The Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What does the psychodynamic approach propose

Answer 1

The psychodynamic approach proposes that adult behaviour is a result of complex dynamic interactions between the conscious and unconscious -> it also places emphasis on the importance of childhood processes

Question 2

What did Freud suggest about the conscious

Answer 2

The part of the mind which we recognise is the concious

Question 3

What did Freud suggest about the unconscious

Answer 3

Freud suggested that the majority of the mind is made up of the unconscious
- the unconscious is a vast storehouse of innate biological drives and instincts
- the role of the unconscious is to store disturbing memories which have been repressesex -> protects the conscious form these memories

Question 4

What did Freud suggest about the preconcious

Answer 4

The pre conscious is just under the surface of the conscious and includes thoughts we become aware of in our dreams and slips of tongues

Question 5

What did Freud suggest about drives

Answer 5

There are two main drives -> sex and aggression
- sex is the life instinct and has its own energy libido
Aggression is the death instincts
Eros and Thanatos

Question 6

What did Freud suggest about the structure of the personality

Answer 6

• personality consists of three parts (the id, ego and superego)
• fighting for the psychic energy and determines what our personality is like

Question 7

What does Freud suggest about the id

Answer 7

-The id is what allows us to get our basic needs met and is based o the pleausre principle
- wants immediate satisfaction without considering the reality of the situation
- present at birth

Question 8

What does Freud suggest about the ego

Answer 8

• develops as we interact more with the world
• the ego acts as the middle man and tries to fulfill the desires of the ego whilst also taking into consideration the constraints of reality -> understands that selfish behaviour can be hurtful

Question 9

What does Freud suggest about the superego

Answer 9

• superego develops during the phallic stage due to moral constraints put upon us by our parents
• strong superego inhibits the instincts of the id whereas a weak superego allows it more expression
• it is based on the morality principle

Question 10

Why are ego defence mechanisms in place and what are they

Answer 10

The ego has a hard time satisfying both the id and superego
Repression, displacement and denial

Question 11

What is repression

Answer 11

Repression is when a person tries to prevent unacceptable desires, motivation and emotions form coming conscious. Making them unconscious means we are not aware of them but this doesn’t mean they are gone they still exert influence over our behaviour

Question 12

What is displacement

Answer 12

• displacement is when a person takes out their emotions into someone or something else as they’d annoy take out their emotions on the eprople concerned or being held accountable cusses the person anxiety

Question 13

What is denial

Answer 13

Denial is when a person refuses to believe an event took place or that they experienced an event

Question 14

What are the psychosexual stages

Answer 14

• Freud argues that during development, children become sensitive in certain erogenous zones and the libido becomes focussed in these erogenous zones
• child’s wants and needs become concerned with these zone at certain stage
• if not met will lead to frustration and overindulgence
• can lead to fixation which affects adult personality

Question 15

What is the first stage and when and what is characterised

Answer 15

-The first stage is the oral stage and it occurs during 0-18 months
- fixation in this stage can lead to a characteristics of pessimism envy and suspicion
- overindulgence leads to optimism, gullible and admiration for other

Question 16

What is the second stage

Answer 16

• the second stage is the anal stage which is to do with eliminating and retaining faeces 18-3
• Id wants to elimiaate whereas ego wants to control
• anally retentive are neat and stingy
• anally expulsion are disorganised and messy

Question 17

What is the phallic stage

Answer 17

• 3 to 6 years old
• during the phallic stage, boys develop sexual feelings for their mother and rival their father, soon they are scared their father will castrate them so choose to identify with their father rather than fight -> leads to the development of male characteristics and subsiding of sexual feelings
• girls also develop sexual feelings towards gherkin father and negative feelings towards their mother as they develop penis envy
• fixation in the phallic stage can lead to confusion in the person sexuality

Question 18

What is the latent phases 6- puberty

Answer 18

• libido is dormant and this is when girls and boys are most distinct
• boys develop male characterised and girls develp female

Question 19

What is the egential stage

Answer 19

After puberty
- libido is awakened and people try and develop heterosexual relationships