PSYCHODYNAMIC: overall evaluation Flashcards
1
Q
Strength: interactionist
A
- recognises role for different factors in behaviour - innate drives and childhood experiences
- id present from birth therefore biological, childhood experiences through psychosexual stages - frustration and overindulgence impact personality
- also aims to explain disorders via fixation
- ie little hans behaviour as a product of the Oedipus complex
2
Q
Strength: usefulness
A
- approach applied successfully through psychoanalytic therapies like dream analysis and hypnosis for depression and anxiety
- effectiveness highlighted in a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Briggs et al (2019) which showed a decrease in suicidal thoughts and self harm and improved social wellbeing for those doing psychotherapy
- BPS provide evidence for impact in treating PTSD, depression and eating disorders
- research lead to improved day care and support for new parents to return to work - benefit economy
3
Q
Strength: idiographic
A
- Freud developed his theory of tripartite personality and psychosexual stages in application to everyone + Bowlby’s maternal deprivation - seems nomothetic
BUT also advocated idiographic perspective in the way that universal processes are applied in a subjective manner unique to experiences of individual - case studies for research ie little hans and wolf man to understand disorders like phobias, neuroses and hysteria
- therefore promotes idiographic approach
4
Q
Weakness: reductionist
A
- Freud explain complex behaviour in terms of mechanics of mind and progression through childhood
—> adult personality related to conflict between Id, ego and superego as well as progression through psychosexual stages - other explanations such as genetics and biochemistry are ignored
—> schizophrenia explained by Frieda Fromm-Reichman due to overly dominant mother contributing to onset of symptoms which ignores genetics and other factors
5
Q
Weakness: determinist
A
- in terms of innate drives, Freud believed that if a particular part of the tripartite was dominant it could determine personality
—> Id = psychopathic
Ego = narcissistic
Superego = neurotic - fixations during childhood: frustration or over indulgence lead to diff personality and behavioural traits
- eg paediatrician Jack Newman suggested that breastfeeding a child until they wean naturally results in a more psychologically secure and independent person
6
Q
Weakness: non-scientific
A
- psychodynamic focus on unconscious so hard to falsify as cannot access
—> scientific theories allow for objective testing, Popper (1934) argues that to fully accept a theory it must be able to be falsified - psychodynamic relies on subjective viewpoint of psychoanalyst - cannot prove tripartite personality or psychosexual and so Freuds theories cannot be falsified
- but dream analysis does have reported success
