psychodynamic approach Flashcards
who created this approach
sigmund freud
what did freud suggest about the:
- unconscious
- conscious
- preconscious
- conscious mind is ‘tip of the iceberg’
- most of our mind is unconscious = biological drives/instincts have significant influence on behaviour
- unconscious also contains threatening/disturbing memories which have been repressed
- repressed memories accessed during dreams & ‘slips of the tongue’ (parapraxes)
- under surface of conscious is preconscious = contains thoughts/memories which aren’t currently in conscious but can be accessed if desired
what are the 3 structures of personality
- id
- superego
- ego
what did freud describe the personality as
‘tripartite’
describe the id
- primitive part of personality
- operates on pleasure principle
- unconscious drives & instincts
- only id is present at birth
- selfish & demands instant gratification
describe the superego
- formed at end of phallic stage (age 5)
- internalised sense of right/wrong
- based on morality principle
- represents moral standard of same-gender parent
- punishes ego for wrongdoing (guilt)
describe the ego
- reality principle
- mediator between id/superego
- develops around 2 years old
- reduce conflict between demands of id/superego by employing defence mechanisms
name the 5 sexual stages, a description of them & the consequence of unresolved conflict
- oral (0-1 years)
- focus of pleasure on mouth
- mother’s breast object of desire
unresolved conflict = oral fixation eg. smoking, nail biting - anal (1-3 years)
- focus of pleasure on anus
- pleasure from withholding/expelling faeces
unresolved conflict = anal retentive (perfectionist, obsessive) or anul expulsive (thoughtless, messy) personalities - phallic (3-6 years)
- focus of pleasure on genitals
unresolved conflict = phallic personality (narcissistic, reckless) - latency
- earlier conflicts repressed - genital
- sexual desires conscious alongside puberty
unresolved conflict = difficulty forming hetersexual relationships
describe defence mechanisms
- used by ego to balance demands of superego/id
- unconscious
- allow ego to prevent us being overwhelmed by temporary threats/traumas
- often involve distortion of reality
- long-term solution = psychologically unhealthy/undesirable
AO3 (+) real-world application - introduced idea of psychotherapy
E:
- freud introduced new form of therapy called psychoanalysis
- first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologically
- therapy uses range of techniques designed to assess unconscious (eg. dream analysis)
- helps clients by brining repressed emotions into conscious to be dealt with
- beginning of many modern-day ‘talking therapies’ eg. counselling
T: shows value & usefulness of psychodynamic approach in creating a new approach to treatment
AO3 (-) counterpoint to real-world application
E:
- psychoanalysis regarded inappropriate/harmful for those experiencing more severe mental disorders (eg. schizophrenia)
- many of symptoms of schizophrenia (eg. paranoia, delusional thinking) mean those with disorder have lost grip on reality & can’t articulate thoughts in ways required by psychoanalysis
T: suggest freudian therapy (and theory) may not apply to all mental disorders
AO3 (+) ability to explain human behaviour
E:
- theory has had huge influence on psychology & contemporary thought
- behaviourism & psychodynamic approach have remained key forces in psychology throughout first half of 20th century & been used to explain wide range of phenomena (eg. personality development, origins of psychological disorders, moral development etc.)
- psychodynamic approach draws attention to connection between childhood experiences & later development
T: suggests that psychodynamic approach has had positive impact on psychology
AO3 (-) much of psychodynamic approach has untestable concepts
E:
- karl popper (philosopher of science) argued the psychodynamic approach doesnt meet scientific criterion of falsification
- not open to empirical testing
- many of freuds concepts (eg. id, oedipus complex) occur at an unconscious level, making it extremely difficult to test them
- also, his ideas were based on subjective study of single individuals (eg. little Hans), making it difficult to make universal claims about human behaviour
T: suggests freuds theory was pseudoscientific rather than established facts
describe the oedipus complex & electra complex
oedipus complex:
- freud claimed that in phallic stage boys developed incestuous feelings towards their mother & murderous hatred for father (love rival)
- fear their father will castrate them, so repress feelings for mother & identify with father (gender role & moral values)
electra complex:
- girls of same age experience penis envy
- desire their father (penis is primary love object) & hate their mother
- give up desire for father over time & replace with desire for baby (identifying with mother in process)
how did freud test the oedipus complex
case study of little Hans
describe the case study of little Hans
- he was 5 years old
- had developed phobia of horses after seeing one collapse
- freud suggested his phobia was form of displacement –> repressed fear of his father & transferred onto horses
- horses were symbolic representation of his unconscious fear = fear of castration experienced during oedipus complex
