Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

Who was the psychodynamic approach laid by?

Answer 1

Sigmund Freud

Question 2

What notion did Freud propose?

Answer 2

That behaviour cannot be measured through conscious experiences, unconscious mind is responsible for the majority of behaviour produced

Question 3

What is the unconscious mind?

Answer 3

• Inaccessible deposit of memories/events
• Traumatic memories/events are repressed here
• Freudian slips acts as the unconscious mind revealing itself

Question 4

What are the three personalities?

Answer 4

The ID, ego and superego

Question 5

What is the ID?

Answer 5

Pleasure principle; primal urges and instant gratification, present at birth

Question 6

What is the Ego?

Answer 6

reality principle; balance between ID and Superego, develops at anal stage

Question 7

What is the Superego?

Answer 7

morality principle; boundaries of behaviour, develops in response to parental discipline in the phallic stage

Question 8

Name the 5 psychosexual stages

Answer 8

Oral, anal, phallic, latent, genital

Question 9

Define the Oral stage

Answer 9

Develops at age 0-2, focus on the mouth, oral fixation of nail biting/smoking

Question 10

Define the Anal stage

Answer 10

Develops at age 2-3, focus on the anus, ego develops here. If child is nervous to go toilet; anally retentive (obsessive perfectionist), if child is eager to go toilet; anally expulsive (impulsive)

Question 11

Define the Phallic stage

Answer 11

Develops at age 3-6, focus on the genitals, oedipus complex develops, wreckless or narcisstic behaviour is produced.

Question 12

Define the Latent stage

Answer 12

Develops at age 6-12, focus is hidden, relationships form, there is no unresolved conflict

Question 13

Define the Genital stage

Answer 13

Develops at age 12 and continues into adulthood, psychosexual energy in the genitals and directs towards formation of adult relationships, fixation may cause trouble in forming heterosexual relationships

Question 14

What part of the mind is the ID, Ego and Superego found?

Answer 14

ID: uncon
Ego: between con/uncon
Superego: mostly in uncon

Question 15

List the three defence mechanisms

Answer 15

Repression, denial, displacement

Question 16

What is repression

Answer 16

Repression occurs when a traumatic or distressing memory is forced out of the conscious into the unconscious

Question 17

What is denial

Answer 17

Denial involves refusal in accepting the reality of the situation

Question 18

What is displacement

Answer 18

Displacement is where the feelings towards a target individuals cannot be expressed directly and therefore transferred elsewhere

Question 19

AO1 - Assumptions and Tripartite Personality

Answer 19

• Idea that the unconscious mind (storing out innate biological and instinctive drives) has a majority influence on behaviour and personality
• Disturbing memories, trauma, Freudian slips
• Tripartite personality; ID, Ego, Superego

Question 20

AO3 - Not Scientific

Answer 20

P: Inability to be scientifically tested
E: Unconscious mind cannot be empirically tested for

E: Unfalsifiable and a pseudoscience, lacks scientific credibility

Question 21

AO3 - Positive Practical Applications

Answer 21

P: Applauded for PPA
E: Biskup et al., (2005), naturalistic study of psychoanalytic theraphy, 77% of patients show clinically significant improvements

E: Greater chance of recovery, therapeutically effective, appreciate humans as complex beings, wider range in professional practices, higher utility in modern day society

Question 22

AO1 - Defence Mechanisms

Answer 22

• Ego employs defence mechanisms to cope with conflicting demands of ID and Superego
• Identify and explain the 3 defence mechanisms

Question 23

AO1 - Psychosexual stages

Answer 23

• Development of psychosexual fixations leading to conflict if not resolved
• Systematically state and explain psychosexual stages

Question 24

AO3 - Use of case studies

Answer 24

P: Assumptions based on utilization of case studies
E: Freud (1909), Little Hans, phobia of horses stemmed from fear of his father due to sexual desires for his mother (Oedipus complex)

E: special psychological interests, not generalisable, lacks ecological validity, findings may be prevalent of researcher bias, threatening internal validity of study, difficult to establish firm C+E, limited applications

Question 25

AO3 - Indirect Evidence

Answer 25

P: Indirect evidence for psychosexual stages
E: Lewis (1992) found that out of 140 college students, ones with clinical levels of depressive symptoms scored significantly higher on the oral pessisms questionnaire than rest of the sample

E: inability to esolve psychosexual conflicts resulting in destructive behaviours like anxiety and depression, beneficial to individuals through adoption of psychotherapy, providing face validity