Psychodynamic assumptions Flashcards
What is assumption 1?
Assumption one is the influence of childhood experiences.
It is made up of five psychosexual stages which represent fixation of the labido (sexal drive/instinct)
What causes problems in later life?
Problems in later life are caused by fixations (getting stuck at a particular stage)
This can occur through frustration. The stage has not been resolved because needs have not been met.
Or through over indulgence, where the needs of the child have been more then met.
What are the five psychosexual stages?
Oral (0-18 months) sucking, chewing.
Events are moving to solid food.
Frustration: pessimism, sarcasm, envy.
Over indulgence: optimism, gullibility, neediness.
Anal (18 months 3 years) withholding, expelling, playing.
Events are potty training.
Frustration: Possessive, stubborn, overly tidy.
Overindulgence: messy, disorganised, reckless
Phallic (3-5 years) Genitals, masturbation.
Events: developing the oedipus complex (super ego and gender identity).
Fixations include vein, self assured and problems with building relationships in adulthood.
Latency (5 years to puberty) Little sexual motivation.
Key events are acquiring knowledge and understanding the world.
There are no fixations.
Genital (puberty onwards) Genital, hetrosexual intercourse.
If complex during phallic stage are resolved, a well developed adult personality is formed.
What is assumption 2?
Assumption 2 is the unconscious mind.
It focuses on the preconscious and unconscious.
Explain unconscious, preconscious and conscious?
The conscious mind is logical. The unconscious mind is pleasure seeking and cannot be directly accessed. it is expressed through dreams.
Freud believed that the unconscious mind controls much of our behaviour and we are motivated by unconscious emotional drivers. He believed that conflicts show up in dream but are disguised in symbols if too threatening.
Coping mechanisms related to the unconscious mind?
If a child struggles with emotions like perceived maternal rejection, they can regress to an earlier stage to gain attention.
They can also develop defences such as displacement, projection, and repression.
What is assumption 3?
Assumption 3 is the tripartite personality.
This is made up of the id, ego and super ego.
The id is impulsive and present at birth. Its aim is to gain pleasure at any cost. it work on the pleasure principle.
The ego is conscious and rational. It develops around age 2. It job is to satisfy the id in a socially acceptable way. It works on the reality principle.
The super ego develops at around age 4. it is the sense of right and wrong and the ideal self. It is learnt through identification with parents or others.
How do the id, ego, and super ego work together?
The ego acts as a referee between the id and super ego.
This is a structural model but the parts are only symbolic.
