Psychodynamic approach Flashcards
What are the key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
- Unconscious mind is driving force
- Instincts and drives motivative behaviour
- Early childhood is pivotal
What does Freud believe the three levels of the mind are?
Conscious, Preconscious and unconscious
Conscious mind
contains all of the thoughts, memories and feelings we are aware at any given moment
Preconscious mind
Contains the thoughts, feelings and memories we could access if we wanted to
Unconscious mind
The largest part of the mind that is inaccessible
How does the unconscious mind reveal itself?
through ‘freudian slips’, creativity and neurotic symptoms
What is the motivating force behind our behaviour?
the unconscious
What does the unconscious protect the conscious from?
anxiety, fears, trauma, conflict
What do traumatic, repressed memories drive?
our behaviour
What is the underlying unconscious drive?
sexual
Psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
What is used during psychoanalysis?
free association and dream interpretations
free association
expression of content of consciousness without censorship used in psychoanalysis
How does Freud use dream interpretation?
Gaining insight into a persons motivation and wishes analysing both manifest content and latent content
What is the content of the tripartite structure of the personality?
The Id, Ego and Superego
What shapes the development of the three parts of the personality?
childhood
When is the Id formed?
between birth and 18 months
Where is the Id located?
unconscious mind
What does the Id focus on?
The self. It is irrational and emotional.
What does the ID deal with?
Feelings, needs and seeking pleasure
What does the Id operate on?
pleasure principle
When is the ego formed?
18 months to 3 years
Where is the ego
conscious mind
How does the ego function?
It is rational and obtains a balance between the id and the super ego
What does the ego operate on?
reality principal
When is the superego formed?
3-6 years
where is the superego?
in the Unconscious mind
What does the superego act as?
a conscience or moral guide based on parental and societal values
What does the superego operate on?
morality principle
What is a defence mechanism?
Stops individuals from becoming consciously aware of any unpleasant thoughts feelings or memories that they may be experiencing
What are examples of defence mechanisms?
Repression, Denial, Displacement
Repression
The unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts. These repressed thoughts continue to influence behaviour.
Denial
The refusal to accept reality to avoid having to deal with any painful feelings that may be associated with a traumatic situation.
Displacement
The focus of a strong emotion is expressed on an alternative person or object.
What are the psychosexual stages?
oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, latency stage, genital stage
Why are the five stages that develop the personality called the Psychosexual stages?
to emphasise that the most important driving force in development is the need to express sexual energy (libido)
When is the oral stage?
0-1 years
What is the Oral stage?
focus of pleasure is the mouth and the control of sucking, tasting and biting
What are the consequences of the Oral stage?
Resolved: Trusting and able to give/receive affection
Unresolved: Oral fixation, smoking, biting nails, sarcastic and critical
When is the anal stage?
1-3 years
What is the anal stage?
Focus of pleasure is the anus. Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces.
What are the consequences of the anal stage?
Resolved: Can deal with authority figures
Unresolved: Anal retentive personality, Anal expulsive personality
Anal retentive personality
perfectionist and obsessive
Anal expulsive personality
thoughtless and messy
When is the phallic stage?
3-5 years
What is the phallic stage?
Focus of pleasure is the genital area. Child experiences the Oedipus or Electra complex
What are the consequences of the phallic stage?
Resolved: Adopts the behaviours/traits of the same sex
Unresolved: Narcissistic, reckless and possibly homosexual
When is the Latent stage?
6-12 years
What is the Latent stage?
Focus is on the mastery of the world and social relationships. Earlier conflicts are repressed/resolved and early years are forgotten
When is the Genital stage?
12+ years
What is the genital stage?
Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty
What are the consequences of the genital stage?
Resolved: Individual is a well adjusted adult
Unresolved: Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
Why does freud believe fixation occurs?
If a child experiences too much or too little gratification at any of the stages
Oedipus complex
during the phallic stage, boys are attracted to their mothers, but afraid of their fathers finding out and castrating them (castration anxiety), therefore, they instead identify with their fathers to keep them close and not discover their real feelings
They internalise gender role and moral values (superego)
Electra complex
Conflict during phallic stage in which girls supposedly feel penis envy and love their fathers romantically and want to eliminate their mothers as rivals believing they were castrated. They identify with their mother and internalise her gender role and moral values (superego)
What are the advantages of the psychodynamic approach?
+ led to psychoanalysis used in modern psychiatry
+ case study support of Little Hans
+ Evidence supporting effectiveness, De Maat et al
+ Caspi supports
What are the disadvantages of the psychodynamic approach?
- key concepts lack falsifiability as they are unconscious
- Ignores current issues
- Dreams are subjectively interpreted so not objective
De Maat et al (2009)
Examined the effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for patients with a range of DSM diagnosis. There was supporting evidence for improvement in psychological symptoms due to the use of psychotherapy
Caspi
Found that the role of childhood personality has an impact later on in life.
