The Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What is the psycho dynamic approach about
This approach emphasises the active nature of mental processes and their role in shaping personalities and behaviour
Who developed the psycho dynamic approach
Sigmund Freud
What are the three key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach
- Human behaviour has unconscious causes that we are not aware of
- From birth human have a need to fulfil basic biological motivations
- childhood experiences are really important on the development of adult personality and psychological disorders
What are frauds three levels of consciousness
Conscious
Preconscious
Unconscious
What is being conscious
This is what we are aware of at any given time
What is being preconscious
This is made up of memories that we can recall when we want to.
What is the unconscious
This is made up of extreme fears which cause us extreme anxiety and have therefore been repressed out of conscious awareness
What are Freudian slips
These are slips of the tongue believed to reveal a person’s secret thoughts from the unconscious
What are the three parts of the personality created by Freud
The ID
The EGO
The superego
What is the ID
This is a primitive part of our personality this, it operates on the pleasure principle, it is a mass of unconscious drives and instincts this is only present at birth
What is the Ego
Works on the reality principle and is the mediator between the ID and SUPEREGO. Makes the person aware of other peoples feelings. It’s role is to reduce the conflict between the demands of the ID & super ego.
What is the super Ego
Formed around the age of five and is our internalised sense of right and wrong, represents the moral standards of the child’s same sex parent and punishes the ego for wrong doing
Why is the relationship between the Ego - super ego - ID often seen as an ice berg
The tip of the ice berg conscious part of the mind made up of the ego and super ego.
Below the surface of the water the unconscious mind it made up of small amount of ID and ego but mostly the super ego
What are the three defence mechanisms used by the ego
Repression
Denial
Displacement
What is denial
you completely reject the thought of feeling and completely refuse of acknowledge some aspect of reality.
What is repression
forcing a distressing memory out of the mind. The go stops unwanted and painful thoughts from becoming conscious.
What is displacement
you transfer feelings from true sources of distressing emotion onto a substitute target. Negative impulse is redirected.
what are the five stages of psychosexual development in order
Oral - anal - phallic - latent - genital
What is the age of the oral stage and what characteristics are common
This should last from 0 - 18 months and include sucking behaviour
What is the age of the anal stage and what characteristics are common of it
It should last from 18 months to 3.5 years and is characterised by keeping of discarding faeces
What age is the phallic stage and what characteristics are common of it
This should last from 3.5 to 6 years and is characterised by a general fixation and the Oedipus and Electra complex
What age is the latent stage and what characteristics are common of it
This should last from 6 years to puberty and is characterised by repressed sexual urges
What age is the genital phase and what characteristics are common of it
This should last from puberty till adulthood and is characterised by awakened sexual urges
How can a child become fixated with a psychosexual stage
If a child doesn’t receive enough pleasure or too much pleasure during a stage they will become fixated on that stage
What was the method of Freud’s study
A child called Hans who had phobia of horses was observed by his father who makes notes of Hans dreams and passed these on to Freud
What where the results of Freuds study
Hans was afraid of horses because he feared they may bite him. During the study he became interested in his widdler. His mum told him not to play with it or she would cut it off. Hans had a dream where he was married to his mother and his father was the grandfather.
What a was the conclusion of Freuds study
Freuds interpretation as was Hans had reached the phallic stage and was showing the Oedipus complex. The horse symbolised hans father because to him they both had big penises.
His fear of horses is an example of displacement. A defence mechanism which protected him from his real father.
Han suffered from cassation anxiety where he worried he would be castrated by his father if he found out about his feelings. This symbolised Hans fear a horse would bite him.
What is some positive evaluation of Freuds study
This was a case study meaning that it provided lots of detailed evidence about one subject
The findings provided evidence to support Freuds feelings
What is some negative evaluation of freuds study
- the results are difficult to generalise
- the results where entirely based off observation an interpretation. This means a cause effect relationship cannot be established.
- there could be other explanations hans anxiety may have come from his mother threatening to cut his widdler off
- hans had been frightened by a horse falling down the street which may explain is fear.
What are some strengths of the psychodynamic approach
- the first theory to focus on psychological cause of disorders.
- it was first approach to link mental health disorders to unresolved conflict related to biological needs
- it offers methods of therapy uncover unconscious conflicts. Patients can then understand and resolve them and release their anxieties
- frauds theory was founding idea of childhood trauma leading to problems in later development
What are some weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach
- Freuds claims are often on his subjective interpretations of his patients dreams. Making them unreliable
- his theories are related to the unconscious mind which can’t be accessed making his theories unfalsifiable
- psychoanalysis may take a long time and be very expensive.
- focus is on the patients past rather than the problems they are currently facing
- the unscientific research methods mean its not possible to establish cause and effect
What is the negative evaluation of the psychodynamic approach due to gender bias
Freud said femininity was failed masculinity and that we can never believe that the two sexes are in equal position of worth.
Dismissing women and their sexuality in such a way is problematic because psychoanalysis is still influencing today, which such a clear bias the approach should nolonger be applied to both sexes
