Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What is the preconscious and unconscious?
Preconscious - things we are not currently thinking of, but can be retrieved to our conscious mind
Unconscious - influenced our behaviour but are not brought to our consciousness. Influenced by our past experiences and deep trauma can be repressed there
What is the ID?
The selfish, irrational part of personality. Present at birth, demands immediate satisfaction of its needs, regardless of the circumstances. Ruled by the pleasure principle.
What is the superego?
Developed between the ages of three and six years old. Embodies our sense of right and wrong, represents the moral standards of the child’s same sex parents. Governed by the morality principle
What is the ego?
The rational part of the personality which mediates between the id and superego. Role is to reduce conflicts by employing defence mechanisms. Develops around the age of two, governed by the reality principle.
Explain the 3 defence mechanisms
Denial - Refusing to acknowledge some aspects of reality
Displacement - Transferring feelings from true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target
Repression - Forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind into the unconscious mind
Explain the assumptions of the psychosexual stages
Marked by a different conflict that a child must resolve in order to progress to the next stage
Conflict that is unresolved leads to fixation where child because fixed at that stage. May carry certain behaviours into adult life
Explain the first 3 psychosexual stages
- Oral stage (0-1y) pleasure through mouth, fixation : smoking, nail biting.
- Anal stage (1-3y) pleasure through withholding and expelling faeces. Anally retentive - perfectionist/obsessive. Anally expulsive - thoughtless/messy
- Phallic stage (3-5y) pleasure though genitals. fixation : reckless/narcisstic behaviours
What is the oedipus/electra complex?
When unconscious rivalry develops between the child and its same sex parents for the affection of its opposite sex parent.
Boys experience castration anxiety (oedipus) and girls experience penis envy (electra)
To overcome this conflict children must learn to identify with their same sex parent this is easier for boys.
Explain the last 2 psychosexual stages
- Latency stage (6y-puberty) earlier conflicts are repressed, no conflict at this stage
- Genital stage (puberty+) pleasure through sexual desires becoming conscious. Fixation : may lead to issues forming with heterosexual relationships
What is the strength of the Psychodynamic approach?
Practical applications - the approach introduced the idea of psychotherapy as opposed to physical treatments. Psychoanalysis is a forerunner to modern day talking therapies such as counselling. Shows the approach has value as it created a new type of treatment
What are the two weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach?
Criticised for not being empirically testable - can’t dissect the human mind to reveal the id, ego and superego. Not scientific as it relies solely on subjective interpretation of the psychoanalyst. Not established fact.
Gender and culture bias - obsession with the oedipus complex is intrinsically androcentric which makes it irrelevant to an understanding of women -> women develops weaker superego.
All of his patients came from a viennese middle class, cannot be generalised
