Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
The psychodynamic approach has been very influential.
E – Freud developed his theories by studying individuals (e.g., the case study of Little Hans) and used methods such as dream analysis, in which he interpreted the meaning behind the dreams his patients told him about.
E – Freud’s methods are generally not regarded as scientific today. It’s true that his research was empirical (as it involved the collection of evidence, such as patients telling him about their dreams). However, Freud relied on his ability to interpret this evidence (e.g., his interpretation of dreams). Therefore, his analysis was highly subjective, making it unscientific. Furthermore, many of Freud’s ideas have been criticized as unfalsifiable—a key critique highlighted by Karl Popper, who argued that falsifiability is essential for scientific theories. For example, Freud’s claim that behaviour is driven by unconscious motivations cannot be tested because these motivations are identified only after the behaviour occurs. This allows psychodynamic researchers to offer post hoc explanations for past behaviour but prevents them from making testable predictions about future behaviour.
L – Therefore, because psychodynamic research lacks some of the key features of science, it’s arguable we can’t trust what it tells us about behaviour.
limitation of the psychodynamic approach is its lack of scientific credibility
E – According to de Maat’s large-scale review, psychodynamic treatments produced significant improvements in symptoms that were maintained in the years after treatment.
E – The fact that the approach has led to the development of successful treatments shows that the approach has made a positive contribution to society. Additionally, the success of psychodynamic treatments provides indirect support for the validity of psychodynamic theories – if the underlying theory wasn’t valid then we would not expect therapies based on it to work. The fact that De Maat’s research involves a large-scale review strengthens the support for the psychodynamic approach. This is because large-scale reviews (like meta-analyses) look at the findings of many studies, meaning they have large sample sizes which make their findings generalisable.
A strength of the psychodynamic approach is its real-life applications
E – According to de Maat’s large-scale review, psychodynamic treatments produced significant improvements in symptoms that were maintained in the years after treatment.
E – The fact that the approach has led to the development of successful treatments shows that the approach has made a positive contribution to society. Additionally, the success of psychodynamic treatments provides indirect support for the validity of psychodynamic theories – if the underlying theory wasn’t valid then we would not expect therapies based on it to work. The fact that De Maat’s research involves a large-scale review strengthens the support for the psychodynamic approach. This is because large-scale reviews (like meta-analyses) look at the findings of many studies, meaning they have large sample sizes which make their findings generalisable.
