Psychodynamic Approach (APPROACHES 4/6)

Question 1

key assumptions

Answer 1

unconscious processes influence behaviour
psychodynamic conflict: id, ego, superego
emotional drives
personality shaped by relationships, experiences

Question 2

psychodynamic

Answer 2

constant change and development
‘drive’ is central concept

Question 3

structure of personality

Answer 3

id, ego, superego

Question 4

the id

Answer 4

present at birth, dominant until 2 y.o.
pleasure principle, unconscious
demands immediate gratification - no logic / time (seeks pleasure, avoids pain)
energised by biological energy, contains libido, governed by sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories

Question 5

the ego

Answer 5

emerges 2-3 y.o.
reality principle
satisfies demands of both id and superego
gratifies id’s impulses with what is realistic, so urges are controlled
norms and rules of society learnt - does not understand right and wrong, some understanding of when appropriate to show certain behaviours e.g. aggression
employs defence mechanisms to protect conscious mind from unpleasant experiences

Question 6

the superego

Answer 6

3-6 y.o.
morality principle - understands right and wrong
pressures ego to control id
divided into conscience and ego-ideal
if well-developed, immoral behaviours well controlled

Question 7

conscience

Answer 7

part of superego
internalisation of societal rules, determines which behaviours are permissible, causes guilt when rules broken

Question 8

ego-ideal

Answer 8

part of superego
what a person strives for, determined by parental standards of good behaviour

Question 9

defence mechanisms

Answer 9

triggered by situations unable to deal with rationally
operate unconsciously, distort reality so anxiety is reduced
individual unaware of unpleasant thoughts associated with traumatic situation

Question 10

repression

Answer 10

unconscious blocks unacceptable thoughts and impulses
thoughts continue to influence behaviour without knowledge of reasons behind it

Question 11

denial

Answer 11

refusal to accept reality to avoid painful feelings
acts as if traumatic event didn’t happen

Question 12

displacement

Answer 12

emotions, thoughts and feelings directed towards a third part rather than individual that caused it
often innocent victim or object

Question 13

projection

Answer 13

individual’s own undesirable characteristics or feelings attributed to others, alleviating blame

Question 14

conscious mind

Answer 14

‘tip of the iceberg’
mental processes that we are fully aware of e.g. easily recalled memories, motivations

Question 15

preconscious mind

Answer 15

can become conscious
mental processes just below the conscious surface
memories, motivations that can be recalled if wanted

Question 16

unconscious mind

Answer 16

inner drives, unconscious struggles, repressed experiences and anxieties
mental processes that can never be recalled - instincts, deeply buried memories e.g. unacceptable sexual and aggressive thoughts, fears, shameful and painful memories, irrational desires

Question 17

3 levels of mind = structure of personality

Answer 17

id = unconscious
ego + superego = conscious, preconscious and unconscious aspects

Question 18

stages of psychosexual development

Answer 18

personality development in childhood
sexual energy (libido) is expressed in different ways
at each stage, a particular conflict must be resolved before successfully advancing to the next stage or a fixation (under or overindulgence) occurs, affecting behaviour later in life

Question 19

oral stage

Answer 19

birth - 1.5 y.o.
libido focused on mouth
satisfaction from putting things in mouth e.g. sucking, biting, breastfeeding
later in life: nail-biting, smoking, gum chewing and excessive drinking

Question 20

anal stage

Answer 20

1.5 - 3 y.o.
libido focused on anus
derives pleasure from defecating
fully aware of person in own right and that wishes can conflict with demands of world
potty training with adults - imposing rules, first conflict with authority, can determine future relationship with authority
later in life: overly obsessed with tidiness or messy and disorganised

Question 21

phallic stage

Answer 21

3 - 6 y.o.
libido focuses upon genitalia
becomes aware of anatomical sex differences - conflict between erotic attraction, resentment, rivalry, jealousy and fear
Oedipus / Elektra complex - child adopts characteristics of same sex parent
later in life: overly vain, exhibitionistic, sexually aggressive

Question 22

latency stage

Answer 22

6 y.o. - puberty
libido is dominant and no further psychosexual development takes place
most sexual impulses repressed, and sexual energy put towards schoolwork, hobbies and friendships - focused on developing new skills and knowledge and play becomes largely confined to children of same gender
later in life: lifelong immaturity, inability to maintain happy, healthy sexual and non-sexual relationships as adult

Question 23

genital stage

Answer 23

puberty onwards
adolescent sexual experiments, successful resolution is settling down in a loving one-to-one relationship during 20s
inability to progress to unselfish romantic love, other fixations present

Question 24

psychodynamic approach strengths

Answer 24

effective treatments - accurate
Luty study using randomised trials comparing psychotherapy and CBT for 16 weeks (depression) - both effective for moderate and mild patients
is psychotherapy works, suggests approach is useful and accurate, real world application, gives credibility
but CBT was more effective for severe depression and no indication that psychotherapy worked for severe depression. weakness as approach limited in explaining severe mental health issues

lots of detail about unconscious mind and personality development, good explanatory power
psychosexual stages of development helps understand personality as adults e.g. smoking, nail-biting
strength as empowers people to develop deeper understanding of themselves, to deal with behaviour effectively
but considered reductionist, ignores biological factors e.g. brain damage, neurotransmission affecting behaviour
weakness as invalid and incomplete account of behaviour

explains why people act irrationally
Little Hans have phobia of horses, explained by Oedipus complex - Freud said irrational behaviour occurred because of this - is natural stage of psychosexual development
strength as explains behaviour and puts parents at ease that is natural process
helpful in understanding irrational behaviour

Question 25

psychodynamic approach weaknesses

Answer 25

psychosexual stages of development don’t explain personality development in all children
Green studied 37 children in non-traditional families (gay/transsexual parents). 36 developed typical gender identities and role behaviours
weakness as Freud based theory on neutral families and does not account for children in other family dynamics
lacks temporal validity - does not consider modern family structures offering personality development

knowledge of defence mechanisms such as repression have potential to lead to miscarriages of justice
some psychotherapists use memory recovery techniques (hypnotic regression and guided imagery) to help client gradually develop clear memories of abuse from family members
likely to produce false memories
end result is that families damaged or come to attention of legal system - wrongly convicted
weakness - inaccurate and damaging, repression cannot be trusted fully