Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards

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1
Q

What is psychodynamic theory?

A

The idea that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality

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2
Q

What does the psychodynamic approach argue can happen with events that occur during childhood?

A

They can remain in the unconscious and cause problems as adults (mostly things we can’t cope with)

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3
Q

Explain the iceberg theory of the role of the unconscious?

A

Conscious - how we present ourselves (visible part of iceberg)
Pre-conscious - things we can think about if we choose to. According to Freud, these thoughts mainly come out in dreams
Unconscious - thoughts that aren’t easy to recall, you are unaware of but still influence your conscious behaviour (mostly trauma and dark thoughts)

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4
Q

What is psychoanalysis also known as?

A

The talking cure

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5
Q

What did psychoanalysis argue?

A

The only way to uncover your unconscious and deal with trauma was through talking

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6
Q

What are features of Freud’s psychoanalysis?

A

. Talking about childhood
. Wouldn’t interrupt
. Wouldn’t ask many questions, would let the patient speak

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7
Q

What has psychoanalysis been proven to work on?

A

Treating many disorders, especially eating disorders

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8
Q

What part of the mind is the id involved in?

A

Unconscious

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9
Q

When is the id present?

A

From birth, our primitive urges

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10
Q

What is the id motivated by?

A

The pleasure principle

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11
Q

What does the id focus on?

A

Self

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12
Q

What chemical does the id contain and what it is?

A

The libido - biological energy created by reproductive instincts

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13
Q

What is the ego sometimes referred to as?

A

Your ‘self’ (conscious mind)

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14
Q

What parts of the mind does your ego come into?

A

Conscious and sometimes Preconscious

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15
Q

When does ego develop?

A

By the age of 2

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16
Q

What kind of self is the ego referring to?

A

Your real, rational self

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17
Q

What is the ego motivated by?

A

The reality principle - tries to balance out the impulses of the id and moralistic demands of the superego

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18
Q

What is the ego and what is its functions?

A

More organised part of your personality, helping make sense of the world. Functions:
. Perception
. Cognition
. Judgement
. Tolerance
. Memory

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19
Q

When does your superego develop?

A

Around 4-5 when children identify with same-sex parent (identification) and learn moral values from parents, helping develop your ‘self’ further

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20
Q

What part of the mind is included in the superego?

A

Mostly your unconscious

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21
Q

What is your superego motivated by?

A

Morality principle - learning right and wrong

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22
Q

What is your superego?

A

Unconscious that acts as your conscience or moral guide, based on parental and societal values

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23
Q

What does your superego do?

A

Controls impulses of id, especially those to do with sex and aggression

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24
Q

What is your superego divided into?

A

Conscience and ego-ideal

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25
Q

What is your conscience?

A

Internalisation of societal rules. Determines which behaviours are permissible and causes feeling of guilt when ruled are broken

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26
Q

What is your ego-ideal?

A

What a person strives towards, most likely based on parental standards of good behaviour

27
Q

By what age does Freud argue your personality is formed?

A

6

28
Q

What do all parts of personality demand?

A

Gratification, means they often conflict each other

29
Q

What is an example of all 3 parts of your personality operating together?

A

On a hot day, your friends want you to go out but you have a mock next week
Id: go out, work tomorrow
Ego: work, then go out for a bit
Superego: lock yourself in and only revise

30
Q

What is a strong ego key to?

A

A healthy mind

31
Q

What happens if your ego is too weak?

A

You allow your id and superego to dominate

32
Q

What happens if your id is too strong?

A

You become selfish and out of control, could become an addict as you demand constant gratification

33
Q

What happens if your superego is too strong?

A

You become strict, anxious, obsessive which can all lead to depression etc.

34
Q

How do standards in life relate to your personality?

A

High standards = unattainable ‘ideal self’ and harsh superego
Good standards = realistic self and balanced superego
Low standards = id takes control

35
Q

What does disagreements between the id, ego and superego cause?

A

Anxiety

36
Q

Why does your mind have defence mechanisms?

A

To protect your ego from fear and combat it, stopping individuals becoming aware of thoughts or feelings to do with the fear/trauma.

37
Q

What are your defence mechanisms controlled by?

A

Your ego as it wants to protect you

38
Q

What is denial?

