Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

Who was Freud ?

Answer 1

. Founder of psychology
. Developed use of talk therapy
. Cocaine user

Question 2

What was Freuds’ unconscious mind ?

Answer 2

Used the analogy of an iceburg to describe 3 levels of the mind:
. unconscious
. preconscious
. conscious

Question 3

What is the structure of personality ?

Answer 3

ID = wants instant gratification for our wants and needs - if wants aren’t met person becomes tense/anxious, wants come from the unconscious

EGO = reduce the conflict between the demands of the ID and the super ego manages this by employing number of defence mechanisms

SUPER EGO = internalised sense of right and wrong

Question 4

What are the 3 defence mechanisms employed by the EGO ?

Answer 4

repression = forcing distressing memory out of conscious mind
denial = refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
displacement = transferring feelings from source onto a substitute target

Question 5

What are the psychosexual stages ?

Answer 5

Child development occured in 5 stages
If child doesn’t successfuly progress through stages - they , leads to problems in adulthood

Question 6

What is the oedipus complex ?

Answer 6

Boy wants mother as his ‘primary love object’ and wants father out of the way

Question 7

What is the electra complex ?

Answer 7

Girls experience penis envy, desire their father, as the penis is the primary love object and hate their mother

Question 8

What is the evaluation for the psychodynamic approach ?

Answer 8

. Explanatory powers
. Untestable concepts
. Psychic determinism