psychodynamic, humanistic Flashcards
APPROACHES
what is the psychodynamic approach?
a perspective that describes the different forces (dynamics), most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behavior and experience
what is the unconscious part of the mind?
the part of the mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behavior
what is the id part of the mind?
entirely unconscious, the id is made up of entirely selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification
what is the ego part of the mind?
the ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the id and the superego
what is the superego part of the mind?
the moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self: how we ought to be
what are defense mechanisms?
unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the id and the superego
what are the psychosexual stages and who created them?
Freud
5 developmental stages that all children pass through. at most stages there is a specific conflict, the outcome of which determines future development
what are the 5 psychosexual stages and at what ages do they occur?
oral (0-1 years) anal (1-3 years) phallic (3-5 years) latency genital (around puberty)
what is a description of each of the 5 psychosexual stages?
oral- focus of pleasure is the mouth, mother’s breast is the object of desire
anal- focus of pleasure is the anus. child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces
phallic- focus of pleasure is the genital area. child experiences the Oedipus or Electra complex
latency- earlier conflicts are repressed
genital- sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty
what is the consequences of unresolved conflict in each of the 5 psychosexual stages?
- oral fixation- smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical
- anal retentive- perfectionist, obsessive
anal expulsive- thoughtless, messy - phallic personality- narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual
- genital- difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
what does Freud suggest the conscious mind is?
the ‘tip of the iceberg’
what are the 3 defense mechanisms and definitions?
repression- forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind
denial- refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
displacement- transferring feelings from the true source of distressing emotions onto a substitute target
how can threatening or disturbing memories be accessed from the unconscious mind?
during dreams
through slips of the tongue- ‘parapraxes’
what is an example of a parapraxe according to Freud?
calling a female teacher ‘mum’ instead of ‘miss’
where is the preconscious and what does it contain?
the preconscious is just under the surface of our conscious mind
contains thoughts and memories which are not currently in conscious awareness but we can access if desired
what did Freud describe the personality as?
tripartite
what part of the personality is the only part present at birth?
the id
what principle are the id, ego, and superego based on?
id- pleasure principle
ego- reality principle
superego- morality principle
what age does the ego develop?
2 years
what does the ego use to manage the conflict between the id and the superego?
defense mechanism
at what age does the superego form?
around 5 years, at the end of the phallic stage
what parent does the superego represent the moral standards of?
the same-sex parent
how does the superego punish the ego for its wrongdoings?
through guilt
how is each stage of the psychosexual stages marked (apart from latency)?
a different conflict that must be resolved in order to progress successfully to the next stage
what happens if there is unresolved conflict at any one of the stages?
it leads to fixation where the child becomes ‘stuck’ and carries certain behaviors and conflicts associated with that stage through to adult life
what is the Oedipus complex and when does it occur?
in the phallic stage, young boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mothers and a murderous hatred for their rival in love- their father. fearing that their father will castrate them, boys repress their feelings for their mother and identify with their father, taking on his gender role and moral values
what is the Electra complex and when does it occur?
in the phallic stage, girls experience penis envy- they desire their father- as the penis is the primary love object- and hate their mother. Freud believes that girls give up their desire for their father over time and replace it with a desire for a baby, identifying with their mother in the process
which process was Freud less clear on?
the Electra complex
what case study did Freud use to support his concept of the Oedipus complex?
Little Hans- and his fear of horses
what has the psychodynamic approach been used to explain (4 phenomena)
is this a strength or a weakness of the psychodynamic approach?
personality development, abnormal behavior, moral development, gender
strength
what has the psychodynamic approach been significant in drawing attention to (children)?
the connection between childhood experiences, such as our relationship with our parents, and later development
what are the issues with Freud using case studies?
it is not possible to make universal claims about human nature based on such a small number of individuals who were psychologically abnormal
Freud’s interpretations were highly subjective
what do Freud’s methods lack?
scientific rigour
what did Popper argue is an issue with the psychodynamic approach?
it is not open to empirical testing (falsification- the possibility of being disproved)
what did Popper therefore argue the psychodynamic approach is?
pseudoscience
what type of therapy did Freud develop?
