Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

• 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.

Question 2

What is the structure of personality according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

What happens if unresolved psychosecual conflict occurs during the psychosexual stages?

Answer 3

Fixation - child becomes ‘stuck’ and carries certain behaviours associated with that stage through to adult life.

Question 4

What are the five psychosexual stages?

Answer 4

• Oral
• Anal
• Phallic
• Latency
• Genital

Question 5

What happens in the oral psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 5

• 0 to 1 years
• Focus of pleasure is the mouth, mothers breast is the object of desire

Question 6

What happens in the anal psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 6

• 1 to 3 years
• Focus of pleasure is the anus
• Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces.

Question 7

What happens in the phallic psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 7

• 3 to 6 years
• Focus of pleasure is the genital area

Question 8

What happens in the latency psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 8

• Earlier conflicts are repressed

Question 9

What happens in the genital psychosexual stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 9

• Sexual desires become conscious along the onset of puberty.

Question 10

What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the oral stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 10

Oral fixation-
e.g. smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical

Question 11

What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the anal stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 11

Anal retentive-
perfectionist, obsessive

Anal expulsive -
thoughtless, messy

Question 12

What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the phallic stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 12

Phallic personality -
Narcissistic, reckless

Question 13

What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the latency stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 13

N/A

Question 14

What are the unresolved consequences of conflict during the genital stage according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 14

Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 15

What are defence mechanisms according to the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 15

• Unconscious methods produced by the ego that prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary threats or traumas.

Question 16

What are the four evaluation points for the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 16

• Real world application (S)
• Explanatory power (S)
• Untestable concepts (L)
• Psychic determinism (L)

Question 17

Explain the evaluation point ‘real world application (S)’ for the psychodynamic approach:

Answer 17

• 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.’

Question 18

Explain the evaluation point ‘explanatory power (S)’ for the psychodynamic approach:

Answer 18

• 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.

Question 19

Explain the evaluation point ‘untestable concepts (L)’ for the psychodynamic approach:

Answer 19

• 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.

Question 20

Explain the evaluation point ‘psychic determinism (L)’ for the psychodynamic approach:

Answer 20

• 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.

Question 21

What is reductionism?

Answer 21

The belief that human behaviour can be explained by breaking it down into its constituent parts.

Question 22

Which three approaches are reductionist?

Answer 22

Behavioural
Biological
Psychodynamic