Psychodynamic approach Flashcards
What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach ?
- unconscious mind determines behaviour - psychic determinism (no free will)
- We possess inate instincts that drive motivation
- Tripartite explanation of personality
- Importance on childhood experiences determining our personality in adulthood
What are the methods that the psychodynamic approach use ?
- Based on case studies
- treatment through psychoanalysis ‘talking cures;
- Free association - Repressing immediate and unconscious thoughts as they happen
- Dream interpretation - analysis of the underlying meaning (latent content) of what was remembered from a dream (manifest content)
What are the levels of consciousness ?
- The conscious mind = the things we are aware of (the tip of the iceberg)
- The pre-conscious contains thoughts and memories which are accessible if needed
- Accessible through dreams and parapraxes
- Unconscious mind stores biological drive
- Unconscious mind has a large influence on behaviour and personality
- Threatening and disturbing memories
What are the three parts of the tripartite personality ?
- ID
- Ego
- Superego
What is the ID part of persoanlity ?
- Primitive (early stages) of our personality
- operates on a pleasure principle (selfish, get’s what it wants)
- Seething mass of unconscious drives and instincts
- Only aspect of personality present at birth
What is the ego part of the personality ?
- Works on the reality principle
- Mediator between the ID and the superego
- Develops at around 2 years
- Manages the use of defence mechanisms
What is the superego part of the personality ?
- Formed around 5 years
- Internalises a sense of right from wrong
- Based on the morality principle
- Internalises the moral standards of the same-sex parent (Daughter learns from the mother)
- Punishes the ego for wrongdoing through guilt
What is a defence mechanism ?
- Used unconsciously (role of the unconscious)
- Balance the Id and the superego
- Prevents the ego from feeling overwhelmed
- May distort reality
- Unhealthy and undesirable for the long term
- E.G Denial, repression, displacement and avoidance
What are the 5 stages of Freud’s study ?
- Oral
- Anal
- Phallic
- Latency
- Genital
What is the oral stage ?
Age: 0-1 years
Definition: Focus is on the pleasure in the mouth, mother’s breast is the desire.
Conflict : Weaning
Consequence of unsolved conflict: Smoking, nail biting, sarcastic
What is the anal stage ?
Age: 1-3 years
Focus on pleasure is the anus. Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces
Conflict - toilet training
Consequence of unsolved conflict:
Anal retentive - perfectionist, obsessive
Anal expulsive - thoughtless, messy
What is the phallic stage (3-6 years)
Focus on the pleasure of the genital area
Conflict - lack of father figure
Fixation - narcissistic, reckless, homosexual
What is the opedius complex ?
- Boy’s
- develop’s incestuous feelings for mum and a hatred for the dad
- fearing castration
- take on father’s gender role
What is the electra complex ?
Girls :
- desire father and hate father
- have penis envy
