psychodynamic approach Flashcards
when was the psychodynamic approach founded?
founded by Sigmund Freud, in Vienna in the late 19th century
what do psychodynamic psychologists focus on
how all of our behaviour can be motivated by unconscious motives and events that occurred in early childhood. ‘the child is the father to man’
four inter-related parts of Freud’s theories
- The role of the unconscious mind
- The structure of personality
- Defence mechanisms
- Psychosexual stages of development
assumptions of Freud’s theory
- The mind has 3 parts: conscious, preconscious and unconscious.
- The personality is made up of 3 structures; id, ego and superego
- We are engaged in a constant struggle with our feelings and behaviour. The ego has to balance this struggle and uses defence mechanisms such as repression and projection to do this.
- Children go through 5 stages of psychosexual development; Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital
the role of the unconscious mind: conscious mind
- thoughts we are aware of
- this includes our perceptions and everyday thoughts
the role of the unconscious mind: preconscious
- memories and stored knowledge
- we can access these if needed
the role of the unconscious mind: unconscious
- information which is very hard or even impossible to retrieve, this is the biggest part of our mind
- according to Freud, this can include our fears, instincts, distressing, painful or embarrassing material as well as shameful or traumatic past experiences
the ROLE of the unconscious mind
- to direct and motivate behaviour without conscious awareness
- it also protects us from these painful or embarrassing material that would damage the psyche if recalled into conscious awareness
the structure of personality: 3 parts to our personalities
- ID
- EGO
- SUPEREGO
ID
- operates at an unconscious level and is instinctive, impulsive and seeks immediate gratification operates on the pleasure principle
- e.g. self destructive behaviour e.g. addiction
ego
- rational, operates on the reality principle
- seeks to satisfy demands of the ID and the moral straints of the superego
- e.g. ego can exercise self control, e.g. losing weight, sticking to a diet plan
superego
- develops at age 7, the conscience, concerned with morals right and wrong
- acts on the morality principle
- e.g. too much superego, restrictions, deny pleasure, neurotic and obsessive behaviour (guilt/extreme worry)
the defence mechanisms
- the ego’s job is to defend us from dangerous or harmful impulses, feelings or behaviours
- freud suggests that conflicts in our lives can lead to feelings of anxiety or guilt and to cope with this, we employ defence mechanisms
- their dual role is to protect the ego by distorting reality
4 defence mechanisms
- Displacement
- Repression
- Denial
- Projection
displacement
taking out impulses on a less threatening target
repression: primal repression
first phase of repression, a thought being denied entrance into the conscious
repression: repression proper
the superego makes a threat of punishment against the ID
denial
denying thoughts, feelings or facts that are consciously intolerable
projection
placing unacceptable impulses in yourself onto someone else
psychosexual stages of development
Ages 0-1: Oral - mouth
Ages 1-3: Anal - anus (holding onto/expelling faeces)
Ages 3-6: Phallic - genitals
6-Puberty: Latency - libido is sublimated into schoolwork, friends + hobbies
Puberty onwards: Genital stage - sexual desires to opposite sex.
ages 0-1: Oral - mouth
- focus of pleasure is the mouth, mothers breast can be the object of desire
- oral fixation
- area of personality deviation is trust, dependency.
ages 1-3: Anal - anus
- focus of pleasure is the anus
- child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces
anal retentive
perfectionist, obsessive
anal expulsive
thoughtless, messy
area of personality deviatiation
obsessiveness, self control, obedience, rebellion and ego
ages 3-6: Phallic - genitals
focus of pleasure is the genital area
phallic personality
narcissistic, reckless
area of personality deviation
competitiveness, identification with same-sex parent, superego
6-Puberty: Latency - libido
- much of the child’s energy is channelled into developing new skills and acquiring new knowledge and play becomes largely confined to other children of the same gender
puberty onward: Genital stage
- sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty
- difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
phallic anxieties: The Oedipus Complex
- the oedipus complex arises because the boy develops sexual desires for his mother
- he wants to possess his mother exclusively and get rid of his father to enable to do so
- however, irrationally, the boy thinks that if his father were to find out about all this, his father would take away what he loves the most
- during the phallic stage, what the boy loves the most is his penis
- hence, the boy develops castration anxiety.
resolving castration anxiety
- this anxiety is resolved by identification, internally adopting the values, attitudes and behaviours of another person
- the consequences of this is that the boy takes on the male gender role, and adopts an ego ideal and values that become the superego
the electra complex
- the girl desires the father, but realises she does not have a penis
- this leads to the development of penis envy and the wish to be a boy
the electra complex: Penis envy
- this is resolved by expressing her desire for her father and substituting the wish for a penis with the wish for a baby
- the girl blames her mother for her ‘castrated state’ and this creates great tension
- the girl then represses her feelings and identifies with the mother to take on the female gender role
effects of psychosexual development on adult personality
- freud believed progress through these stages was critical not just for gender development, but also for a well-adjusted personality in adulthood
- he suggested that any problems that occur in these stages will manifest in adulthood as part of your personality
adult personality types: oral stage (0-1)
- oral receptive personality: very trusting, gullible and over-dependent
- oral aggressive personality: aggressive and domineering
adult personality types: anal stage (1-3)
- anal retentive personality: Mean, stubborn and obsessively tidy
- anal expulsive personality: Over generous, untidy and unconventional
adult personality types: phallic stage (3-6)
- phallic personality type: self assured, self obsessive, vain and impulsive
- can include sexual deviancy and unusual ways of gaining sexual gratification
strength
P: the theory has evidence to support its theoretical foundations
E: case of little Hans supported Freud’s theory that his feat of horses was due to the oedipus conflict and his unconscious had displaced the dear of his father onto horses E: this study showed how children use defence mechanisms and imitate and identify with the same sex parent during childhood
L: this helps back up some of Freud’s claims
limitation
P: freud’s theory is unscientific
E: the psychodynamic approach generally has some methodological problems, making it less effective as a theory and a less credible one. Freud’s theory lacks credibility as its research evidence is not easily replicated and the theory is non falsifiable
E: the concepts are not measurable and cannot easily be tested. Science required that studies can be repeated by someone else in order to be reliable.
L: his means that the psychodynamic approach is less credible therefore lacks validity.
strength
P: he theory has good practical application, as it can be used successfully to treat people suffering from a wide variety of disorders
E: it was also the first theory to suggest that mental illnesses could be treated with a ‘talking cure’ rather than medical intervention. Psychoanalysis addressed neuroses through talking, whereas, previous treatments were barbaric. E.g. spinning chair and crib.
E: the tavistock clinic is widely known for its therapies and psychoanalysis has been used worldwide to successfully treat many individuals through ‘talking therapy’.
L: this is good because the talking cure can help people overcome their neuroses, return to work/live a normal life thus helping the economy and the individual.
assumptions
- play behaviour is determined by unconscious mind, which is psychic determin
- the ego act as a mediator between I’ll need for physical satisfaction animals when they go fails, the conflict leads to abnormality
- when problems occur during adulthood, we regress back to fixations that occurred during the psychosexual stages of our childhood
- we develop defence mechanisms such as repression displacement and now to deal with it and resolve conflicts
- I’ll personality is the time in by events that occur in our first few years of my life
- assumes that the case study method is the best way to study human behaviour
