The psychodynamic approach Flashcards
What is the psychodynamic approach?
The belief that change and development of an individual is caused by ‘drive’
Which psychologist is associated with the psychodynamic approach?
Sigmund Freud
What is the unconscious mind?
The part of the mind that contains repressed thoughts and primitive desires/impulses
What metaphor did Freud use when talking about the mind?
An iceberg
What are Freudian slips?
An unintentional error that reveals unconscious thoughts
How did Freud propose that the mind prevents unconscious thoughts from reaching the conscious mind?
Defence mechanisms
What are defence mechanisms?
Unconscious strategies that protect our conscious minds from anxiety
What are the 3 defence mechanisms?
Denial, displacement and repression
What is repression?
The unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts
What is the issue with repression?
It continues to influence behaviour without the individual being aware
What is denial?
The refusal to accept reality to avoid painful feelings
What is displacement?
The redirection of thoughts and feelings
What personality type did Freud invent?
The tripartite personaility
What are the 3 components of the tripartite personality
The id, the ego and the superego
Where does the id operate?
The unconscious mind
What does the id operate according to?
The pleasure principle
What is the pleasure principle?
The demand of immediate gratification regardless of the circumstances
What does the ego mediate between?
The demands of the id and the moralistic demands of the superego
What can the superego be subdivided into?
The ego ideal and the conscience
What is the conscience?
The internalisation of societal rules
What is the role of the conscience?
It determines which behaviours are acceptable and causes feelings of guilt when rules are broken
What is the ego ideal?
What a person strives towards
What are the psychosexual stages?
Stages of childhood development that focus on libido
What are the 5 psychosexual stages?
Oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital
What is the approximate age of the oral stage?
0-2 years
What occurs in the oral stage?
The mouth is the focal point of sensation
What behaviours occur in the oral stage?
Sucking and biting
What is the approximate age of the anal stage?
2-3 years
What occurs in the anal stage?
The ego begins to develop
What behaviours occur in the anal stage?
Toilet training
What is the approximate age of the phallic stage?
3-6 years
What occurs in the phallic stage?
Sexual energy is focused on the genitals
What behaviours occur in the phallic stage?
Oedipus complex and castration anxiety
What is the Oedipus complex?
When male children desire to possess their mother and get rid of their father
What is castration anxiety?
The fear of male children that their father will castrate them as a result of the Oedipus complex
What is the approximate age of the latent stage?
6-12 years
What occurs in the latent stage?
The child develops a mastery of the world around them
What is the approximate age of the genital stage?
12+ years
What occurs during the genital stage?
Sexual energy is fixed on the genitals
What behaviours occur during the genital stage?
Sexual intercourse
