Psychodynamic approach

Question 1

context (psychodynamic)

Answer 1

• one of the earliest approaches in psychology originates in the 19th century
• Sigmund Freud was the main figure
• Freud trained neurologist- biological approach to illness
• victorian times were repressed, conservative and male dominant

Question 2

assumptions (psychodynamic)

Answer 2

• the major causes of behaviour have their origin in the unconscious
• psychic determinism- all behaviour has a cause/ reason, all pre-determined
• different parts of the conscious mind are in a constant struggle
• our behaviour and feelings (including psychological problems) as an adult are rooted in our childhood experiences

Question 3

structure of the psyche (personality)

Answer 3

• Freud came up with the tripartite theory of personality- composing of three parts, id, ego and superego

Question 4

id (devil)

Answer 4

• present from birth
• instinctive part of use
• id operates on pleasure principle
• sometimes referred to as our ‘inner child’
  -‘I want it and I want it now’
• Freud describes babies as being bundles of id

Question 5

ego (mediator)

Answer 5

• works on the reality principle
• mediates between the id and superego
• it reduces the conflict between the demands of the id and the superego
• it does this by employing a number of defence mechanisms

Question 6

superego (angel)

Answer 6

-formed at the end of the phallic stage
- internalised sense of right and wrong
- based on the morality principle
- represents moral standards of the child’s same sex parent and punishes ego for wrongdoing through guilt

Question 7

role of the unconscious

Answer 7

• Freud hypothesized that the mind was structured into ‘zones’
• an iceberg analogy is often used to explain this
• unconscious mind stores material which is distressing, painful or embarrassing and which could damage the psyche if recalled
• material can ‘leak’ from the unconscious mind during dreams
• Freud believed dreams contained hidden desires and wishes, which were often sexual or aggressive in nature

Question 8

dream analysis

Answer 8

• although we are unaware of what goes on in our unconscious there are way of accessing it
• dreams are seen as the ‘royal road to the unconscious’
• repressed ideas in the unconscious are more likely to appear in dreams than when we are awake, this was referred to the latent content of dreams, the underlying wish
• the manifest content is what the dream remembers
• a therapist interprets the dream in order to provide insight about what the dream really represents
• to interpret dreams Freud used the technique of free association

Question 9

what is latent content?

Answer 9

the underlying wish

Question 10

what is manifest content?

Answer 10

what the dreamer remembers

Question 11

free association

Answer 11

• the individual is encouraged to relax and say anything that comes to their mind no matter how absurd
• when they stumbled or hesitated to do this, Freud believed that this showed a link to unconscious material, which led to further probing
• Freudian slips- an error that reveals subconscious feelings could reveal unconscious feelings

Question 12

three defence mechanisms

Answer 12

• repression
• denial
• displacement

Question 13

repression

Answer 13

push material out of the conscious in to the unconscious mind, causing us to forget things

Question 14

denial

Answer 14

unpleasant or worrying information is ignored

Question 15

displacement

Answer 15

feelings are redirected onto a less threatening target than where they originated from

Question 16

psychosexual stages

Answer 16

• oral = sucking behaviour (0-18 months)
• anal= holding or discarding feces (18 months - 3.5 years)
• phallic= fixation on genitals (3.5-6 years)
• latency= repressed sexual urges (6 years to puberty)
• genital= awakened sexual urges (puberty onwards)

Question 17

oral

Answer 17

• 0-1 years
• pleasure centre= mouth
• possible cause of fixation= early weaning, deprivation of food or love
• possible results of fixation= smoking, biting nails or sarcasm

Question 18

anal

Answer 18

• 1-3 years
• pleasure centre= the anus
• possible cause of fixation= lax or harsh toilet training
• possible results of fixation= obsessiveness, tidiness or meanness

Question 19

phallic

Answer 19

• 3-5 years
• pleasure centre= the genital area
• possible cause of fixation= no father figure or very dominant mother
• possible results of fixation= self obsession, sexual anxiety or envy

Question 20

Oedipus complex

Answer 20

Freud claimed that little boys develop incestuous feelings for their mothers so also a murderous hatred for their father in rival for the mothers love, fear of their fathers causes boys to repress the feelings and identify with their father instead

Question 21

electra compelx

Answer 21

Freud also said girls of the same age experience penis envy, they desire their father as the penis is the primary love object, and hate their mothers, but their desire for their father turns into desire for a baby so they identify with their mother

Question 22

psycho dynamic evaluation (+)

Answer 22

• huge influence on psychology and western contemporary thought, draws attention in the connection between childhood experiences and adulthood
• psychoanalysis has been useful in certain cases

Question 23

psycho dynamic evaluation (-)

Answer 23

• Freuds theory only focuses on small amounts individuals, and his results would not be able to be concluded by anyone else
• the theory can not handle empirical testing as it is very difficult or impossible, which means Popper believes it a pseudoscience a fake science