psychodynamic approach Flashcards
Eros
Eros- The life instinct- The preservation and enjoyment of life.
thanatos
The Death Instinct- This is most commonly directed out towards other people as
aggression/anger.
libido
eros and thanatos- force that drives us
catharsis
this is the way we satisfy our urges without resorting to violence against someone
the iceberg analogy
The conscious is the part of your mind that you are aware of e.g. your thoughts at the
moment and is the little part of your experience you are aware of (like the top of an iceberg)
* The preconscious is the part of your mind which can be called upon e.g. memories where you can be aware of them but are not at al times
* The unconscious is the largest part of your mind and contains things like unacceptable urges and desires e.g. sexual and for violence
the id
The Id is the INSTINCTIVE aspect of the personality. It operates on the PLEASURE PRINCIPLE. It
demands immediate satisfaction and doesn’t care about REALITY.
super ego
The Super-ego, It is the MORAL aspect of the personality. It operates on the Morality
Principle. It develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our
parents/caregivers
the ego
- The ego, It is the LOGICAL aspect of the personality. It operates on the REALITY PRINCIPLE. It can make conscious and rational decisions that reflect the demands of instinct (Id), morality (Superego) and external reality (Environment)
- The ego balances the Id and the Super-egos demands
- Freud stated that the ego employs a range of defence mechanisms to deal with conflict and problems in life.
displacement
Displacement is when a person uses an alternative object to satisfy an impulse, such as a punch bag to displace aggression
Bresin et al. (2013)
found that adaptive forms of aggression could create a calming effect and empower
participants with the skills to regulate anger in the future. So psychodynamic explanations have practical application so it is useful- it also means that since this works the psychodynamic explanation is a credible
one for the cause of aggression.
Bushman (2002)
Those who took part in a ‘cathartic’ activity (venting) were actually more aggressive
than those who didn’t have a chance to release their aggression. This means that catharsis is supported as a role in aggression meaning this theory is a credible one
Dabbs aggression
Dabbs et al. (1995) found high levels of testosterone in 692 male prisoners. This shows that looking at the unconscious is not a complete explanation of what causes aggression.
