Psychodynamic approach Flashcards
What is the psychodynamic approach?
A perspective that describes the different forces, most of which are unconscious and direct human behaviour.
What is the Id?
Entirely unconscious, the id is made up of selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification
What is the ego?
The ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the id and the superego.
What is the superego?
The moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self: how we ought to be
What is a defence mechanism?
Unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the id and the superego.
What are psychosexual stages?
Freud claimed that child development occurred in five stages. Each stage is marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve in order to progress successfully to the next stage. Any psychosexual conflict that is unresolved leads to fixation, resulting in certain behaviours and conflicts associated with that stage being carried through to adult life.
What is the evaluation for the psychodynamic approach?
Practical application
The case study method
Untestable concepts
Psychic determinism
Evaluation for the psychodynamic approach: Practical application
Freud created a new form of therapy called psychoanalysis. Employing a range of techniques designed to assess the unconscious such as hypnosis and dream analysis. It is successful for patients suffering from mild neuroses, however it is inappropriate for people suffering more serious mental disorders.
Evaluation for the psychodynamic approach: The case study method
Freud’s theory was based on the intensive study of single individuals. It is not possible to make such universal claims about human nature based on a few individuals who were psychologically abnormal. His interpretations were also highly subjective e.g. in the case of little Hans
Evaluation for the psychodynamic approach: Untestable concepts
The psychodynamic approach is not open to empirical testing, hence making it unfalsifiable. Many of Freud’s concepts are said to occur at an unconscious level, making it a pseudoscience as it is impossible to test.
Evaluation for the psychodynamic approach: Psychic determinism
In relation to human behaviour Freud believed that there was no such thing as an accident. Even the slip of a tongue is driven by unconscious forces. This suggests that free will is only an illusion.
