Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What is the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

• views behaviour as being a result of drives and forces within p’s psyche
• most behaviours influenced by unconscious mind

Question 2

What are the key parts of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 2

• role of the unconscious
• structure of personality
• defence mechanism
• psychosexual stages

Question 3

Describe the role of the unconscious

Answer 3

• conscious mind is tip of ice cube (Freud)
• unconscious is hidden under waters and contains biological instincts
• most of our everyday behaviour is a result of unconscious
• distressing info is pushed to Unconscious
• comes out in dreams

Question 4

Describe the structure of the personality

Answer 4

• Freud: personality made up of 3 parts:
• Id, ego, superego
• each demand gratification but constantly are in conflict with each other

Question 5

Describe the id

Answer 5

• pleasure principle
• from birth
• unconscious
• demands immediate gratification regardless of circumstance
• gratification of id results in pleasure
• frustration of id leads to tension

Question 6

Describe the ego

Answer 6

• 2 years
• reality principle
• conscious
• makes compromises between the impulsive demands of id and moralistic demands of superego

Question 7

Describe the superego

Answer 7

• 4-5 years
• unconscious
• morality principle
• internalised idea of right and wrong
• represents moral standards of their same sex parent
• produces feelings of guilt for wrong doing
• includes ego ideal (guide of how we should behave based on parental standards)

Question 8

Describe a defence mechanism

Answer 8

• used to reduce anxiety
• to neutralise threatening material that could damage ego
• unconscious
• prevent ego being overwhelmed by temporary threats or trauma

Question 9

What are the 3 defence mechanism?

Answer 9

• repression
• denial
• displacement

Question 10

Describe the defence mechanism repression

Answer 10

• pushing material out of conscious mind to unconscious

- e.g forgetting a traumatic experience such as child abuse

Question 11

Describe the defence mechanism denial

Answer 11

• unpleasant or worrying info is ignored

- e.g failing to believe your loved one has died

Question 12

Describe the defence mechanism displacement

Answer 12

• feelings directed onto a less threatening target

- e.g taking work frustrations out on your partner

Question 13

What is a psychosexual stage?

Answer 13

• child development occurs in 5 stages (first 3 most important)
• each stage has a conflict that must be resolved to move to next stage
• any unresolved conflict leads to being stuck at stage and affects adult behaviour

Question 14

What are the 3 important psychosexual stages?

Answer 14

• oral stage
• anal stage
• phallic stage

Question 15

Describe the oral stage

Answer 15

• birth to 18 months
• focus of energy and sexual pleasure is in mouth
• feeding, biting, sucking = pleasure
• weaned too early (breastfeeding) = develop pessimistic and sarcastic person
• weaned too late = too trusting in others and gullible

Question 16

Describe the anal stage

Answer 16

• 18 months to 3 years
• focus of pleasure and sexual energy in anus
• focuses on faeces and potty training
• not enough restriction during potty training = anally expulsion adult, messy, creative, spontaneous
• forced to use too early = anally retentive, stubborn, overly clean, tidy, mean with money

Question 17

Describe the phallic stage

Answer 17

• 3 - 5 years
• focus of pleasure and sexual energy is on genitals
• children develop gender identity due to Oedipus/Electra complex
• boys fear castration from father so repress desire for mum and identify with dad
• girls have penis envy and repress desire towards dad and identify with mum
• If fixated at stage = inappropriate learning of gender behaviour, self assured, reckless, vain, proud

Question 18

What are the strengths of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 18

• supporting research

- practical applications

Question 19

What are the limitations of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 19

• unscientific
• gender bias
• psychic determinism

Question 20

What is the supporting research for the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 20

• Fisher and Greenberg (1996)
• summarised 2500 studies for psychodynamic approaches
• found support for existence of unconscious motivations for behaviour and defence mechanisms
• supports Freud’s argument

Question 21

What are the practical applications of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 21

• psychoanalysis: therapy aims to access unconscious
• uses free association and dream analysis
• Maat (2009): psychoanalysis helped treat depression and anxiety long term
• if psychoanalysis is a long term treatment for mental health it suggests unconscious drive may be cause of behaviour

Question 22

How is the psychodynamic approach unscientific?

Answer 22

• Freud uses small sample of abnormal p’s
• can’t make such universal claims based on this
• Freud’s claims are highly subjective
• lacks reliability
• unscientific

Question 23

How is the psychodynamic approach gender bias?

Answer 23

• alpha bias
• suggest women and men develop differently
• unlike SLT: gender roles develop via same process
• suggests women are failed men
• believe they’ve been castrated and have penis envy
• reinforces gender stereotypes

Question 24

How is the psychodynamic approach a form of psychic determinism?

Answer 24

• suggests no behaviour is accidental
• behaviour is result of unconscious process and drives
• Freud: around 5 all our personality is formed
• suggest minor changes can happen but basic tendencies are fixed in childhood
• takes away free will and personal responsibility
• contradicts that we can change our behaviour suggested by humanistic approach