psychodynamic approach Flashcards
who was it developed by
sigmund freud
what is the fundamental belief
all behaviour is driven by unconscious drives that operate in the mind
what does it emphasise
the importance of early childhood experience in shaping behaviour
it says that- mental disorders can only be resolved by….
accessing the unconscious part of the mind and bringing repressed memories into the conscious awareness through psychoanalysis
where does the dynamic come from
as the individual is seen as constantly changing as they develop
what is the iceberg analogy
the belief that minimal amount of material in our minds available for conscious awareness (the tip of the iceberg) and most of our mind is unconscious (under the water)
unconscious material…..
drives behaviour
what is the freudian slip
when these unconscious behaviours are revealed
how can a repressed memory cause a mental disorder
painful memories may be repressed in the unconscious and prevented from entering the conscious awareness as a protective mechanism but this creates anxiety which may manifest itself in behaviour such as a mental disorder.
the unconscious may involve what sort of behaviours
anxieties, fears, bad memories, things that might be considered unacceptable
what is the id
an innate part of the brain known as the pleasure principal which is selfish and impulsive and contains our basic instincs such as hunger and libido which require immediate gratification
what is the ego
it balances the demands of the id and the superego comprimising between the impulsive and selfish demands of the id and the moral conscious of the superego, it is reality principal and tries to reduce conflict, it develops around age 2
what is the superego
our moral guide which tells us whats right and whats wrong, it gives us feelings of guilt and a conscience, it develops through socialisation and parental guidance, it is the morality principal, starts developing around 4/5 at the end of the phallic stage and it thinks of others not self
what are defence mechanisms
they are dispatched by the ego when it struggles to balance the superego and the id, can be triggered when an individual is unable to cope or deal with a stressful or traumatic situation
defence mechanisms act as a way of….
distorting reality so that the individual doesnt have to think about the trauma, this all happens on an unconscious level so the individual is unaware
what is repression
an unconscious mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious
what is denial
it involves blocking external events from awareness so that some aspect of reality is not acknowledged
what is displacement
satisfying an impulse with a substitute object, when feelings from a distressing emotion are tranferred from the actual source of distress onto a non threathening other
eg of repression
during the oedipus complex aggressive thoughts about the same sex parents are repressed
eg of denial
smokers may refuse that smoking is bad for their health, alcoholics also
eg of displacement
someone who is frustrated by their boss at work may go home and kick their dog.
a person who is bullied at school might go home and be mean to their younger sibling
what are freuds psychosexual stages of development
oral
anal
phallic
latency
genital
age for the oral stage
birth to 18months
age for the anal stage
1 to 3 years
age for the phallic stage
3-5/6 years
age for the latency stage
5/6 to puberty
age for the genital stage
10-12/puberty +
what are the adult traits associated with problems in the oral stage
dependency, optimism, aggression, pessimism
what are the adult traits associted with problems in the anal stage
excessive cleanliness, stinginess, messiness, reblliousness, orderliness, destructivness
control freak or opposite
what are the adult traits associated with problems in the phallic stage
flirtatiouness, pride, chastity, vanity
what are the conflicts/experiences at the oral stage
weaning, oral gratification from sucking, eating biting
what are the conflicts/experiences at the anal stage
toilet training
gratification from expelling and withholding faeces- their first level of control
what are the conflicts/experiences at the phallic stage
sexual curiosity
masturbation
oedipal conflict/oedipus complex for boys
later the electra complex for girls
what are the conflicts/experiences in the latency stage
period of sexual calm, interest in school, hobbies and same sex friends
what are the conflicts/experiences in the genital stage
revival of sexual interests and establishment of mature sexual in relationships
what is resolution
when you pass through a stage
failure to pass through a stage results in
fixation so that when the child becomes an adult they will have the characteristics typical of that stage
failure
is trauma at any stage eg failure to identify with same sex parent
