psychodynamic approach

Question 1

whats our personality called

Answer 1

psyche

Question 2

key assumptions

Answer 2

-unconscious activity is key determinant of how we behave
-we process innate drives that energise our min ds to motivate behaviour we develop through our lives
-our psyche is comprised of the ID, ego and superego
-childhood experiences have significant importance in determining our personality when we reach adulthood

Question 3

whats the ID

Answer 3

-instinct, gets whatever it wants however it wants, operates by “pleasure principle”
-Freud called “selfish beast”
-contained in unconscious

Question 4

what is psychoanalysis (freud)

Answer 4

-talking therapy to help release problematic repressed memories

Question 5

our origin according to frued

Answer 5

-we are animals driven by basic biological motives
-the emergence of society has required us to bring our animal impulses under control

Question 6

parts of the iceburg analogy

Answer 6

-the conscious
-the preconscious
-the unconscious

Question 7

whats the conscious

Answer 7

-the small amount of mental activity we know about e.g. thoughts, perceptions

Question 8

the preconscious

Answer 8

-things we could be aware of if we tried e.g. memories and stored knowledge

Question 9

the unconscious

Answer 9

-things we are unaware of and cannot become aware of e.g. instincts and buried memories

Question 10

the unconscious mind activities

Answer 10

-the mind tries to protect itself by preventing traumatic memories from the unconscious reaching the conscious
-extends itself to all parts of our waking and sleeping lives

Question 11

when are defence mechanisms used

Answer 11

when the mind cannot rationalise and therefore distorts reality to

Question 12

repression and example

Answer 12

the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts and experiences leading to altered behaviour e.g. adult forgets about being abused as a child but has trouble forming relationships

Question 13

denial and example

Answer 13

the refusal to accept reality so as not to have to deal with painful feelings associated with the event, pretending it never happened
- e.g. alcoholic refusing to say they have drinking problem

Question 14

displacement

Answer 14

redirecting thoughts or feelings to an innocent victim/object as the person feels unable to express themselves to the real cause
-e.g. pupil shouting at their parents when they get home from school bc a bad test result

Question 15

what are the psychosexual stages of development

Answer 15

oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

Question 16

what ages is the oral stage

Answer 16

birth to two years

Question 17

description of oral stage

Answer 17

pleasure from oral stimulation e.g. tasting and sucking

Question 18

what ages is the anal stage

Answer 18

15 months to 3 years

Question 18

problems/ fixation deriving from oral stage

Answer 18

-dependency or aggression
-problems with drinking, smoking, nail biting

Question 19

description of anal stage

Answer 19

-primary focus on controlling bladder and bowels- toilet training

Question 20

problems/fixation in the anal stage

Answer 20

-anal expulsive: messy, wasteful, destructive
-anal retentive: orderly, rigid, obsessive (due to fear of strict parents)

Question 21

what ages is the phallic stage

Answer 21

3 to 6 years

Question 22

description of phallic stage

Answer 22

-focus on genitals- sex differences realised
-Oedipus complex
-child identifies with same sex parent

Question 23

problems/ fixation in phallic stage

Answer 23

• sexual deviants or confused sexual identity
  -Freud believed girls possessed feelings of envy/ inferiority–> penis envy

Question 24

what age is latency stage

Answer 24

from 6 years to puberty

Question 25

description of latency stage

Answer 25

-sexual desires pushed to background
-focus on intellectual and social pursuits

Question 26

problem/ fixation of latency stage

Answer 26

-important for developing communication skills and self confidence (may lack this)

Question 27

what age is the genital stage

Answer 27

puberty through adulthood

Question 28

description of genital stage

Answer 28

sexual desires renewed and seek relationship with others

Question 29

problems/ fixation in the genital stage

Answer 29

problems emerging here are carried on from earlier stages

Question 30

what is fixation

Answer 30

-cant progress onto next psychosexual stage of development if prior stage is not completed hence get fixated on one stage

Question 31

what’s ego

Answer 31

-executive of our personality
-uses cognitive abilities to control ID and balance its desire against restrictions of superego
-operates accordingly to the reality principle

Question 32

what’s the superego

Answer 32

-our conscience
-wants to do the right thing
-develops through identification with one parent which the child internalises

Question 33

what are the two primal instincts ID is based off

Answer 33

-Eros (fuelled by psychic energy called libido- sleep with)
-Thanatos(the death instinct)

Question 34

what’s neurotic psyche

Answer 34

-superego governs behaviour
-extreme guilt, anxiety, too worried what everyone will think

Question 35

what is the structure of personality called

Answer 35

-tripartite, the ID, Ego and Superego

Question 36

what’s a psychotic psyche

Answer 36

-ego and superego underdeveloped
-ID in overdrive
-selfish, don’t care what others think but wont hurt them as still have ego and superego

Question 37

what’s a psychopathic psyche

Answer 37

-ID and ego, no superego so ego only listens to ID
-no longer care abt what people think or say about them
-no morality