Psychodynamic Perspective Flashcards
Describe the psychodynamic perspective in the Determinism vs Free Will debate, and link this to a study.
- psychodynamic perspective assumes all behaviour is governed by unconscious drives + motives that an individual has no conscious awareness of
- so assumes ppl have no free will over their behaviour
E.g. As Little Hans was in phallic stage of psychosexual development, he developed fear of horses due to Oedipus Complex
Describe the psychodynamic perspective in the Individual vs Situational debate, and link this to a study.
- psychodynamic perspective can be said to support both sides of debate as looks at behaviour being caused by an individual’s personality (e.g. id, ego + superego in Freud), but also takes into account childhood experiences due to the situation
Describe the psychodynamic perspective in the Usefulness of Research debate, and link this to a study.
- psychodynamic perspective explains wide range of human phenomenon (e.g. Phobias, memories + mental disorders) + has provided useful practical apps to understand ppl w/ mental health problems
- also has had huge impact on world of counselling, psychotherapy + psychiatry, so can be considered v useful research
- but, as case study method = often used in research, findings not generalisable to wider population as often v limited samples are used, so limiting usefulness
Describe the psychodynamic perspective in the Reductionism vs Holism debate, and link this to a study.
- psychodynamic perspective can be said to be holistic, as in therapy looks at individual as a whole, taking into account childhood experiences + unconscious drives + wishes
- but, many other explanations often overlooked when attempting to explain phobias, e.g. Learning theories, genetics, cognitive processes, etc
Describe the psychodynamic perspective in the Psychology as a science debate, and link this to a study.
- Psychodynamic perspective tends to be seen as unscientific due to subjective methods used to collect + analyse data
E.g. Freud’s observations of Hans were supplied to him by boy’s father, and were then analysed subjectively, all data was qualitative + based on interpretations made. Also may have been bias as LH’s father was fan of Freud’s work already, + also Freud may have demonstrated researcher bias, analysing data to fit his own theory
Describe the psychodynamic perspective in the Ethics debate, and link this to a study.
- psychodynamic perspective often uses case study method so pps can give consent to participate
- but, often children used in research, + as children are v suggestible, may be more susceptible to leading q’s + performing to demand characteristics
State the strengths of the Psychodynamic Perspective.
- explains a variety of human phenomenon (e.g. Phobias, memories + mental disorders)
- often uses case study method, allowing for rich, in-depth data + a detailed analysis of one person
- provides many useful practical apps to understand those w/ mental health problems + has huge impact on world of counselling, psychotherapy + psychiatry
State the weaknesses of the Psychodynamic perspective.
- v diff to test theory of unconscious drives, whatever is not remembered can be said to be repressed, this = un-falsifiable + so explanations may lack validity
- tends to adopt case study method which uses unrepresentative samples + so findings lack generalisability
- adopts a reductionistic + deterministic view as does not take into account other possible reasons for behaviour + rejects notion of free will
Describe the Applications of the Psychodynamic Perspective.
- hypnotherapy: form of psychotherapy used to create subconscious change in patient in form of new responses, thoughts, attitudes, behaviours or feelings, + is undertaken w/ subject in hypnosis
- effectiveness = largely debated, w/ vast evidence demonstrating positive implications of hypnotherapy for wide range of issues (smoking / weight loss / anxiety / insomnia etc)
- but, some say when it does work, this more a result of ‘placebo effect’
