Psychological Explanations 1 - Psychodynamic AO1 Flashcards
What is depression, according to this view?
‘Anger turned against oneself’
Who developed this view?
Freud (1917)
In his essay ‘On Mourning and Melancholia’
When does the mourning period occur?
When a loved one is lost (this could be through bereavement or, for children, separation or withdrawal of affection.
What usually happens after this mourning period?
Life returns to normal, after a while.
However, what happens to some people suffering from the loss of a loved one?
The mourning period never seems to end.
They continue to exist in a state of permanent melancholia.
What is ‘melancholia’?
Freud’s term for what we now call depression.
Freud stated that mourning and melancholia are very much the same - they can both be reactions to the loss of a loved person.
But what is the difference between them?
Mourning was a natural process;whereas, melancholia was a pathological illness.
What did Freud believe we harbour unconsciously towards those we love?
Some negative feelings.
When we lose a loved one, what happens to the negative feeling we unconsciously harbour against them?
The feelings are turned upon ourselves.
What may also happen when we lose a loved one?
We may resent being deserted by them.
What is meant to happen during the mourning period following the loss of a loved one?
We recall memories of the person lost, and gradually separate ourselves from them.
What might happen if this mourning process goes astray?
We continue a pattern of self-abuse and self-blame.
Anger against the lost person is directed inwards.
