Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

the psychodynamic approach suggests that the mind is split into 3 parts, name them.

Answer 1

• conscious mind
• preconscious mind
• unconscious mind

Question 2

what is the conscious mind?

Answer 2

everything we know and are aware of

Question 3

what is the preconscious mind?

Answer 3

where thoughts and memories which are currently not in conscious awareness can be accessed if desired

Question 4

what is the unconscious mind?

Answer 4

contains biological drives and instincts as well as threatening and disturbing memories which can all influence our behaviour

Question 5

what is most of our mind?

Answer 5

unconscious

Question 6

what is split into 3 parts?

Answer 6

personality

Question 7

what is personality split into?

Answer 7

• ID
• ego
• superego

Question 8

what is the ID?

Answer 8

• pleasure principle
• demands instant gratification and is influenced by unconscious drives and instincts which are present from birth

Question 9

what is the ego?

Answer 9

• reality principle
• mediator between the two other parts of the personality
• reduces conflict between the demands of the ID and the superego
• present at 2yrs

Question 10

what is the superego?

Answer 10

• morality principle
• internalised sense of right and wrong which represents our moral standards
• present at 5yrs

Question 11

what are the stages the all children go through?

Answer 11

psychosexual development
- a child can become fixated or stuck in any of these stages which can result in different behaviours in adult life

Question 12

what are the psychosexual stages called?

Answer 12

• oral (0 to 1)
• anal (1 to 3)
• phallic (3 to 6)
• latency (7 to puberty)
• genital (puberty to death)

Question 13

what is the oral stage?

Answer 13

• focuses on pleasure of the mouth

Question 14

what can happen if you are fixated in the oral stage?

Answer 14

• nail-biting, smoking = oral fixation

Question 15

what is the anal stage?

Answer 15

• focus on pleasure of the anus

Question 16

what happens if you are fixated in the anal stage?

Answer 16

• perfectionist, obsessive = anal retentive
• thoughtless, messy = anal expulsive

Question 17

what is the phallic stage?

Answer 17

focus of pleasure in the genital areas

Question 18

what happens if you are fixated in the phallic stage?

Answer 18

• narcissictic, reckless = phallic personality

Question 19

what is the latency stage?

Answer 19

earlier conflicts are repressed

Question 20

what is the genital stage?

Answer 20

• sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty

Question 21

what happens if you are fixated in the genital stage?

Answer 21

difficulty in forming heterosexual relationships

Question 22

what are the evaluations of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 22

+ introduced psychotherapy
+ has the ability to explain human behaviour
- a lot of its theories and concepts are untestable
- deterministic = adult behaviour is based on childhood

Question 23

what does the ego use to reduce the conflicts between Id and superego?

Answer 23

• defence mechanisms

Question 24

what are defence mechanisms?

Answer 24

• unconscious
• ensures that the ego is able to prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary threats or traumas
• reduces anxiety

Question 25

what are the defence mechanisms?

Answer 25

• repression
• denial
• displacement

Question 26

what is repression?

Answer 26

• forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind

Question 27

what is denial?

Answer 27

• refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality

Question 28

what is displacement?

Answer 28

• transferring feelings from the true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target