Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
Define Psychodynamic Approach
Theory that emphasises change and development in the individual.
What are the Basic Assumptions?
- human behaviour has unconscious causes that we are unaware of
- humans have needs to fulfil biological motives (e.g. sleep and hunger)
- childhood experiences are extremely influential on human behaviour
Define Conscious Mind
This is what we are aware of at any given time e.g what we can hear and see.
Define Preconscious Mind
Made up of memories we can recall when we want to e.g. phone numbers, what we did at the weekend.
Define Unconscious Mind
Made up of memories, desires and fears that cause us extreme anxiety and have therefore been repressed.
We cannot directly access this part of our mind but it influences our behaviours.
Define the ID
The basic animal-like part of our personality that contains our innate, aggressive and sexual instincts; it wants to be satisfied by whatever means possible. (Appears at birth)
Define Superego
Takes our morals into consideration and is involved in making us feel guilty; present in both conscious and preconscious mind and develops 4-5 years after birth.
Define Ego
.Acts as a rational part of the mind and balances the other parts of the personality; develops within the first 3 years.
Why can the parts of the personality cause anxiety?
The ID demands satisfaction but the Superego tries to impose morals so individuals can feel anxious if the Ego doesn’t help to mediate them.
Define Defence Mechanisms
Unconscious coping mechanisms that reduce anxiety generated by threats (sometimes from unacceptable impulses).
Define Repression
Involves the ego stopping unwanted and possibly inappropriate thoughts from becoming conscious.
Define Denial
Where a threatening event or unwanted reality is simply ignored and blocked from our conscious awareness.
Define Displacement
When a negative impulse is redirected onto something or someone else.
Define Psychosexual Stages Of Development
Stages of development that focus on gaining lelasure through different parts of the body.
What is the Oral Stage?
- point of pleasure is cantered around the mouth
- e.g. sucking dummy
What is the Anal Stage?
- focuses on the explosion or retention of faeces
What is the Phallic Stage?
- point of pleasure focuses on genital fixation
- begin to identify with same sex parent
What is the Latent Stage?
- repression of sexual urges
- fixation of making same sex friendships
What is the Genital Stage?
- sexual urges are awakened and becomes the fixation
Define Fixation
If a child doesn’t receive enough or too much pleasure, they become fixated on that stage of development e.g. not enough pleasure in oral stage leads to chewing pens.
General Strengths of Approach
- first theory to focus on psychological causes of disorders
- offers methods of therapy to solve psychological issues
- emphasis on childhood experience affecting later behaviours became basis for other theories
General Weaknesses of Approach
- claims are based on subjective interpretations
- focuses on patients past rather than what they are currently suffering
- case studies on people in distress so cannot be generalised to wider population