A

Completely refusing to believe a thought or feeling to avoid dealing with pain associated with that event e.g Colleen Rooney didn’t believe Rooney cheated on her

39
Q

What is common to see in someone in denial?

A

They act as though nothing has happened, which others can view as very bizarre

40
Q

Why is denial needed?

A

So your ego can protect you (not a conscious process) as your mind tries to process highly traumatic situations.

41
Q

What are the 3 defence mechanisms?

A

Denial, displacement and repression

42
Q

What is displacement?

A

Redirecting your thoughts/feelings onto another target, giving their feelings a route for expression, even though they are often directed onto an innocent target. E.g losing a FUT champs game

43
Q

What is repression?

A

Your mind/ego forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind. It is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts

44
Q

What can repression emerge as?

A

Symptoms of anxiety

45
Q

Why are thoughts kept in the unconscious during repression?

A

To protect the person so the ego doesn’t have to deal with the thoughts

46
Q

How does repression influence someone?

A

The repressed feelings continue to influence your behaviour without being aware of the reasons behind the behaviour.

47
Q

What is the mnemonic for the psychosexual stages?

A

Old age pensioners love Guinness

48
Q

What are the 5 psychosexual stages?

A

. Oral stage
. Anal stage
. Phallic stage
. Latency stage
. Genital stage

49
Q

Explain the influence of libido in the psychosexual stages?

A

. Children are all born with a libido which isn’t necessarily a sexual urge, especially at a younger age
. Each stage expresses libido in different ways and through different parts of the body

50
Q

What is the importance of completing psychosexual stages?

A

To be psychologically healthy, as incomplete stages can lead to mental abnormalities as you become ‘fixated’ on the features of the stage you didn’t complete

51
Q

Which 2 psychosexual stages don’t have to be completely successful as they don’t involve fixations?

A

. Latency and genital stage

52
Q

What does the name psychosexual stages emphasise?

A

That the most important driving factor in development is the need to express sexual energy (libido)

53
Q

What ages do each of the psychosexual stages generally occur?

A

. Oral (birth-2)
. Anal (2-3
. Phallic (3-6)
. Latency (6-puberty)
. Genital (puberty-adulthood)

54
Q

What is Freud’s belief on libido?

A

Individuals experience tension due to buildup of libido and pleasure comes from the discharge of this libido

55
Q

What is the oral stage?

A

When the mouth is the focal point of sensations, it is how the child expresses early sexual energy, such as through sucking and biting.

56
Q

When is the oral stage completed?

A

When the child starts weaning (being spoon-fed)

57
Q

How can the oral stage not be completed?

A

If a child is weaned at the wrong time, it can cause fixation and makes the adult gain pleasure from oral gratification such as smoking/drinking

58
Q

What is the anal stage?

A

The beginning of ego development, as the child becomes aware of reality’s demands and the need to conform to the demands of others. The focus of pleasure is the anus

59
Q

How is the anal stage successfully completed?

A

If the child is potty trained at the right time, learning to control their bowel movements

60
Q

What happened if the anal stage is unsuccessfully completed?

A

The child gains an anal character, becoming fixated and anally attentive/expulsive based on strictness/lenience of parents when it comes to potty training

61
Q

Describe characteristics of being anally expulsive and attentive?

A

Anally expulsive: someone with a messy, disorganised and chaotic life
Anally attentive: strict, rigid character, uptight

62
Q

What is the phallic stage?

A

When the libido is focused on the genitals and boys experience the Oedipus complex and girls experience the Electra complex

63
Q

Explain the Oedipus complex in depth?

A

. Male unconsciously wishes for mother and to get rid of father, coming from Victorian times when the boys were often scared of their fathers and had a closer relationship with their mother as the men were at work. This meant the boy gained an intense desire for their mother and started to experience jealousy as they wanted their mother all to themselves but the father was spending time with the mother as he came from work
. Boys then experience castration anxiety (punishment from father) and child has to identify with father to solve this

64
Q

How is the phallic stage successfully or unsuccessfully completed?

A

Successful: child identifies how to become like their same-sex parent and realises they are a mini version of their dad due to their same genitals.
Unsuccessful: if you are prohibited from personal exploration, you are under gratified from the focus on the genitals and become fixated, either under or over indulging in sex depending on whether person exploration is restricted too much or too little