Psychodynamic approach Flashcards
What is the conscious mind?
This part of the brain consists of thoughts, feelings and perceptions that are current within our awareness. It allows rational thinking, decision making and deliberate actions based on current perceptions and thoughts.
What is the pre-conscious mind?
Contains thoughts, memories and knowledge that are not currently conscious but can easily be retrieved and brought into awareness.
What is the unconscious mind?
It contains thoughts, desires, memories and emotions that are repressed or beyond conscious awareness. It stores hidden motives, fears, unresolved conflicts, traumatic memories etc.
What else did Freud propose?
The tripartite personality
What is the role of the Id?
The primitive and instinctual part of the mind that operates on the pleasure principle.
It demands instant gratification and operates without concern or consequence.
Often driven by biological drives (Hunger, thirst, sexual etc.)
What is the role of the Ego?
It operates on the reality principle and mediates between the Id’s desires and the real world.
It is the rational, decision making part of the personality that considers social norms, rules and reality before acting.
What is the role of the superego?
It operates on the morality principle.
It represents the moral and ethical aspect of personality, internalising societal rules and values.
It strives for perfection and often conflicts with the Id.
When is the id present?
From birth
When is the Ego present?
Infancy
When is the superego present?
Age five to six
What other theory did Freud propose?
The psychosexual stages of development
What are the psychosexual stages suggesting?
It suggests the personality development occurs in stages based on exogenous zones.
That unresolves conflicts or fixations at any stage could result in psychological disturbances in adulthood.
This shows the importance of early childhood experiences in shaping personality and behaviour throughout life.
The first stage
- The oral stage (birth - 1 year)
- Focus of please: Mouth
- Key development: weaning
from breast or bottle - Conflict: Dependency vs
independency - Fixation: nail biting, thumb
sucking, smoking etc.
The second stage
- The Anal stage (1-3 years)
- Focus of pleasure: Bowel and
bladder elimination - Key development: toilet
training - Conflict: Orderliness vs
messiness - fixation: excessively organised,
tidy etc. or rebellious,
disorderly, wasteful etc.
What is the Oedipus complex?
Concept that describes a child’s sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex and a sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex. (Traditionally for a boy)
