Psychodynamic approach Flashcards
What does Freud argue in the his psychodynamic theory
The psyche is a complex system that consists of three distinct parts:
•The conscious- thoughts we are aware of.
•The preconscious- not currently aware but can be through dreams of ‘slips of the tongue’
•The unconscious- thoughts, desires and memories that are not accessible to awareness but influence behaviours and feeling.
The tripartite structure of personality
•Id- present from birth (pleasure principle)- focuses only on satisfying personal needs and desires.
•Ego- from 18 months (reality principle)- acts rationally as a mediator between the id and superego.
•Superego- 3 to 5 years (morality principle)- internalised sense of right and wrong. Based on morality principle. Punished the Ego through guilt.
Defence mechanisms use by Ego to reduce anxiety.
•Repression- forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind.
•Denial- refusing to acknowledge reality.
•Displacement- transferring feeling from their true source onto a substitute target.
Psychosexual stages- Oral
Oral (0-1 years)- pleasure focus= mouth, the mother’s breast is the object of desire.
Psychosexual stages- Anal
Anal (1-3 years)- pleasure focus= anus, the child gains pleasure from withholding and eliminating faeces.
Psychosexual stages- Phallic
Phallic (3-6 years)- pleasure focus= genital area.
Psychosexual stages- Latency
Latency- earlier conflicts are repressed.
Psychosexual stages- Genital (puberty)
Genital (puberty)- sexual desires become conscious.
Oedipus complex
Oedipus complex is a psychosexual conflict at the phallic stage.
•Little boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother and a murderous hatred for their father.
•They then repress the feelings for their mother and identify with their father, taking on his gender role and moral values.
•Girls of the same age experience penis envy.
Castration anxiety
Fear of dad castrating them.
