The psychodynamic approach

Question 1

Who came up with the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

Sigmund Freud in the 1900’s

Question 2

What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 2

• different forces operate on the mind and and direct human behaviour and experience
• Assumes a large part of our mental life operates at an unconscious level
• Behaviour occurs as a result of conflict between the tripate personality - id, ego and superego
• created the term psychoanalysis as a therapy

Question 3

What is meant by conscious?

Answer 3

What we are aware of at any one time such as thoughts and perceptions

Question 4

What is meant by pre-conscious?

Answer 4

Thoughts that may become conscious at some point such as dreams and stored knowledge

Question 5

What is meant by unconscious ?

Answer 5

mental processes that are inaccessible to consciousness but influence our behaviour such as our biological instincts and immoral urges. Freud says that this is the most important part of the mind

Question 6

What is a Freudian slip?

Answer 6

A verbal mistake ‘slip of the tongue’ where you say one word but you mean another. Freud says that this is linked to your unconscious mind and these mistakes have a deeper meaning and reveal the private thoughts and feelings that a person holds

Question 7

According to Freud, what is the structure of personality ?

Answer 7

The personality has 3 parts:
- id
- ego
- superego

These 3 parts are constantly in conflict with each other and the outcome of this interaction determines our behaviour

Question 8

What is the id?

Answer 8

It’s known as the pleasure principle and its the only one present at birth
Its entirely unconscious and demands instant gratification
During the psychosexual stages of development the individual focuses on gaining pleasure from their biological instinct which derives from the id

Question 9

What is the ego?

Answer 9

Its know as the reality principle and develops as the child interacts more with the world
It acts as the mediator as it reduces the conflict between the 2 opposing forces of the id and the superego
It may deal with this conflict through use of one of the defence mechanisms
Mostly conscious
- Gets what the id wants but in a moral way

Question 10

What is the superego?

Answer 10

Its known as the morality principle and it develops during the phallic stage
It represents our morals/ conscious/ guilt
A strong superego inhibits the id where as a weak superego allows the id more expression
Here we usually have internalised our parents values/ standards
Sometimes referred to as your conscious

Question 11

Freud claimed that personality development took place through a sequence of how many stages? and what are they called

Answer 11

5 psychosexual stages

Question 12

What did Freud say is the most important drive in development is?

Answer 12

The need to express sexual energy (libido)

Question 13

What stage is your libido active in?

Answer 13

every stage

Question 14

What happens if an individual gets stuck at a particular stage and what are the consequences of this?

Answer 14

Some children become fixated at a certain stage and any unresolved psycho-sexual conflicts has has consequences for the adult personality as the child carries conflict characteristics of that stage through adult life

Question 15

What are the 5 psychosexual stages of development and the ages they occur at ?

Answer 15

Oral = 0 - 1 years
Anal = 2 - 3 years
Phallic = 4 - 5 years
Latency = 6 - 12 years
Genital = 13 - 18 years

(Old Age Pensioners Like Gardening)

Question 16

What are the characteristics of the oral stage and the consequences of any unresolved conflict ?

Answer 16

Mouth is the first area to be associated with gratification through feeding

consequence:
If not handled sensitively, individuals will be fixated at this stage and may bite their nails, suck their thumbs, bite pen lid. This means they gain gratification in the mouth through these things as they didn’t when young

Question 17

What are the characteristics of the anal stage and the consequences of any unresolved conflict ?

Answer 17

Gratification come from expelling and withholding faeces. If this isn’t handled sensitively the individual will become fixated at this stage

Consequences :
As the individual is fixated at this stage, this can lead them to be excessively tidy and concerned with bodily cleanliness. They may also appear to be mean and obstinate

Question 18

What are the characteristics of the Phallic stage and the consequences of any unresolved conflict ?

Answer 18

Gratification is gained through the genital area of the body. The important developmental process is the development of gender identity through the resolution of Oedopus and Electra complexes

Consequence:
If fixated at this stage the adult may always be looking for a mother figure or have confusion with gender identity

Question 19

What are the characteristics of the Latency stage and the consequences of any unresolved conflict ?

Answer 19

A period of relative calm in which ego defence mechanisms develop

fixation doesn’t normally happen at this stage

Question 20

What are the characteristics of the Genital stage and the consequences of any unresolved conflict ?

Answer 20

Gratification is associated with mature sexual relationships - sexual desires become conscious with the onset of puberty

Question 21

Describe the Oedipus complex

Answer 21

The boy has unconscious sexual desires for his mother however the boy is afraid as he recognises his father as being a powerful rival and has castration anxiety. To resolve this anxiety, the boy gives up his love for his mother and identifies with his father (identification with the aggressor)
Identification with his father leads to him adopting the male identity and assuming male characteristics.

