Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
1) devised by Sigmund Freud
2) behaviour is caused by unconscious, underlying psychological forces
3) childhood is a critical period in development
4) mental disorders arise from unresolved, unconscious conflicts originating in childhood
What is the unconscious mind?
The part of the mind that is inaccessible to conscious thought which influences behaviour and personality and contains threatening/disturbing memories which have been repressed
What are the features of the id?
1) operates in unconscious mind
2) acts upon pleasure for immediate satisfaction
3) irrational, primitive
4) present at birth
What are the features of the ego?
1) mediates between id and superego
2) conscious, rational
3) develops during first 2 years of life
What are the features of the superego?
1) embodies conscience and sense of right and wrong
2) represents moral standards
3) impacted by social norms
4) develops around age 5
What are defence mechanisms?
Methods used to unconsciously reduce anxiety that stop an individual becoming aware of unpleasant thoughts and feelings
What are the three types of defence mechanism?
1) repression
2) denial
3) displacement
What is repression?
Forcing a distressing/threatening memory out of the conscious mind
What is denial?
Failing/refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
What is displacement?
Transferring feelings from true object of anxiety onto a substitute target/object
What are the psychosexual stages and ages they occur at?
1) oral (0-1 years)
2) anal (1-3 years)
3) phallic (3-6 years)
4) latency
5) genital
What is the fixation in the oral stage?
Focus of pleasure is mouth; mother’s breast is object of desire
What is the fixation in the anal stage?
Focus of pleasure is anus; child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces
What is the fixation in the phallic stage?
Focus of pleasure is genital area; child experiences Oedipus/Electra complex
What is the fixation in the latency stage?
Earlier conflicts (sexual impulses) are repressed to allow child to focus on developing social and intellectual skills
What is the fixation in the genital stage?
Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty
What is Freud’s Little Hans case study?
- Hans develops a fear of horses so father refers him to Freud
- Freud concluded that it was because Hans was passing through the phallic stage
- Oedipus link: mother told him off for masturbating and wanting sister to drown, he witnessed a horse and cart accident, his father had similar features to a horse (dark face = beard, blinkers = glasses) and he wanted his father to die
What are the strengths of the psychodynamic approach?
1) significant as it draws attention to a connection between experiences in childhood and later development
2) practical applications like psychoanalysis employing techniques to access unconscious (forerunner for many modern-day psychotherapies)
3) evidence to support so,e aspects of approach means it may be credible to explain behaviour
What are the weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach?
1) psychoanalysis is inappropriate or harmful for people suffering from more serious mental disorders (eg schizophrenia) as sufferers have lost their grip on reality and can’t articulate thoughts
2) evidence from case studies is subjective so not scientific and relies on data from small groups so may not be representative
3) untestable concepts and doesn’t meet scientific criteria of falsification - pseudoscientific
4) psychic determinism dismisses any influence of free will and suggests all behaviour is driven by unconscious forces determined by childhood experiences
