psychodynamic approach

Question 1

who pioneered the approach?

Answer 1

Sigmund Freud

Question 2

what do they believe that behavior is influenced by?

Answer 2

1. different levels of consciousness
2. the three parts of the mind
3. progress through the psychosexual stages

Question 3

the levels of consciousness

Answer 3

conscious
pre-conscious
unconscious

Question 4

what is the conscious mind?

Answer 4

all of the mental processes of which we are aware
(thoughts + perceptions)

Question 5

what is the preconscious mind?

Answer 5

contains memories that can be recalled to consciousness
(memories + stored knowledge)

Question 6

what is the unconscious mind?

Answer 6

contains our biologically based instincts, the most important of which are the primitive urges for sex and aggression

Question 7

what are manifest thoughts and behaviours?

Answer 7

appear on the conscious surface

Question 8

what are latent processes?

Answer 8

hidden in the unconscious

Question 9

what’ the difference in latent and manifest meanings?

Answer 9

manifest thoughts and behaviours are only indicators of a set of latent processes in the unconscious

Question 10

how can we access our unconscious thoughts?

Answer 10

free associating
dream analysis
Freudian slips
Rorschach inkblot test

Question 11

what are the parts of the tripartite personality?

Answer 11

the ID
the ego
the superego

Question 12

what is the ID?

Answer 12

present from birth
works on the pleasure principle
seeks immediate gratification

Question 13

the ID: extra knowledge

Answer 13

Freud called babies ‘bundles of ID’s’ as they are all about seeking pleasure and getting what they want

Question 14

what is the ego?

Answer 14

present from 1-2 years
works on reality principle
balances the wishes of the ID and superego

Question 15

what is the superego?

Answer 15

present from 4-5 years
works on the morality principle
forms an ideal self
will punish with feelings of guilt or praise with feelings of pride

Question 16

why do we use defence mechanisms?

Answer 16

the ego has to protect itself from anxiety, caused by conflicts between the ID and the superego

Question 17

what is repression?

Answer 17

forcing a distressing or threatening memory out of your conscious mind

Question 18

what is denial?

Answer 18

failing or refusing to acknowledge some aspects of reality

Question 19

what is displacement?

Answer 19

transferring feelings from the true object of anxiety onto a substitute target/object

Question 20

what’s a strength of defense mechanisms?

Answer 20

has an intuitive appeal
most people can appreciate the idea

Question 21

what’s a case study that supports DM use?

Answer 21

Repression of Dora to deal with someone making sexual advances to her as a child

Question 22

what’s a limitation of defense mechanisms?

Answer 22

lack of testability
their use can only be inferred so lack of evidence

Question 23

what are the stages of development?

Answer 23

1. oral
2. anal
3. phallic
4. latency
5. genital

Question 24

what is fixation?

Answer 24

each stage has a conflict that the child needs to resolve to lead to healthy development
if they do not then they unconsciously remain in that stage for the rest of their lives

Question 25

what is oral stage?

Answer 25

0-1 years
ID is dominant

Question 26

what is the libido focus of the oral stage?

Answer 26

the mouth

Question 27

what is the oral stage successful resolution?

Answer 27

a person can enjoy food and drink healthily
and form relationships

Question 28

what are the behaviours of an oral character?

Answer 28

thumb sucking
smoking
biting finger nails

Question 29

what is the anal stage?

Answer 29

1 - 3 years
focus on expelling and withholding faeces

Question 30

what is the anal stage successful resolution?

Answer 30

the ability to deal with authority and to have a balance between being orderly and disorganised

Question 31

what are the behaviours of an anal retentive character?

Answer 31

excessively early or harsh potty training
can lead to:
stubbornness
perfectionism
obsessively tidy
punctual
submissive towards authority figures

Question 32

what are the behaviours of an anal expulsive character?

Answer 32

over indulgence or late toilet training
can lead to:
extremely messy
disorganisation
rebellious

Question 33

what is the phallic stage?

Answer 33

4 - 6 years
important stage for gender identity and development of morals
when opedius and electra complex’s happen

Question 34

what is the libido focus of the phallic stage?

Answer 34

genitals

Question 35

what is the successful resolution of the phallic stage?

Answer 35

identification of same sex parents’ morals

Question 36

what are the behaviours of a phallic character?

Answer 36

recklessness
resolute
self assurance
narcissistic
excessively vein and proud
can lead to:
confusion about gender identity and possibly even homosexual

Question 37

what is the latency stage?

Answer 37

7 - 10 years (until puberty)
child represses sexual desires and channels energy into play
don’t tend to fixate here

Question 38

what is the genital stage?

Answer 38

11+ years (puberty and beyond)
comes with onset of puberty

Question 39

what is the successful resolution of genital stage?

Answer 39

leads to the genital character who is the ideal adult:
well adjusted
mature
able to love + be loved
works hard
contributes to society

Question 40

what is the consequences of fixation at the genital stage?

Answer 40

can lead to unsatisfactory relationships or a failure to form relationships

Question 41

when does the Oedipus complex happen?

Answer 41

during phallic stage (3-6 years)
for boys only

Question 42

what is the steps Freud’s Oedipus complex?

Answer 42

1. boys unconsciously desire their mothers which leads to jealousy of father
2. so have castration anxiety in case father finds out
3. represses desire and identifies with father
4. internalises fathers male characteristics and morals
5. super ego develops

Question 43

what is the Electra complex?

Answer 43

phallic stage (3 - 6 years)
girls only

Question 44

what is the steps in Freud’s Electra complex?

Answer 44

1. girls are aware they have no penis and believe mothers castrated them so resent them
2. develop penis envy so father becomes love object (envy is of the power males have as a result of their penis)
3. represses unconscious wishes for her father and channels desire for a baby instead
4. leads to identification with mother so develops feminine identity
5. development of superego

Question 45

what is the case of little Hans?

Answer 45

5 years - developed fear of horses after seeing one, pulling all over

Question 46

what’s Freud’s explanation of little Hans fear?

Answer 46

Freud thought the cart symbolised his pregnant mother and the horse his father
so had displaced his fear of his father onto horses
the blinkers reminded Hans of his fathers glasses and the black hair reminded of his fathers beard and moustache

Question 47

what is the case of rat man?

Answer 47

Ernsts Lanzer (late 20s)
had an obsessional neurosis (dated back to childhood)
had many fears:
something bad was going to happen
fears his father would die (but was already dead)
main fear:
a punishment where tas would bore into criminal’s anus

Question 48

what was Freud’s explanation of rat man?

Answer 48

when he had indulged in sexual foreplay and feared his father would find out
so associated sexual pleasure with fear of punishment and hostility towards his father
so really fears punishment for himself
but displaces onto fear of those close to him getting punished

Question 49

what was the case of wolf man?

Answer 49

Sergei Pankeieff (23 year olds)
was dependent and close to serious mental illness illness
he had a dream he was lying looking to walnut tree with six wolves with long tails

Question 50

what was Freud’s explanation of wolf man?

Answer 50

1. wolves had long tails to represent fear of castration
2. stillness of wolves represented his father in violent motion - seen his parents having intercourse

Question 51

what is strengths of the psycho dynamic approach?

Answer 51

has practical applications - therapies psychoanalysis

takes an interactionist position on the nature v nurture debate

Question 52

what is the limitations of the psycho dynamic approach?

Answer 52

has many aspects considered unfalsifiable - hard to test unconscious mind

deterministic - no such thing as accident