Psychodynamic Explanations (Stages, Complexes & Conflicts)

Question 1

what two concepts are used by frued?

Answer 1

Internalisation - Accepting others beliefs because they resonate with yours
Identification - Complying to gain access to a group, then accepting it over time

Question 2

in what stage does the oedipus complex occur?

Answer 2

the phallic stage

Question 3

what is the oedipus complex?

Answer 3

The attachment of the child to the parent of the opposite sex, accompanied by envious and aggressive feelings toward the parent of the same sex.

Question 4

who was the electra complex proposed by?

Answer 4

jung 1913, she did this because people said that frued’s theories had a beta bias (minmises sex differences).

Question 5

what did frued do after the the electra complex was released?

Answer 5

Freud then added the following which he called ‘feminine oedipus attitude’. This implied girls are failed/ lesser boys + ignored any differences

Question 6

what is the penis envy theory

Answer 6

Girls are initially attracted to their mother but are confused when they discover she has no penis
Girl resents mother (penis envy), assuming she doesn’t have one because the mother felt inadequate + castrated her
Girl begins to feel sexual attraction to father instead
Girl fails to identify with father as she observes gender differences. Penis envy is replaced for the desire for a baby + she then identifies with the mothers role.

Question 7

what’s the issue with the oedipus complex?

Answer 7

The oedipus complex suggests all healthy men have overcome their repressed anxiety. Those without a father figure will never attain this.
1. The boy may then become promiscuous because he internalised the belief that women are unattainable.
2. He may also internalise female behaviours and become homosexual.

Question 8

what’s the issue with the electra complex?

Answer 8

The electra complex implies girls (and single-parent boys) identify with their mother as a compromise or last resort - nobody chooses femininity.
He suggested feminine behaviours were inferior and showed weakness - the realisation that they lack what it takes to be a man forced them to settle for the woman’s role. This is why women are more often anxious/amoral.