Psychodynamic perspective

Question 1

Principles of psychodynamic perspective

Answer 1

1) only one part of mind is fully conscious, the unconscious mind, fears and desires affect out behaviour

2) Early childhood experiences affect out behaviour

Question 2

What is the ID, EGO , SUPEREGO

Answer 2

ID - innate desires, pleasure seeking, aggression (devil)

SUPEREGO - moral ethical values, parental (angel)

EGO - mature adaptive behaviour (inbetween)

Question 3

Types of ego defence mechanisms

Answer 3

Ego is under constant attack from id and super ego so uses defence mechanisms to protect itself from anxiety

REPRESSION = push thoughts, feelings out of conscious awareness and into unconscious mind to ‘forget’

DISPLACEMENT = unconscious feelings towards one object are shifted onto another object with less harmful consequences

REGRESSION = returning to an earlier stage of development to avoid having to cope with difficult emotions/ situations

Question 4

Describe Freud psychosexual stages

Answer 4

believed children move through series of stages where they become fixated on certain area of body

ORAL STAGE
= 0.1yrs
= focus of pleasure in mouth (mums breast)
= unresolved conflict in this stage leads to oral fixation (smoking/biting nails) or sarcasm

ANAL STAGE
=1-3yrs
= focus of pleasure is anus (expelling faeces + potty training)
= unresolved conflict results in anal retentive personality (perfectionist) or anal expulsive personality (thoughtless)

PHALLIC STAGE
= 3-6yrs
= focus is pleasure on genital area
= Electra or Oedipus complex occurs
= unresolved conflict leads to narcissism (admiration from others) and recklessness

Question 5

Strengths of Psychodynamic perspective

Answer 5

+ Influential
> people generally believe childhood affects us at adults
> unconcious desires affect behaviour

+ Applications
> psychoanalysis

+ Middle ground on key debates
> nature (innate insticts) + nurture(parenting)
> not to deterministic as says unconcious influences eg. therapy can exert free will and change behaviour

Question 6

Weaknesses of Psychodynamic Perspective

Answer 6

unscientific apporach
> case studies
> qualitative data
> subjectivness, small samples
> unfalisficable theories (id,ego)

reductionist
> only looks how unconsiours conflicts cause behaviour
> not look at biological factors
> less reductionist as considers both unconcious conflicts + childhood experiences