psychodynamic approach eval Flashcards
S: explanatory power
ID: a strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it is said to have explanatory power
Q: this means that despite freud’s theory being controversial, it has still had an influence on psychology and western contemporary thoughts. alongside behaviourism, the psychodynamic approach had remained the dominant force in psychology for the first half of the 20th century.
EX: for example, it has been used to explain a wide range of phenomena including personal development, abnormal behaviour, moral development and gender. it is significant as it draws attention to the connection between experiences in childhood, such as our relationships with our parents and connection to our childhood.
AN: therefore, the psychodynamic approach is significant in a way due to its dominance and contribution to psychology.
S: idiographic
ID: a strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it is idiographic.
Q: this means that to develop the theory, scientific ideas were used.
EX: for example, using case study methodology (such as using observational techniques in the little hans’ case study) which embraces our complex behaviour by gathering rich detailed information on an individual basis when conducting research.
AN: therefore, this emphasises that it is a strength of the approach as we are able to provide empirical evidence to explain behaviour.
W: cannot test concepts + ELAB: new empirical evidence
ID: however, a limitation of the psychodynamic approach is that it has untestable concepts.
Q: karl popper argued this approach does not meet the scientific criteria of falsification, in the sense that it cannot be proved or disproved.
EX: for example, many of the theories, such as the oedipus complex and ID, occur at an unconscious level so they cannot be tested.
AN: this is a weakness as this affords the psychodynamic approach as having the status of a pseudoscience (‘fake science’) rather than real science based on hard evidence.
ELAB: however, there is some recent research that has begun to provide evidence for the unconscious mind, for example, the processing of subliminal information has been reported in scanning techniques, which may suggest that there is scientific credibility to some of freud’s concepts.
