.

49
Q

Explain dreams as wish fulfilment in dream analysis.

A

Freud believed dreams were the unconscious fulfilment of wishes that could not be satisfied in the conscious mind. Dreams therefore protect the sleeper but allow some expression for the buried urges.

50
Q

Explain the symbolic nature of dreams in dream analysis.

A

Freud deemed dreams as content that symbolically represents unfulfilled wishes. (e.g- penis maybe be represented as snake/gun and vagina by tunnel/cave) However, Freud said it was necessary to consider symbols in the context of the person.

51
Q

What is latent and manifest content? (the symbolic nature of dreams)

A

LC- The real meaning of a dream.
MC- What you actually experience in a dream.
(The LC is disguised to MC through dreamwork which may look meaningless to anybody, but a psychoanalyst is trained to interpret the MC to find LC.)

52
Q

What is dreamwork? Name the 5 processes.

A

It is how latent content is transformed into manifest content.

  1. Condensation
  2. Displacement
  3. Representation
  4. Symbolism
  5. Secondary elaboration
53
Q

Describe the condensation dreamwork process.

A

Dream thoughts rich in detail & content but are condensed to brief images in dream that stands for several associations and ideas.

54
Q

Describe the displacement dreamwork process.

A

The emotional significance of dream is separated from real content and appears as an entirely different one so dream content is not ‘censored’. (disturbing thoughts prevented from reaching conscious mind)

55
Q

Describe the representation dreamwork process.

A

A thought that is translated into visual images.

56
Q

Describe symbolism in dreamwork processes.

A

A symbol replaces an action, person or idea.

57
Q

Describe secondary elaboration as a dreamwork process.

A

The unconscious mind collecting different images and tying them together to form a logical story, further disguising latent content. (actual dream material may be supplied from recent events in their life)

58
Q

Describe the main component: role of the therapist in dream analysis. (3)

A
  • To reverse the dreamwork process.
  • To decode manifest content into latent content.
  • To suggest various interpretations based on patients feedback and knowledge of their life experiences.
59
Q

What was the recent research done to provide support for Freud’s link between dreaming and primary-process thinking?

A

Solms (2000) used PET scans to show brain activity during REM (rapid eye movement sleep).

60
Q

What are the methodological issues in the effectiveness of dream analysis?

A
  • Research is conducted in sleep laboratories so is questioned whether the sleep state is authentic as patient is not in a normal environment.
  • Behaviour may be different.
  • Ecological validity is therefore questioned.
  • Confounding variables such as sleep deprivation should be taken into consideration.
61
Q

Why is subjective interpretation an issue of effectiveness in dream analysis?

A

Everyone can interpret the manifest content differently and so can come up with different latent content. This may show unreliable information.

62
Q

One ethical issue of dream analysis is the therapist-client relationship. Explain this further.

A

There is a power imbalance. Generally, the patient relies on the therapist to take the expert role and make progress through the therapy. This leads to an over-dependence on the therapist.

63
Q

What is False memory syndrome in dream analysis and why is it an ethical issue?

A

FMS is a condition which a person’s identity and relationships are affected by strongly believed but false memories of traumatic incidents. These can show in dream analysis when the therapist claims to have uncovered these incidents. Even though they never happened, the patient can begin to believe that they did as an authoritative figure is telling them this. This can cause extra anxiety.

64
Q

Explain the ethical issue of psychological harm in dream analysis.

A

During the therapy, the therapist may guide a client towards an emotionally distressing insight. This may cause greater distress than the problem is actually causing.

65
Q

What is the classic research done in the psychodynamic approach?

A

Bowlby’s study on thieves and separation (1944)

66
Q

Describe the methodology used in Bowlby’s study.

A
  • Study was a series of case studies but NOT considered an experiment.
  • Two groups (thieves & control group) 44 in EACH group.
  • Final analysis looked at the association between the 2 groups and their experiences of seperation.
67
Q

How was the sample of thieves retrieved and who were they?

A
  • Opportunity sampling.
  • 31 boys, 13 girls between 5-17 years old.
  • Were all graded in terms of seriousness of their stealing.
  • Had an average intelligence. (50% in range or 85-114 IQ)
68
Q

What was the control group in Bowlby’s study?

A

A further 44 children (88 all together in both groups). All were similar in age/sex/IQ but were not thieves (were emotionally disturbed though)

69
Q

Why were the childrens mothers involved in Bowlby’s study?

A

They were interviewed in order to assess the case histories of each child.

70
Q

Describe the procedure steps in Bowlby’s study. (5)

A
  1. Each child given mental tests by psychologist to asses intelligence and emotional attitude was noted. (Binet scale)
  2. Child’s mother interviewed by social worker.
  3. Psychologist & social worker report back to Bowlby.
  4. Bowlby considered school & other reports to finally draw their conclusions.
  5. Many of the children continued to meet psychiatrist for therapy.
71
Q

What were the 6 main personality types Bowlby formed for the children?

A
  • Normal (appear fairly normal & stable)
  • Depressed (unstable/depressed state of mind)
  • Circular (unstable/alternating between depression & over-activity)
  • Hyperthymic (constantly over-active)
  • Affectionless (lack of affection, shame, sense of responsibility)
  • Schizoid (schizophrenic symptoms)
72
Q

5 thieves had fathers who hated them openly. However, this was also reported by the non-delinquent group. Does this explain delinquency?

A

No, it may explain emotional problems though.

73
Q

What did Bowlby conclude? (3)

A
  • That the children would not have become offenders if they had not experienced the events that were harmful to healthy development.
  • The development of superego could be negatively impacted, resulting in reduced sense of right & wrong.
  • Thieves had more frequent separations than control participants.
74
Q

Why could no casual findings be drawn from Bowlby’s study?

A

There could be other variables contributing to the emotional problems.

75
Q

Why was Bowlby’s data possibly biased?

A

The qualitative data was limited as it is based on one persons view and the parents were asked their recollections of their child’s experiences so it is unsure how reliable it is.

76
Q

Name the ethical issues involved in Bowlby’s study.

A
  • Confidentiality & privacy- Reports give the children’s first name same initial of last name. The case histories also give details of their personal lives. Unclear whether parents/children knew this information was going to be published.
  • Valid consent- Children cannot give consent so parents were asked.
77
Q

Is the psychodynamic approach focused on nature or nurture?

A

Both! (interactionist)
•Innate factors (nature) and childhood experiences (nurture) drives adult personality.
•Id is instinctual and psychosexual stages are from nurture.
(strength)

78
Q

The psychodynamic approach is useful. Explain why.

A
  • Highlights that childhood is a critical period in development.
  • Ideas by Freud are used in therapies.
  • Generally used to help understand mental health.
79
Q

The psychodynamic approach is holistic. Why is this a strength?

A

Many of the other approaches are criticised for being reductionist. Freud’s explanations reflect complexity as they recognise that human behaviour is influenced by multiple factors which cannot be separated.

80
Q

The psychodynamic approach is also said to be reductionist, as well as holistic. Explain.

A

It simplifies complex behaviour to the mechanics of the mind like the id, ego and superego.

81
Q

This approach is determinist. Explain why this is a weakness.

A
  • Allows for no free will due to libido and childhood experiences.
  • Implies people cannot be held responsible for their actions.
82
Q

This approach cannot be proven wrong. This is a weakness because…

A

It is difficult to falsify. A ‘good’ theory is one that can be tested to see if it is wrong. (white vs black swan example)

WJEC AS Psychology (6 decks)

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