psychoanalysis
what techniques does psychoanalysis employ and why?
hypnosis, dream analysis
to access the unconscious
what has psychoanalysis been useful for and what are the criticisms?
mild neurosis
it has been criticised as being inappropriate, even harmful for people suffering more serious disorders such as schizophrenia
what did Freud believe in relation to human behavior?
that there was no such thing as an ‘accident’
why is the psychodynamic approach deterministic?
it explains all behavior- even accidents- as determined by unconscious conflicts that are rooted in childhood- therefore any free will we think we have is an illusion
what is the humanistic approach?
an approach to understanding behavior that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each persons capacity for self-determination
what is free will?
the notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces
what is self-actualisation?
the desire to grow psychologically and fulfill ones potential- becoming what you are capable of
what does the humanistic approach claim in terms of free will?
human beings are essentially self-determining and have free will
(according to the humanistic approach) people may be affected by external or internal forces, but…
are active agents who have the ability to determine their own development
2 humanistic psychologists
Rogers and Maslow
do Rogers and Maslow reject or accept scientific models that attempt to establish general principles of human behavior?
reject
how does the humanistic approach believe we should study psychology?
what is the name for this type of approach?
instead of creating general principles, we should study subjective experiences
person-centred approach
what type of tendency do we have to achieve our full potential?
an innate (natural) tendency
what needs to happen before an individual can work on self-actualisation?
all 4 lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy (‘deficiency needs’) must be met
is personal growth an essential part of what it means to be human according to humanistic psychologists?
yes
will everyone meet self-actualisation?
no
what does Rogers argue is needed for personal growth to be achieved?
an individuals concept of self must be broadly equivalent to, or have congruence with their ideal self (the 2 selves)
what happens if too big a gap exists between the 2 selves?
the person will experience a state of incongruence and self-actualisation will not be possible due to the negative feelings of self worth that arise from incongruence
what did Rogers develop to reduce the gap between the self-concept and the ideal self?
client centred therapy (CCT)
what does Roger claim regarding our issues we face as adults and how does CCT help?
many of the issues we face as adults, such as worthlessness and low self-esteem, have their roots in childhood and can often be explained by a lack of unconditional positive regard (or lack of unconditional love) from our parents.
Rogers saw one of his roles as an effective therapist as being able to provide his clients with the unconditional positive regard that they had failed to receive as children
according to Rogers, what 3 things should an effective therapist provide the client with?
genuineness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard
what is the aim of Rogerian therapy?
increase the persons feelings of self-worth, reduce the levels of incongruence between the self-concept and the ideal self, and help the person become a more fully functioning person
why did Roger refer to those in therapy as ‘clients’ rather than patients?
he saw the individual as the expert of their own condition
is CCT directive or non-directive?
non-directive
does the humanistic approach advocate holism?
yes, as it is the idea that subjective experiences can only be understood by considering the whole person
how may the humanistic approach have more validity than other approaches?
as it considers meaningful human behavior within real-life context
how is CCT criticised (much like psychoanalysis)?
it is best applied to ‘mild’ conditions, such as anxiety, rather than something like schizophrenia
what 2 real life applications does the humanistic approach have?
helped to revolutionise counselling techniques (CCT)
used to explain motivation, especially in the workplace (Maslows hierarchy of needs)
why does the humanistic approach, however, overall have a limited application to real life (2 reasons)?
lacks a sound evidence base
it has been described as a loose set of abstract concepts, rather that a comprehensive theory
what has humanistic psychology been praised for?
‘bringing the person back into psychology’ and promoting a positive image of the human condition
how does humanistic psychology see individuals?
basically good, free to work towards the achievement of their potential and in control of their lives
what did Rogers develop in an attempt to bring in more scientific rigour to his work?
the Q-sort- an objective measure of progress in therapy
as humanistic psychology describes itself as anti-scientific, what is it short of?
empirical evidence to support its claims
what type of culture are the ideas of humanistic psychology better associated to?
individualist
why does the humanistic approach not apply as well to collectivist cultures, such as India?
because they emphasise the needs of the group, community, and interdependence
does the humanistic approach suffer from cultural bias?
yes
