Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
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A strength of the psychodynamic explanation of human behaviour is that it has practical applications.
This is because the principles of the theory, that behaviour is caused by the unconscious mind has led to the treatment of psychoanalysis, which can be used to treat abnormalities in the real world, such as depression and anxiety by dealing with conflicts hidden in the unconscious. Therefore, the psychodynamic explanation of human behaviour is an important part of applied psychology as it helps to
treat people in the real world.
However, the extent to which this therapy is used in the real world is relatively small compared to other therapies such as CBT and drug therapy, especially when treating more serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia where patients may struggle to identify what is real and what is not which means that
‘those with the disorder may struggle to articulate their thoughts in a way needed for psychoanalysis.
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A limitation of the psychodynamic approach to understanding the structurf of personality in human
behaviour is that it does not use scientific methods and therefore lacks scierdific rigour.
This is because the key concepts such as the unconscious and the Id, ego, superego are abstract concepts, which cannot be objectively and empirically tested and falsified°- they cannot be observed objectively.
Therefore, it could be argued that this decreases the overall internal validity of the psychodynamic approach’s explanation of the structure of personality, as well as human behaviour - which could additionally reduce
Psychology’s scientific status.
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The psychosexual stages can be criticised for psychic determinism.
This is because the feature suggests that an individual is controlled by external and internal factors such as fixations occurring during specific stages that inevitably cause behavjour duch as oral fixations resulting in behaviour such as smoking.
Therefore, it neglects the role of free will, and choice that individuals have (suggesting free will is an illusion); this could leave individuals feeling like they have no control over their behaviour.
Timiting the appropriateness of using the psychosexual stages to explain human behaviour and development.
