psychodynamic approach Flashcards
what is the oedipus complex?
emotions in which are aroused in a young child by an unconscious sexual desire to be with the parent of opposite sex.
evidence for the oedipus complex?
Little Hans (1909) where he interepreted Hans’ phobia of horses as a symbolic meaning towards his father due to their large penises
what is the psychodynamic approach?
a perspective by Freud which describes the different forces, most of which are unconscious that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience
what is the unconscious?
the part of the mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behaviour
what is the Id?
the id is an unconscious, selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification
what is the ego?
the reality check that balances the conflicting demands of the Id and the superego
what is the superego?
the moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self or how we ought to be.
what is a defence mechanism?
unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the id and the superego
what are the psychosexual stages?
five developmental stages that all children pass through where each stage the child has to deal with a different conflict which the outcome will determine their future development
what does the unconscious obtain according to Sigmund freud?
disturbing and traumatic experiences, desires, fears, memories, biological instincts and drives which have a massive role on our behaviour and personality
which part of the personality operates on the reality principle?
the ego
which part of the personality operates on the morality principle?
the superego
which part of the personality operates non the pleasure principle?
the Id
which of the 3 structures of the personality uses defence mechanisms and how
the ego which is the mediator between the id and superego to reduce conflict
what is the order of the psychosexual stages?
oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
at what age does the latency stage occur?
6 to 12
at what age does the oral phase occur?
0 to 1
at what age does the phallic stage occur?
3 to 6
at what age does the genital phase occur?
12 and above
at what age does the anal phase occur?
1 to 3
what is the focus of libido at the oral stage?
mouth, tongue, lips
what is the focus of libido at the anal stage?
anus
what is the focus of libido at the phallic stage?
genitals
what is the focus of libido at the latency stage?
none
what is the focus of libido at the genital stage?
genitals
what are the 3 stages of defence mechanisms?
denial, displacement, repression
what is denial?
not acknowledging that there is a problem
what is displacement?
showing emotion towards something or someone completely unrelated to what actually caused the emotion
what is repression?
suppressing a memory until it disappears into the subconscious
one strength of the psychodynamic approach?
one strength is that they focussed on the effects that childhood experiences have on the developing personality which is a strength as Freud was the first psychologist to realise the importance of childhood.
another strength of the psychodynamic approach?
it takes both nature and nurture into account which is a strength as it emphasises the importance of both
one weakness of the psychodynamic approach?
this approach is unfalsifiable as the unconscious mind can not be observed or quantified also meaning that it is not empirical
another weakness of the psychodynamic approach?
Another weakness of this approach is that it advocated psychic determinism and suggests that nothing is down to free will but rather our own unconscious forces
evaluation?
there may not be an adequate explanation for mental illness because there is no definitive evidence of the unconscious mind. However, studies have found that childhood experiences can affect your mental health later in life.
cases to explain childhood experiences affecting mental health
Hammersley et al
