Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What are the assumptions for the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

• Unconscious activity is the key determinant of how we behave.
• Our psyche which controls our personality - is comprised of the id, ego and superego.
• We possess innate ‘drives’ (or ‘instincts’) that motivate behaviour throughout our lives.
• Childhood experiences determine our personality when we reach adulthood.

Question 2

What did freud suggest the existence of?

Answer 2

the unconscious mind which is inaccessible to our conscious awareness.

Question 3

What is the unconscious mind made up of?

Answer 3

our biological drives and instincts as well as threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed or forgotten

Question 4

What is the role of the unconscious?

Answer 4

-to act as a driving force behind our everyday actions, behaviours and our personality. e.g the PA believes that children who have been abused or neglected, repress the early trauma but that it will eventually resurface in adulthood in the form of depression and anxiety.

Question 5

What else is the role of the unconscious?

Answer 5

-The unconscious also protects the conscious self from anxiety, fear, trauma and conflict
-e.g. smoker might unconsciously use a defence mechanism such as denial, to reduce the anxiety associated with admitting that smoking is bad for their health.

Question 6

What did Freud describe personality as?

Answer 6

tripartite- composing of three parts

Question 7

what does the tripartite do?

Answer 7

drives your behaviour

Question 8

what does a tripartite consist of?

Answer 8

Id, ego, superego

Question 9

what is the Id?

Answer 9

-pleasure principle
-Entirely selfish and demands immediate gratification.
-It is irrational and emotional.
-Unconscious part of the mind.

Question 10

what did freud describe babies as?

Answer 10

bundles of id

Question 11

What is the ego?

Answer 11

-The reality principle
Formed around 2 years old
-strives to satisfy the id’s desires in realistic and socially acceptable ways. It uses defence mechanisms to reduce conflict between impulsive demands of the id and moralistic demands of the superego.
-Mostly in the conscious part of the mind.

Question 12

What is the super ego?

Answer 12

The morality principle
Formed around 5 years old (during athe phallic stage)
Our internalised sense of right and wrong and is determined by parental standards of good behaviour.
-It determines which behaviours are permitted and causes guilt when rules are broken.
-Mostly in the unconscious part of the mind.

Question 13

What can happen between the three parts?

Answer 13

intrapsychic conflict

Question 14

What happened to the super ego is over dominant?

Answer 14

leads to crime (want to be punished)

Question 15

What does the ego have a difficult job doing?

Answer 15

balancing the conflicting demands of the id and superego (known as an/intrapsychic conflict) and this can cause anxiety.

Question 16

what happens if an individual is unable to deal with a situation rationally?

Answer 16

then defence mechanisms may be triggered in order to reduce this anxiety.

Question 17

why do defence mechanisms tend to operate unconsciously?

Answer 17

to ensure that the ego is able to prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary threats or trauma.

Question 18

why are defence mechanisms regarded as psychologically unhealthy and undesirable as a long term solution?

Answer 18

they often involve some form of distortion of reality

Question 19

What are examples of defence mechanisms?

Answer 19

-Repression
-Displacement
-Denial

Question 20

what is repression??

Answer 20

-Burying an unpleasant thought or desire in the unconscious.
-Repressed thoughts and impulses continue to influence behaviour without , the individuals being aware of the reasons behind their behaviour.

Question 21

What is an example of repression?

Answer 21

traumatic childhood experiences may be repressed and so forgotten but individuals may have trouble forming relationships.

Question 22

What is displacement?

Answer 22

Emotions are directed away from their source or target, towards other things.
This gives their hostile feelings a route for expression, even though they are misapplied to an innocent person or object.

Question 23

What is an example of displacement?

Answer 23

e.g. Slamming a door instead of hitting a person arguing at your partner when you are angry with your boss at work.

Question 24

What is denial?

Answer 24

A threatening thought is ignored or treated as if it was not true.
This allows the individual to deal with painful feelings that may be associated with the situation and reduce their anxiety.

Question 25

What is an example of denial?

Answer 25

e.g. a wife might find evidence that her husband is cheating on her, but explain it away using other reasons.

Question 26

What did freud believe that personality develops through?

Answer 26

through a sequence of five stages (oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital) in which the libido (pleasure-seeking energy of the id) becomes focused on particular erogenous zones (part of the body that are sensitive to touch). The extent to which a child is able to express their libido influences their behaviour. (psychosexual stages)

Question 27

when can a child become fixated at pyschosexual stage?

Answer 27

stage if they are unable to resolve specific unconscious conflicts or if the particular erogenous zone is given too little or too much stimulation.

Question 28

what can fixation of particular stage result in?

Answer 28

behaviour associated with that stage appearing in adult

Question 29

What are the stages?

Answer 29

-Oral stage
(0-1 year)
-Anal stage
(1-3 years)
-Phallic stage
(3-6 years
-Latency stage (6-12 years)
Genital stage
(12 years/ Puberty - adulthood)

Question 30

what are the primary focuses of libido (pleasure)?

Answer 30

-Oral- Satisfaction is derived from the mouth (sucking, eating, etc).
Focus is on the mother’s breast.
-Anal-Satisfaction is derived from the anal region.
Focus is on withholding and/or expelling faeces.
-Phallic-Satisfaction is derived from the genitals.
Children discover physical differences between males and females as they form their own sexual identity.
Sexual impulses are strongly repressed and so are reduced.
-genital- Satisfaction is again derived from the genitals but as adult sexual expression.

Question 31

what is an example cause of conflict/fixation?

Answer 31

-Oral- Neglecting a child’s feeding needs (lack of stimulation).
Anal- Overly strict potty training may cause a child to focus on withholding taeces.
-Phallic- Boys undergo the Oedipus complex which involves an unconscious desire for their mother and hatred of their father as a rival.
To resolve this conflict, boys need to repress their feelings for their mother and identify with their father, taking on his gender role and moral values.

Question 32

what is an example of the effect of fixation on later personality?

Answer 32

-Oral aggressive (frustrated):
Aggressive, dominating, pessimistic, envious, suspicious, etc.
-Anal retentive (frustrated):
Mean, stubborn, tidy, etc.
May result in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Phallic- Self-assured, vain, impulsive, etc. -Conflicts may result in homosexuality, authority problems and rejection of appropriate gender roles.
Latency- The individual does not actively engage with the opposite sex. Avoids emotional involvement.
-Genital personality type:
Well-adjusted, mature, able to love and be loved.

Question 33

what is the erogenous zone/focus of pleasure?

Answer 33

-Oral- mouth
-Anal- anus
-Phallic- genitals
-Latency- no focus
-Genital- genitals