Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
- The part of the mind we know about is merely the tip of the iceberg
- Most of our mind is made up of the unconscious - a vast storehouse of threatening biological drives and instincts
- The unconscious can be accessed through dreams or slips of the tongue.
What is the structure of personality according to the psychodynamic approach?
The id = primitive part that focuses on the pleasure principle. Purely made up of biological drives and instincts.
The ego = Focuses on the reality principle and balances the demands of the id and superego through implementing defence mechanisms.
The superego = Our internalised sense of right and wrong focusing on the morality principle.
What happens if unresolved psychosecual conflict occurs during the psychosexual stages?
Fixation - child becomes ‘stuck’ and carries certain behaviours associated with that stage through to adult life.
What are the five psychosexual stages?
- Oral
- Anal
- Phallic
- Latency
- Genital
What happens in the oral psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
- 0 to 1 years
- Focus of pleasure is the mouth, mothers breast is the object of desire
What happens in the anal psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
- 1 to 3 years
- Focus of pleasure is the anus
- Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces.
What happens in the phallic psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
- 3 to 6 years
- Focus of pleasure is the genital area
What happens in the latency psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
- Earlier conflicts are repressed
What happens in the genital psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
- Sexual desires become conscious along the onset of puberty.
What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the oral stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
Oral fixation-
e.g. smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical
What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the anal stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
Anal retentive-
perfectionist, obsessive
Anal expulsive -
thoughtless, messy
What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the phallic stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
Phallic personality -
Narcissistic, reckless
What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the latency stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
N/A
What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the genital stage according to the psychodynamic approach?
Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
What are defence mechanisms according to the psychodynamic approach?
- Unconscious methods produced by the ego that prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary threats or traumas.
What are the four evaluation points for the psychodynamic approach?
- Real world application (S)
- Explanatory power (S)
- Untestable concepts (L)
- Psychic determinism (L)
Explain the evaluation point ‘real world application (S)’ for the psychodynamic approach:
- Introduced the idea of psychotherapy (opposed to physical treatment)
- Psychoanalysis was produced, claiming to help patients bring their repressed emotions into their conscious minds
counterpoint
- Arguably inappropriate e.g. people experiencing more serious mental disorders like schizophrenia mean that they have ‘lost their grip on reality’ and ‘cannot articulate their thoughts.’
Explain the evaluation point ‘explanatory power (S)’ for the psychodynamic approach:
- Has had a huge impact on modern day psychology and at the time was used to explain a variety of mental disorders
- Emphasizes the influence of our childhood e.g. our relationships with our parents.
Explain the evaluation point ‘untestable concepts (L)’ for the psychodynamic approach:
- Much of the approach is not falsifiable as it is not open to empirical testing.
- Many concepts such as the oedipus concept are said to be at an unconscious level, making them difficult if not impossible to test.
- The approach is based on pseudoscience.
Explain the evaluation point ‘psychic determinism (L)’ for the psychodynamic approach:
- Approach suggests that much of our behaviour is determined by unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood.
- Freud believed that there is no such thing as an accident e.g. freudians slip.
- Extreme view as it dismisses any possible influence of free will.
What is reductionism?
The belief that human behaviour can be explained by breaking it down into its constituent parts.
Which three approaches are reductionist?
Behavioural
Biological
Psychodynamic
