Psychological Explanations 1 - Psychodynamic AO2

Question 1

What is there research support for in later depression?

Answer 1

The role of early loss.

Question 2

Studies have found that many people who have suffered depression describe their parents as…….

Answer 2

……‘affectionless’ (Shah and Waller, 2000).

Question 3

What do Shah and Waller’s findings support?

Answer 3

Freud’s concept of ‘loss’ through withdrawal of affection.

Question 4

What evidence did Bifulco et al. (1992) find about children whose mothers died in childhood?

Answer 4

That they were more likely than other children to experience depression later in life.

Question 5

However, is what is the other way to interpret Bifulco et al.’s findings?

Answer 5

They found that the association could also be explained by the lack of care from parents and parent substitutes following the loss, rather than the loss itself.

Question 6

However, what percentage of cases of depression does loss probably explain?

Answer 6

Only a relatively small percentage of cases of depression.

Question 7

According to Paykel and Cooper (1992), what percentage of those who experience early loss will later become depressed?

Answer 7

Only 10%

Question 8

What is another weakness of the Freudian psychoanalytic approach (except the fact loss explains only some cases of depression)?

Answer 8

The associated therapy (psychoanalysis) has not proved very effective with cases of depression (Comer, 2002).

Question 9

Although, why might psychoanalysis (the associated therapy) has proved very effective?

Answer 9

This may be, in part, because people who are depressed find it difficult to communicate in the way required by psychoanalysis.