Psychodynamic - Assumptions

Question 1

the three assumptions of the psychodynamic approach are:

Answer 1

1) the influence of childhood experiences
2) the unconscious mind
3) the tripartite personality

Question 2

psychodynamic theories state that:

Answer 2

events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our adult personality

Question 3

traumatic events that occur in childhood may be … and can remain in the … and cause problems as adults

Answer 3

repressed, unconscious

Question 4

psychodynamic theory also stresses the importance of:

Answer 4

relationships, particularly those with family members. in a way, the relationship with your opposite parent determines the romantic relationships you will have as an adult

Question 5

in childhood, freud proposed that all children go through:

Answer 5

psychosexual development. these are five stages that all children go through. each stage represents the fixation of the libido on different areas of the body

Question 6

fixation refers to:

Answer 6

problems within any stage of development that can have long-lasting effects on personality

Question 7

fixation can occur through two ways:

Answer 7

1) frustration: needs not met
2) overindulgence: needs over met

Question 8

oral stage:

Answer 8

0-18 months
source of pleasure: mouth : sucking, chewing, swallowing, biting
key event: breast feeding, weaning on to solid food
outcome of fixation: pessimism, envy, sarcasm (frustration) and optimism, gullible, neediness (overindulgence)

Question 9

anal stage:

Answer 9

18 months - 3 years
source of pleasure: withholding, expelling, playing with faeces
key event: potty training
fixation: stubborn, possessive, overly tidy (frustration) and messy, disorganized, reckless (overindulgence)

Question 10

phallic stage:

Answer 10

3 - 5 years
source of pleasure: genitals : masturbation
key event: oedipus complex
fixation: self-assured, vain, problems with sexuality, difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships

Question 11

latency stage:

Answer 11

5 years - puberty
little/no sexual motivation
key event: acquiring knowledge and understanding of the world
no fixations (no pleasure focus)

Question 12

genital stage:

Answer 12

puberty onwards
source of pleasure: genitals (heterosexual intercourse)
no key event
outcome of fixation: well-developed adult personality

Question 13

oedipus complex:

Answer 13

1) during the phallic stage, the young boy focuses his sexual energy onto his mother
2) begins to see his father as a threat to the bond between him and his mother
3) the boy is jealous as the father is able to possess the mother in a sexual way which the boy is unable to
4) the boy also starts to fear his father. he fears that if his father knew about his feeling for the mother, he would castrate him (castration anxiety)
5) the boy realises that one way to possess his mother is to become his father and therefore, the oedipus complex is resolved when the boy internalized his father
6) this internal representation of his father becomes his superego

Question 14

the electra complex:

Answer 14

1) in the phallic stage, the girls realise they don’t have a penis, and so they feel that they have already been castrated
2) girls start to develop penis envy
3) they know that their father has a penis, and so they develop sexual feelings towards him as a way of possessing his penis
4) they start to see their mother as a rival for the father
5) as the mother also does not possess a penis, the girl blames the mother for her own lack of a penis, believing that the mother has castrated her
6) same as boys, girls realise that they can possess their father by identifying with their mother
7) however, penis envy is not as fearful as castration anxiety and the girl does not identify with her mother as strongly, has a weaker superego
8) freud says that females never completely resolve electra complex and so are not as moral as boys
9) girl replaces penis envy with desire for a baby

Question 15

the unconscious mind:

Answer 15

according to the psychodynamic theory, our unconscious mind influences our behaviour

Question 16

our conscious mind is unaware of:

Answer 16

what thoughts and emotions occur in the unconscious. however, these unconscious thoughts and feelings can have an affect on our conscious mind. this is one of the key themes in psychodynamic theory

Question 17

freud proposed that the mind is like:

Answer 17

an iceberg

Question 18

conscious mind contains:

Answer 18

all the mental processes and sensations of which you are aware

Question 19

subconscious/preconscious mind contains:

Answer 19

things you don’t instantly know but can access by association

Question 20

unconscious mind contains:

Answer 20

that which is hidden such as traumatic events

Question 21

what part of the mind is logical

Answer 21

conscious

Question 22

what part of the mind is ruled by pleasure seeking

Answer 22

unconscious

Question 23

what part of the mind cannot be directly accessed but can be expressed through dreams

Answer 23

unconscious

Question 24

what part of the mind determines our behaviour

Answer 24

unconscious

Question 25

what part of the mind contains unresolved conflicts

Answer 25

unconscious

Question 26

a good example of the power of the unconscious mind is a:

Answer 26

freudian slip - when you say something accidentally which reveals something that you are unaware of in your unconscious mind

Question 27

the unconscious and the ego are what are known as

Answer 27

ego defence mechanisms - ways the ego protects itself from unconscious thoughts and feelings that may cause stress if they became conscious

Question 28

ego defence mechanisms are called this because

Answer 28

the ego uses these defences to deal with the stress caused by the conflicting demands of id and superego

Question 29

defence mechanisms can either

Answer 29

push a desire or conflict out of conscious thought or transfer it onto something safer. these may help short term, but if overused can lead to disturbed behaviour

Question 30

repression

Answer 30

pushing painful memories deep down into our unconscious mind so they are effectively forgotten

Question 31

denial

Answer 31

refusal to accept reality

Question 32

displacement

Answer 32

the transfer of impulses from one person or object to another

Question 33

regression

Answer 33

going back to an earlier stage developmental stage

Question 34

projection

Answer 34

undesirable thoughts are attributed to someone else

Question 35

according to the tripartite personality:

Answer 35

our personality is not one united whole, but split into three parts. if you ever feel like you are being pulled in two directions, it is because of conflict between the different parts of your personality

Question 36

id

Answer 36

pleasure principle, unconscious, present at birth

Question 37

ego

Answer 37

conscious, reality principle, develops approximately 2 years of age

Question 38

superego

Answer 38

morality principle, develops 4 years of age, learned through identification with parents

Question 39

the id is the

Answer 39

primitive biological part of the mind
it is present in the new born infant and consists of basic biological impulses or drives such as hunger, thirst, etc.
therefore, it is said to work on the pleasure principle
freud said these drives motivate us to behave in certain ways and humans are motivated to satisfy urges and wishes
we are driven to seek out pleasure and adrenaline and avoid displeasure

Question 40

the ego is the

Answer 40

next part. it develops as the child grows and aims to gratify the id’s impulses in line with what is realistically possible and what is morally acceptable by considering the environment it is in.
it works on the reality principle
develops at about 2 years of age

Question 41

the superego is the

Answer 41

last part to develop. it judges whether actions are right or wrong
it is effectively a conscience (little voice in the back of your head that judges you)
an internalised representation of the same-sex parent
violating the superego’s standards or even the impulse may cause anxiety
this anxiety is largely unconscious but may be experienced as guilt. works on the morality principle

Question 42

the id and the superego are often at odds about what is … …, and what we … … …. it is the job of the … to mediate between the two, and choose a course of action that satisfies both

Answer 42

morally right, want to do, ego

Question 43

freud argued that conflict between these three parts of the personality can lead to

Answer 43

problems and mental disorder. he called the ability to be able to function despite the conflict between the different parts of the personality ego strength

Question 44

the key to a healthy personality is being able to

Answer 44

maintain a balance between the id, ego and superego. someone who has a weak ego may give in to the id and superego. someone who has a strong ego will be able to manage the pressures