Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What is the importance of early childhood experiences in psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

Psychodynamic theory states that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality. Events that occur in childhood can remain in the unconscious, and cause problems as adults.

Question 2

What is the importance of relationships in the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 2

Psychodynamic theory stresses the importance of relationships, particularly those with family members. The relationship between parent and child is of particular importance.

Question 3

What is the importance of the unconscious mind in the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 3

According to psychodynamic theory we have an unconscious mind which influences our behaviour. Often, our conscious mind is unaware of what thoughts and emotions occur in the unconscious

Question 4

What did Freud believe the mind was made up of?

Answer 4

Conscious mind
Preconscious mind
Unconscious mind

Question 5

What are the three parts of personality according to Freud?

Answer 5

Id, Ego and superego

Question 6

What is the id according to Freud?

Answer 6

The primitive biological part of the mind. It is present in the new born infant and consists of basic biological impulses or drives such as hunger, thirst, etc.

Question 7

What part of the mind is id in?

Answer 7

Unconscious mind

Question 8

What is the ego according to Freud?

Answer 8

The ego develops as the child grows. The ego aims to gratify the id’s impulses in line with what is realistically possible by considering the environment it is in.

Question 9

What is an example of the ego?

Answer 9

Delaying the relieving of the bladder pressure until a toilet is reached

Question 10

How does the ego defend the unconscious mind against displeasure?

Answer 10

Defence mechanisms

Question 11

what part of the mind is the ego in?

Answer 11

Conscious mind

Question 12

What is the superego according to Freud?

Answer 12

The superego develops last. It judges whether actions are right or wrong. It is effectively a conscience (little voice). It is an internalised representation of the values and morals of society.

Question 13

What part of the mind is the superego in?

Answer 13

Conscious and unconscious

Question 14

What does violating the superegos standards cause?

Answer 14

Guilt

Question 15

What are the defence mechanisms according to Freud?

Answer 15

Repression
Denial
Displacement

Question 16

What is repression?

Answer 16

Forcing a distressed memory out of the conscious mind

Question 17

What is denial?

Answer 17

Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality

Question 18

What is displacement?

Answer 18

Transferring feelings from true source of distressing emotion into a substitute target

Question 19

What is an example of denial?

Answer 19

Continuing to turn up to work even though you have been sacked

Question 20

What is an example of repression?

Answer 20

An individual forgetting the trauma of their favourite pet dying

Question 21

What is an example of displacement?

Answer 21

Slamming the door after a row with your girlfriend / boyfriend

Question 22

What are the psychosexual stages?

Answer 22

Oral
Anal
Phallic 
Latency
Genital

Question 23

What is the oral stage in the psychosexual stages?

Answer 23

The focus of the libido is the mouth. The child is being breast fed and weaned. They are passive, receptive and dependent. They also focus on exploring with their mouths. They will pick up and suck objects.

Question 24

At what age does the oral stage occur?

Answer 24

(0-18 months)

Question 25

What happens is the child because over fixated in the oral stage?

Answer 25

Smoking, biting nails, sucking thumb

Question 26

What happens if the child is under fixated in the oral stage?

Answer 26

Critical, Sarcastic

Question 27

What is the anal stage of the psychosexual stages?

Answer 27

Focus of libido is on the anus as this is when potty training takes place. Ego develops as parents impose restrictions. It is the first time the child experiences any sort of control (expulsion/retention of faeces)

Question 28

What happens if the child because fixated through anal expulsion?

Answer 28

Thoughtless and messy

Question 29

What happens if the child becomes fixated through anal retention?

Answer 29

Obsessive tendencies, perfectionism, OCD

Question 30

At what age does the anal stage happen?

Answer 30

1-3 years

Question 31

What is the phallic stage?

Answer 31

Focus on genitals. Curiosity and examination. Super ego develops through resolution of the Oedipus or Electra complex. Identification with same sex parents leads to formation of gender identity

Question 32

At what age does the phallic stage happen?

