The psycho-dynamic approach Flashcards
assumptions of psycho-dynamic approach?
Focus on how all behaviour can be motivated by unconscious motives and events that occurred in early childhood.
“The child is father to man”
Through explaining our development and interpreting dreams, one of Freud’s biggest contributions was to develop a therapy called psychoanalysis. This was very popular throughout the 20th century and beyond.
what are the topics in this approach?
- role of unconsious mind
- structure of personality
- defence mechanisms
- psychosexual stage of devlopment
what is the role of the unconsiour mind approach
- mental iceberg effect
- consious mind consists of thoughts and aware of this which includes perceptions and eveyday thoughts
- preconsious mind includes mmories and stored knowledge which is accessed if needed
- our unconcious mind includes info which is is impossible to retriee and is biggests part of mind. this is our fears, instincts, painful or embarrsing material and traumatic expereinces. this helps direct and moivate behaviour without consious awareness. prtects us from strssing, painfu or embrassing matreial and damage the psyche
what is the structure of personality approach
According to Freud, the personality is made up of 3 key components (this is referred to as the tripartite theory of personality or the tripartite structure of personality - you may see this term in textbooks, mark schemes etc).
These 3 components are:
1. The Id
2. The Ego
3. The Superego
what is the defence mechansisms approach?
Defence mechanisms are unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the id and the superego.
The ego’s job is to defend us from dangerous or harmful impulses, feelings or behaviours.
This “job” is very stressful.
Freud suggests that conflicts in our lives can lead to feelings of anxiety or guilt and to cope with this we employ defence mechanisms.
- Displacement is the unconscious redirection of an impulse (usually aggression) onto a powerless substitute target. The target can be a person or an object that can serve as a symbolic substitute.
For example, a child who is a playground bully may behave that way because they are unhappy at home. They direct their negative emotions (anger) onto a symbolic substitute (another child). - repression = The id has impulses that the ego does not want to allow into the conscious mind so it keeps them out using repression. - keep down
The ego also uses repression to protect itself from threatening or traumatic experiences. - push down
The memory of that event or that feeling is too much to bear and so the ego pushes this deep into the unconscious mind (deep down in the iceberg) so you do not have to dealt with this trauma. So, the person does not remember.
This happens unconsciously. - Denial involves unconsciously blocking external events from conscious awareness. If a situation is just too much to handle, the person unconsciously cannot accept it.
For example, a drug addict. Accepting you are a drug addict is too much to bear. Your ego (reality principle) protects you from this anguish by being in denial. So, you do not think you have a problem. - Regression is a defence mechanism involving the individual going back to ways of behaving that are associated with a safer, more carefree or happier time of life.
For instance, when in situations of high stress and anxiety, an adult may regress into the mental state of a child. They will then show behavioural traits of the age they have regressed to, i.e., sucking their thumb
what is the psychosexual stages of development approach?
Freud proposed that every child passes through a series of 5 psychosexual stages.
Each stage involves some kind of challenge or conflict that must be overcome.
How these challenges are overcome affects future development (e.g. affects whether the individual will be able to develop lasting, loving relationships with others and the likelihood of them developing a psychological disorder later in life). This is called psychic determinism.
Freud believed that any mental health etc issues in adulthood could be traced back to experiences during childhood
Freud argued that the libido, or our sexual energy, is focused on key points of our body throughout childhood.
This means that the child gets the most satisfaction from stimulation of this body point.
The libido is focused on a different part of
the body during each psychosexual stage.
look in book
what is the oedipus complex?
According to Freud, in the phallic stage a boy has an intense love for his mother and sees his father as a rival for her affections.
However, he realises that his father is physically stronger and is afraid that his father might punish him by castrating him.
This castration anxiety is resolved by identifying with the father, and so becoming as much like the father as possible, including gender behaviour.
what is the electra complex?
This is the female version of the Oedipus Complex and was much less developed by Freud.
According to Freud, in the phallic stage, a girl has a strong affection for her father and sees her mother as a rival. She experiences penis envy and blames her mother for her own lack of a penis.
However, girls worry about losing their mother’s love because of their competing affection.
This is resolved by the girl identifying with her mother and learning her gender role and gender appropriate behaviour.
case study =
Little Hans and the Oedipus complex
Hans was a 5 year old boy who developed a phobia of horses after seeing one collapse in the street.
Freud suggested that Hans’ phobia was a form of displacement in which his repressed fear of his father was transferred (displaced) onto horses.
Thus, horses were merely a symbolic representation of Hans’ real unconscious fear: the fear of castration experienced during the Oedipus complex.
positve evaluations =
The theory has evidence to support its theoretical foundations- ie. the role of the unconscious.
Add details about the little Hans case study…
This case study supports several of Freud’s key proposals e.g. infantile sexuality, the influence of unconscious anxieties and conflicts on behaviour and the existence and impact of defence mechanisms.
The theory has good practical applications. It can be used to successfully treat people suffering from a wide variety of disorders. It was also the first theory to suggest that mental illnesses could be treated with a ‘talking cure’ rather than medical intervention.
Psychoanalysis has been used worldwide to successfully treat many individuals through ‘talking therapy’. Some advantages of this is there are no side effects like those found with medication, and some argue it truly addresses the real cause of disorders.
This is good because… it could help reduce huge amounts of distress experienced by many with mental health issues.
negative evalutations =
A further problem with Freud’s theory is that it does not explain development into adulthood and thus appears more limited as an explanation of development.
Erikson’s psychodynamic theory: 8 stages of (wo)man
This is a whole life theory - we carry on developing into old age and experience meaningful events such as a mid-life crisis.
Emphasises unconscious and social aspects of development from birth to death.
This means that… Freud’s theory neglects lifelong development, and as such can be seen as reductionist.
There is also research that contradicts Freud’s theoretical claims. For example, Malinowski’s research suggests that Freud’s theory may be reductionist in assuming that any deviation from the psychosexual stages, will result in ‘abnormal’ gender development.
Malinowski - studied the Trobriand Islanders where boys are not brought up by their fathers. This should mean that they do not resolve their Oedipus complex as the family structure is different; however the boys do develop normally.
This evidence contradicts the belief by Freud that homosexual parents or single parents should affect developmental elements such as the sexual orientation of their children.
This is a problem because… it suggests Freud’s ideas are theoretically flawed because it does not consider these inconsistencies.