Question 22

Describe the Electra complex

Answer 22

The girl realises she doesn’t have a penis and believes she has been castrated. The girl blames her mother for her lack of a penis and sees herself and her mother as powerless. The girl develops penis envy which leads her to desire the father because he has what she desire. The girl fears losing the love off her mother so converts the desire for a penis into the desire for a penis. She then identifies with the mother and adopts the female role

Question 23

What is a defence mechanism ?

Answer 23

Unconscious resources used by the ego to manage the conflict between the id and the superego. They provide ‘breathing space’ to help come to terms with the conflict or alternative ways of coping. However they often involve some sort of distortion of reality and as a long term solution they are regarded as ‘unhealthy’ and ‘undesirable’

Question 24

What are the 3 defence mechanisms

Answer 24

Denial
Repression
Displacement

Question 25

Describe denial as a defence mechanism

Answer 25

Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality to avoid having to deal with any painful feelings that are associated with that event. The individual acts as if the event never happened

Question 26

Define repression as a defence mechanism

Answer 26

Forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind and into the unconscious mind. These repressed thoughts influence behaviour without the individual being aware of the reason for their behaviour

Question 27

Define Displacement as a coping mechanism

Answer 27

Transferring feelings from the true source of the distressing event onto a substitute object. It involves redirecting thought and feelings from the situation and taking them out on someone or something else

Question 28

What therapy did Freud come up with ?

Answer 28

Psychoanalysis

Question 29

What is psychoanalysis ?

Answer 29

A type of therapeutic treatment formed psychological disorders. Its a type of therapy that focuses on repressed trauma on the unconscious mind which causes you to behave a certain way. This therapy brings the repressed thoughts in the unconscious mind to the conscious mind so that they can be dealt with.

Question 30

Who did Freud use as his Case Study ?

Answer 30

Little Hans

Question 31

Describe Freuds case study using little Hans and the horse phobia

Answer 31

At the age of 5 Hans developed a phobia of white horses wearing blinkers as he thought they would bite him.
Freud and Han’s father communicated about Hans through letters. Freud concluded that his fear of horses was because he was scared of his dad castrating him as he wanted to possess his mother.

Horse- symbolised his father (he was pale and wore glasses)
Biting - symbolised castration

After his father spoke to him and reassured him, his phobia went

Question 32

How did Freud interpret Little Han’s Giraffe fantasy ?

Answer 32

Fantasy: There was a big giraffe in the room and a crumpled one. Little Hans took the crumpled one away and the big one called out to him because he took the crumpled one away from it. Then it stopped calling out and Hans sat down on top of the crumbled one.

Explanation:
Representation of him trying to take his mother away from his father who is his competition so he can have her all to himself - both features of the Oedipus complex

Question 33

What was little Han’s parenting fantasy and how did Freud interpret this?

Answer 33

Fantasy:
Little Hans fantasised he had multiple children and when asked who the mother was he would always say that his mother was the mother and the father was the ‘gradaddy’

Explanation:
Little Hans wanted to become his father so that he can be with his mother which shows the competition with the father and the sexual desires for the mother

Question 34

What was little Hans Plumber fantasy and how did Freud interpret this ?

Answer 34

Fantasy:
The plumber came and took his behind with a pair of pincers and gave him another. He then did this again with his ‘widdler’

Explanation:
This represents that Little Hans now identifies with his father and has passed through the Oedipus complex

Question 35

What are 2 strengths of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 35

Useful
Practical application

Question 36

What are 3 limitations of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 36

Deterministic
Unfalsifiable
Contradictory evidence

Question 37

PEEL the psychodynamic approach being useful

Answer 37

P - its explanatory power
E- It was significant in drawing attention to the connection between experiences in childhood, such as our relationship with parents, and later development
E- For example, Freud’s ideas have been used in Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory of attachment
L - Therefore, his theory is useful

Question 38

PEEL the psychodynamic approach having practical application

Answer 38

P - practical application
E- Psychoanalysis - new form of therapy which uses techniques to access the unconscious
E - used in modern day
L - used in the real world to develop therapy

Question 39

PEEL the psychodynamic approach being psychic deterministic

Answer 39

P- Shows psychic determinism
E- Behaviour is driven by unconscious forces that are beyond our control
E- Our behaviour is a result of the conflict between our Id, ego and superego, our free will is an illusion

Question 40

PEEL the psychodynamic approach being unfalsifiable

Answer 40

P - unfalsifiable
E - its not open to empirical testing so doesn’t allow for the opportunity for the theory to be disproved or shown to be false
E - Falsifiability is a key scientific concept however the Id and Oedipus complex work at an unconscious level making it difficult to test which makes them hard to test
L - limited as it can’t be scientifically proven