Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
Psychodynamic Approach
- Freud - believed childhood was a shaping factor in our lives and used psychoanalysis.
- importance of early childhood experiences
- states that events in our
childhood has a great influence on our adult lives,
shaping our personality - events that occur in childhood can remain in the
unconscious, and cause problems as adults.
Role of the unconscious
- conscious mind - here and now (present majority of the time)
- preconscious mind - thoughts + ideas we may be wary of saying (slip of the tongue)
- unconscious mind - a storehouse of biological drives + instincts has a influence on behaviour + personality
unconscious holds dark + disturbing memories (not easily accessible)
- a fixation during the development of the psychosexual stages, this can affect an adult’s personality
psychological problems due to this can be treated by accessing the unconscious mind through psychoanalysis
Structure of Personality
ID = earliest part of human personality (irrational + emotional) , birth to 18 months, PLEASURE principle
EGO = tones down ID,1 to 3 years, REALITY principle, balances ID and SUPEREGO
SUPEREGO = conscience + moral guide,3-6 years old, MORALITY principle
EGO needs to balance opposing sides to be WELL ROUNDED individual
SUPEREGO too strong = OCD (strict + obsessive) cannot hold selves up to their own high standards causing anxiety
ID too strong = ADDICTION (selfish + out of control) they but addiction above all, no matter the consequences
ID and SUPEREGO shouldn’t be prominent in a personality
Defence mechanisms
- mind develop methods to protect self
- DENIAL = completely refuse to accept that event has occurred.
- not a conscious process , there isn’t a slight belief - can protect from anxiety.
- DISPLACEMENT = redirect feelings + emotions onto more socially acceptable target.
- REPRESSION = distressing thoughts are kept in unconscious and not allowed in conscious
- this is a case of motivated forgetting but not done consciously
-emerge as symptoms of anxiety
The Stages of Psychodynamic Development
- Freud suggests childhood experience shapes adult behaviour
- child goes through series of stages where INSTINCTIVE ENERGY of ID looks for SATISFACTION in bodily areas
- stages run parallel with ID EGO and SUPEREGO
Old Age Pensioners Love Guinness
-he also believed children are born with libido
to be psychologically healthy, they need to complete every stage
person can become fixated (causing a mental abnormality) if stage isn’t completed
Oral Stage (birth-1)
the mouth is the focus of pleasure - ID (instant pleasure from feeding or sucking their thumb)
successful completion = WEANING
weaned too early or too late can cause adults to gain pleasure from oral gratification e.g eating, drinking, smoking
oral RECEPTION (not allowed to suck freely)
- passive
- needy
- sensitive to rejection
oral AGGRESSIVE (allows to suck too freely)
- hostile
- anger management issues
Anal Stage (1-3)
the anus is the focus of pleasure - ID
- the first thing they can control in life
if parents are too strict or lenient - may cause fixation
anally RENTENTIVE (too early) =
- very tidy
- likes to be in control
anally EXPULSIVE (too late) =
- generous
- disorganised
- sociopath
if stage isn’t complete = could lead to anal character
successful completion = potty training
Phallic Stage (3-6)
genitals are the focus of pleasure and sexual energy - ID
boys = Oedipus Complex
girls = Electra Complex
gender differences and identities are developed between the sexes
Oedipus Complex
OEDIPUS
- sexual curiosity from being close to mother which leads to intense affection for mother
- boy sees the father as a rival for the mother’s love producing fear of the father
- to cope with feelings, the boy identifies and absorbs the moral attitudes of his father = the foundation of his SUPEREGO.
Electra Complex
ELECTRA
- girls realise they have no penis - a state of PENIS ENVY = more affectionate towards father
- Freud believed girls don’t complete this stage ever,the desire for a penis changes into one for a baby
fixation in this stage = sexual confusion later on
Little Hans Case Study (1909) - Oedipus Complex
- developed a phobia for horses as a displaced fear of his father
- saw the father as a rival for the mother’s love
- believes he would be castrated if father finds out about him touching his ‘widdler’
- jealous of little sister and father as they received mother’s attention
- dreamt of a mother drowning her younger sister out of envy
Latency Stage (6-puberty)
- sexual urges sublimated in hobbies
- focus on developing same-sex relationships (friendships)
no requirements to complete the stage
- more focus on potential sexual partners
- less focus of self
