The psychodynamic approach

Question 1

psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

unconscious forces that direct behaviour and experience

Question 2

the unconscious

Answer 2

the part of the mind that we are unaware of but which directs much of our behaviour

Question 3

id

Answer 3

primitive resection of personality, pleasure principle(gets what it wants), entirely selfish.- the biological component

Question 4

ego

Answer 4

reality principle, reduces conflict between demands of id and superego, does this with defence mechanisms - the psychological component

Question 5

superego

Answer 5

phallic stage, based on moral principle, represents moral standards - the social component

Question 6

defence mechanisms

Answer 6

unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflicting demands of the id and the superego

Question 7

What does preconscious contain?

Answer 7

normal thoughts and memories

Question 8

unconscious mind

Answer 8

• store of biological drives and instincts, which influence behaviour and personality
• holds threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed, defence mechanisms
• Bad memories can be accessed in dreams or through ‘slips of the tongue’ (parapraxes)

Question 9

3 defence mechanisms

Answer 9

repression, denial, displacement

Question 10

repression

Answer 10

forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind

Question 11

denial

Answer 11

refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality

Question 12

displacement

Answer 12

transferring feelings from true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target

Question 13

5 psychosexual stages

Answer 13

oral 0-1
anal 1-3
phallic 3-6
latency 5
genital

Question 14

oral stage
description

Answer 14

focus of pleasure is the mouth, mothers breast can be object of desire

Question 15

oral stage
consequence of unresolved conflict

Answer 15

Oral fixation
Smoking, nail biting, sucking thumb, chewing pens, overeating

Question 16

anal stage
description

Answer 16

The anus, children gain pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces

Question 17

anal stage
consequence of unresolved conflict

Answer 17

Anal retentive- perfectionist, obsessive

Anal🍑 expulsive- thoughtless, messy

Question 18

phallic stage
description

Answer 18

in phallic stage little boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother (are attracted to their mothers) and hatred for their father.

Girls of same age develop penis envy of their fathers and hate their mother (the electra complex) - young said this

Question 19

phallic stage
consequence of unresolved conflict

Answer 19

Phallic personality- narcissistic, reckless

Question 20

genital
description

Answer 20

Sexual desires become conscious alongside onset of puberty

Question 21

genital
consequence of unresolved conflict

Answer 21

Difficulty developing heterosexual relationships

Question 22

contribution to modern psychology

Answer 22

Freud influenced Bowwlby’s theory of monotropy( importance of early childhood on personality)

Piaget theory of cognitive development( child development in stages)

Dream therapy -psychoanalysis- to achieve catharsis ( understanding psychosis and developing the ‘talking cure’)

Question 23

strengths

Answer 23

Introduced idea of psychotherapy
- Psychoanalysis
- First try to psychologically treat mental disorders
- Dream analysis
- Moving repressed emotions into conscious mind
- Modern ‘talking therapies’
- counselling

Able to explain human behaviour
- Can explain: personality development, psychological disorders, moral development, gender identity
- Overall positive impact

Question 24

limitations

Answer 24

May not apply to all mental disorders
- Successful for clients with mild neurosis
- Bad for more serious disorders like schizophrenia

Pseudoscientific(not a real science) as much of it was untestable and not open to empirical testing