Psychodynamic Theory Flashcards
What is the psychodynamic theory?
It is a personality theory that states our personality develops through stages, it sees our personality as containing active forces that cause us to act the way we do. These forces are powerful urges, feels and conflict within the unconscious mind.
What did Freud mean when he said that the mind we know about is simply ‘the tip of an iceberg’?
Most of our mind is unconscious, these are biological drives that determines our behaviour and personality.
What is Freud’s theory about personality?
Our early childhood experiences determine our personality and future behaviours. So early experiences will determine if we have anti social ways. So according to Freud the personality is made up of three parts, knows as the ‘tripartile theory of personality’.
What is the three parts of personality, ‘tripartile theory of personality’?
Id
Ego
Superego
What is the id?
It is the pleasure principle, that is present from birth, it represents our basic needs and requires instant gratification.
What is the ego?
It is the reality principle, that develops at about 18 months, it is practical and acts as a meditator between the id and the superego.
What is the superego?
It is the morality principle, that develops after the completion of the phallic stage (3 to 5), it internalises the morality of the same sex parent.
What happens if personality becomes dominated by the ID, superego and the ego?
Id: a person will act impulsively, leading to criminal behaviour
Ego: a person will struggle to accept changes and will have a rigid lifestyle.
Superego: a person will become moralistic and judgemental when perfection is not achieved.
Why do some people have a weak superego?
Because the same sex parent is absent during the phallic stage, meaning the child has no one to identify with and so no morality to internalise.
Why do some people have a deviant superego?
Because the child identifies with the same sex parent but that parent happens to be a criminal, meaning the child develops the same morality as a criminal.
Why do some people have a harsh or overloaded superego?
Because of strong identification with a strict parent which causes excessive guilt and anxiety.
How does developing a dominant id take place?
A person will develop a dominant id in the event that children don’t fully develop ego’s and superego’s through identifying with their same sex parents.
What was Bowlby’s experiment and what did it suggest?
Studied 44 male juveniles delinquents and compared them to non criminal juveniles. Of the criminals 39% had experienced separation from their mothers for six months or more. This suggests that the idea that our early childhood experiences shape our personality and morality.
What are some evaluations of the psychoanalysis?
Strength- it points out the importance of early socialisation and family relationships in understanding criminality.
Limitation- if is unscientific and subjective.
