Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
the psychodynamic approach
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emphasises change and development in the individual — people are dynamic and constantly changing as they develop
drive is a central concept in development
the best known psychodynamic theory is Freudian psychoanalysis, a personality theory and therapy associated with Sigmund Freud
Freudian psychoanalysis
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4 main features of Freud’s psychodynamic theory.... • the unconscious • structure of personality • defence mechanisms • psychosexual stages
Freud believed that behaviour is determined more by psychological factors than biological factors or environmental reinforcement
he claimed that people are born with basic instincts and needs, behaviour is largely controlled by the unconscious mind
what is the unconscious?
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unconscious = the part of the human mind that contains repressed ideas and memories as well as primitive desires and impulses that do not enter the conscious mind
role of the unconscious
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Freud believed that this part of the mind was inaccessible to conscious thought
he used the metaphor of an iceberg to describe the mind — the tip of the iceberg (representing the conscious mind) is visible, but the much larger part (representing the unconscious) is hidden under water
most of our everyday actions and behaviours are not controlled consciously, they are actually the product of the unconscious mind, which reveals itself in slips of the tongue (Freudian slips), creativity and neurotic symptoms
the unconscious is believed to influence every part of our waking and sleeping lives
the mind actively prevents traumatic memories hidden in our unconscious reaching conscious awareness as these memories might cause anxiety — so the unconscious uses defence mechanisms to prevent a person becoming consciously aware of them
structure of personality
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Freud divided the mind into 3 structures….
• id
• ego
• superego
each of which demands gratification but is frequently in conflict with the others
structure of personality: the id
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operates solely in the unconscious
contains the libido (the biological energy created by reproductive instincts)
operates according to the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification regardless of the circumstances
e.g. if a person is hungry, the id demands that they eat there and then
structure of personality: the ego
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mediates between the impulsive demands of the id and the reality of the external world — this is known as the reality principle
for instance, it may delay gratifying the id until there is a more appropriate opportunity to satisfy its demands
must also compromise between the impulsive demands of the id and the moralistic demands of the superego
structure of personality: the superego
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divided into the conscience and the ego-ideal
the conscience is the internalisation of societal rules and determines which behaviours are permissible, it causes feelings of guilt when rules are broken
the ego ideal is what a person strives towards and is usually determined by parental standards of good behaviour
defence mechanisms
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defence mechanisms = unconscious strategies that protect our conscious mind from anxiety, involves the distortion of reality in some way, enables us to better cope with a situation and reduces anxiety
usually triggered when an individual is faced with a situation that they are unable to deal with rationally
tend to operate unconsciously to stop ourselves from becoming aware of unpleasant thoughts and feelings associated with a traumatic event or situation
examples….
• repression
• denial
• displacement
defence mechanisms: repression
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the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts and impulses
these repressed thoughts and impulses continue to influence behaviour without our awareness of the reasons behind our actions and behaviour
e.g. a child abused by a parent may have repressed those memories and possess no recollection of the events but has trouble forming relationships due to this repressed trauma
defence mechanisms: denial
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the refusal to accept reality in order to avoid having to deal with any painful feelings associated with that event
involves acting as if the traumatic event never happened, which seems quite strange to others
e.g. an alcoholic will often deny that they have a drinking problem, even after being arrested several times for being drunk and disorderly
defence mechanisms: displacement
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redirecting thoughts and feelings, which are usually hostile or negative, in situations where we feel unable to express them in the presence of the person they should be directed towards
a person may take out their anger and frustration on a helpless victim or object, thus giving hostile feelings a route for expression even though they are being misapplied
e.g. a person who is angry at their partner may punch a wall or kick a chair
psychosexual stages
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the psychodynamic approach emphasises the idea that the most important driving force in development is the need to express sexual energy (libido)
Freud believed that personality develops through a sequence of 5 stages, known as psychosexual stages
we experience tension due to the build-up of sexual energy and pleasure comes from its discharge
too much or too little pleasure during any stage results in a fixation on that stage which causes a certain personality type to develop
at each stage, sexual energy is expressed in different ways and through different parts of the body
psychosexual stages: what are the 5 stages?
5
oral
anal
phallic
latent
genital
psychosexual stages: ORAL
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0 - 2 years old
the mouth is the focal point of sensation and the way in which a child expresses sexual energy
e.g. sucking and biting
psychosexual stages: ANAL
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2 - 3 years old
beginnings of ego development
the child becomes aware of the demands of reality and the need to conform to the demands of others
the major issue at this stage is toilet training as the child learns to control the expulsion of bodily waste
psychosexual stages: PHALLIC
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3 - 6 years old
sexual energy is focused on the genitals
the major conflict of this stage is the Oedipus complex (a male child unconsciously wishes to possess their mother and get rid of their father)
as a result of this desire boys experience as well as castration anxiety (punishment from the father), in an attempt to resolve this problem they identify with their father and grow up to adopt his personality traits
psychosexual stages: LATENT
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6 - 12 years old
the child develops mastery of the world around them
conflicts and issues of the previous stages are repressed and the child is, therefore, unable to remember much of their early years
psychosexual stages: GENITAL
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12+ years old
a culmination of psychosexual development and the fixing of sexual energy on the genitals eventually directs an individual towards sexual intercourse and the beginnings of adult life
x4 evaluation points
a pioneering approach
scientific support
gender biased
culturally biased
evaluation
A PIONEERING APPROACH
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the development of psychoanalysis as an explanation of human behaviour represented a huge shift is psychological thinking
it suggested new methodological procedures for gaining empirical evidence in the form of case studies and was based on observations of behaviour rather than introspection
from such observations, Freud and his followers were the first to demonstrate the potential of psychological, rather than biological, treatments for mental disorders like depression
the approach consequently led to the development of successful psychotherapies and treatments
Maat et al’s large scale review of psychotherapy studies concluded that psychoanalysis produced significant improvements in symptoms and these improvements were maintained years after treatment
evaluation
SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT
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critics of the psychodynamic approach often claim that there is no scientific evidence in support of psychoanalysis
however, many aspects of psychoanalysis have been tested and many of them have been confirmed using scientific methods
for example, Fisher and Greenberg (1996) summarised 2500 studies supporting the psychodynamic approach and concluded that these studies compare well with studies relevant to any other major area of psychology
in particular, they found support for the existence of unconscious motivation in human behaviour as well as for the defence mechanisms of repression, denial and displacement
evaluation
GENDER BIASED
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Freud’s views of women and female sexuality were much less developed than his view on male sexuality
despite focusing on sexual development and seeking to apply this to all human behaviour, his theories remained ignorant of female sexuality and how it may differ to male sexuality
for example, the Oedipus complex describes male children only - the female equivalent, known as the Electra complex, was only considered later by Carl Jung
this led psychoanalysts such as Karen Horney to criticise the Freudian theory, particularly his views (or lack of views) on female development
dismissing women in such a way is problematic and means that the approach cannot be accurately applied to both genders as it is so male-dominated
this was a real issue as Freud treated many women and his theories are still influential today
evaluation
CULTURALLY BIASED
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Sue and Sue (2008) argue that psychoanalysis and the psychodynamic approach has very little relevance for people from non-Western cultures
psychoanalysts believe that mental disorders are the result of traumatic memories being repressed in the unconscious and that freeing them through therapy allows people to deal with them in a supportive environment
but many cultural groups do not value such insight in the same way that Western cultures do
for example, in China, a depressed or anxious person avoids thoughts that cause distress rather than discussing them openly
this contrasts to the Western value of open discussion and insight being vital in therapy
