Psychodynamic Assumptions Flashcards
Who is the main figure in the psychodynamic approach?
Sigmund Freud
What is the first assumption of the psychodynamic approach?
Tripartite model of personality
What are the three components of the tripartite personality?
ID, the ego and the superego
Explain the three components of the tripartite personality.
ID - driven by impulse and the pleasure principle to satisfy needs and wishes
Ego - mediates between the ID’s impulses and what is morally acceptable through the realistic principle
Superego - judges whether actions are moral or not therefore driven by morality principle
When do each component of the tripartite personality develop?
ID - present at birth
Ego - around two years old
Superego - around five years old
What is the job of the ego in relation to the ID and superego?
Mediate between the two and satisfy both
What is the second assumption of the psychodynamic approach?
The unconscious mind
What is the conscious mind?
Thoughts and perceptions
What is the unconscious mind?
Fears, immoral urges and selfish needs
What are the four ways of accessing the unconscious mind?
Freudian slips
Dream analysis
Inkblot test
Word association
What are freudian slips?
A ‘slip of the tongue’ - accidental words having ideas from the unconscious mind
What are defence mechanism within the unconscious mind?
Strategies used by the ego to manage conflict between the ID and superego to push out a conscious thought to protect the person
What are the three defence mechanisms?
Displacement, projection and repression
Explain the three defence mechanisms.
Displacement - redirecting unacceptable feelings from the original source to a safer alternative
Projection - projecting ones own unacceptable thoughts on to someone else and not yourself
Repression - Unknowingly placing an unpleasant memories or thoughts into the unconscious mind
What is the third assumption of the psychodynamic approach?
Childhood experiences
What does Freud suggest about psychosexual development?
All children go through five libido stages that shape their adult personality
What are the five libido stages?
Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latency
Genital
What is the acronym to remember the stages?
Old
Age
Pensioners
Love
Guinness
What is the libido focused on in each stage?
Oral - Mouth
Anal - Anus
Phallic - Genitals (external)
Latency - No focus
Genital - GenItals (internal sexuality)
At what age does each libido stage take place?
Oral - 0 - 18 months
Anal - 18 months - 3
Phallic - 3- 5
Latency - 5 - puberty
Genital - puberty - adolescence
Explain what two things can cause fixation at any of the libido stages.
Frustration - child has been under satisfied in a particular area
Overindulgence - the child has been more than satisfied and are reluctant to move on
What complex may a male experience during psychosexual development (phallic stage) ?
Oedipal complex
Explain the Oedipus complex.
An unconscious fear develops in childhood due to the unrecognised feelings for the mother
Boy sees father as competition for the mother
He develops castration anxiety
Superego develops and redirects interest in mother to other women
What complex may a female experience during psychosexual development?
Electra complex
Explain the Electra complex.
An unconscious fear develops in childhood due to unrecognised feelings for father as he has a penis
Develops penis envy and hates mother for removing it
Sees mother as rival
Superego develops and redirects desire for a baby instead
