Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What is the Psychodynamic Approach?

Answer 1

• Emphasises the role of the unconscious motives and desires as well as early childhood experiences in shaping behaviour.

Question 2

What is the role of the unconscious?

Answer 2

• Freud used the metaphor of an iceberg to describe the human mind.
• Tip of iceberg = conscious mind
• Larger part of iceberg that is hidden underwater = unconscious mind
• Freud believes that the unconscious mind is a vast storehouse of drives and instincts that have a significant influence on our behaviour
• Freud believed that the unconscious ind reveals itself in dreams and the slip of the tongue.

Question 3

What did Freud describe personality as?

Answer 3

Tripartite

Question 4

What is apart of the Tripartite?

Answer 4

• ID
• Ego
• Superego

Question 5

What is the ID?

Answer 5

• Presents from Birth
• Operates solely on unconscious mind
  -Operates according to pleasure principle
• It is the primitive, irrational and selfish part of our personality

Question 6

What is the Ego?

Answer 6

• Develops around 2 years as a consequence of experience within reality
• Operates on conscious and unconscious mind
• Operates according to reality principle
• It is the rational part of our personality

Question 7

What is the Superego?

Answer 7

• Develops at around 3-6 years
• Operates in the conscious and unconscious mind
• Operates according to the morality principle, idea of right and wrong
• It is passed on from our same-sex parents and represents their moral standards.

Question 8

What is Freuds belief on the Ego?

Answer 8

• That the ego mediated between the ID and Superego and that they are always in conflict.

Question 9

What are the 3 defence mechanisms?

Answer 9

• Denial
• Displacement
• Repression

Question 10

What is Denial?

Answer 10

• Refusal of acknowledgment of reality

Question 11

What is Displacement?

Answer 11

• Taking out your emotions on a substitute object.