Answer 32

3-6 years

Question 33

What is the Oedipus complex?

Answer 33

Boys had unconscious sexual feelings for their mother. This leads to feelings of guilt and also fear of the father, whose place the boy wanted to take. The fear took the form of castration anxiety. Such fear and guilt is hard to reconcile so the boy resolves the conflict by identifying with and ‘becoming’ his father.

Question 34

What is the Electra complex?

Answer 34

Girls realise that they don’t have a penis and so start to develop penis envy. They know that their father has a penis, and so they develop sexual feelings towards him. They start to see their mother as a rival for the father. As the mother also does not possess a penis, the girl blames the mother for her own lack of a penis, believing that her mother castrated her. As penis envy is not as fearful as castration anxiety, the girl does not identify with her mother as strongly, and so had a weaker superego.

Question 35

What is the case study to support the Oedipus complex?

Answer 35

Little Hans

Question 36

What was the case study of little Hans relating to psychodynamic approach?

Answer 36

He developed a phobia of horses.
According to Freud, little Hans was experiencing the Oedipus complex. He displaced the fear of his father onto horses. The blinkers on the horse reminded little hans of his father’s glasses, and the black around the horses mouth reminded him of his father’s beard and moustache. Thus, horses were merely a symbolic representation of Han’s real unconscious fear of castration experienced during the Oedipus complex.

Question 37

What happens if a child becomes fixated during the phallic stage?

Answer 37

Homosexual relationships develop

Personality disorders - narcissistic personality

Question 38

At what stage does latency occur in the psychosexual stages?

Answer 38

7-puberty

Question 39

At what age does the genital stage occur in the psychosexual stages?

Answer 39

Puberty - adolescence

Question 40

What is the latency stage?

Answer 40

No fixations - it’s a way for you to pass through all the earlier psychosexual stages

Question 41

What is the genital stage of the psychosexual stages?

Answer 41

Sexual urges

Question 42

What happens if you become fixated in the genital stage?

Answer 42

Difficulty forming Heterosexual relationships

Question 43

How can explanatory power be a strength of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 43

Although Freud’s theory is controversial in many ways, and occasionally bizarre, it has nevertheless had a huge influence on psychology and western contemporary thought. Alongside behaviourism, the psychodynamic approach has remained a dominant force in psychology for the first half of the 20th century and has been used to explain a wide range of phenomena including personality development, abnormal behaviour, more development and gender. The approach is also significant in drawing attention to the connection between experiences in childhood, such as paternal relationships and later developments.

Question 44

How can the fact case studies were used be a problem for the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 44

Freuds theory was based on intensive study of single individuals who were often in therapy, for example little Hans. Although Freuds observations were incredibly detailed and carefully recorded, critics have suggested that it is not possible to make universal claims about human nature based on studies of such small number of individuals who were deemed abnormal by psychology. Therefore this is a concern as it means Freud’s conclusions and theories cannot be generalised.

Question 45

What are the practical applications of psychodynamic approach?

Answer 45

Dream analysis

Question 46

How can dream analysis support psychodynamic theory?

Answer 46

Dream analysis is a form of psychoanalysis. This employs a range of techniques designed to access the unconscious mind. Other forms are hypnosis. Freudian psychologists have claimed this therapy has been successful in dealing with conflicts in the unconscious mind and people suffering with mild neuroses. However, psychoanalysis has been deemed inappropriate, even harmful for people suffering from mental disorders.

Question 47

How can untestable concepts disprove the psychodynamic theory?

Answer 47

The philosopher Karl Popper argued that the psychodynamic approach does not meet the scientific criterion for falsification, in a sense that it is not open to empirical testing. Many of Freud’s concepts, such as the id, ego, superego, are said to occur at the unconscious level, making them difficult, if not impossible, to test. According to Popper this accuses the psychodynamic approach of being a pseudoscience (a fake science) rather than a real science. Therefore, because of it’s falsifiability, the psychodynamic approach is an unreliable method.