The psychodynamic approach

Question 1

What does the psychodynamic approach assume?

Answer 1

The psychodynamic approach assumes that conflicts in the unconscious mind are the driving force behind our behaviours, thoughts and emotions

Question 2

Who came up with the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 2

Sigmund Freud

Question 3

What did Freud believe was the most influential part of the mind?

Answer 3

The vast inaccessible area that we are not aware of, the unconscious.

Question 4

What did Freud believe was stored in the unconscious to protect the conscious self from anxiety caused by trauma and conflict?

Answer 4

Memories and fantasies that would be distressing, painful or embarrassing

Question 5

What is the mind also known as?

Answer 5

The ‘psyche’

Question 6

What are the 3 components that the mind is divided into?

Answer 6

Id, ego and superego

Question 7

What did Freud believe that together the 3 components did?

Answer 7

The interactions and conflicts among these components create personality

Question 8

Which of the 3 components is a person born with?

Answer 8

The id

Question 9

When does the superego develop?

Answer 9

Around the age of 3-6 years old, during the phallic stage of psychosexual development

Question 10

When does the ego develop?

Answer 10

Around the age of 18 months - 3 years old

Question 11

What part of the mind is the id?

Answer 11

The unconscious part of the mind

Question 12

What is does the id do?

Answer 12

It seeks instant gratification of its needs that all centre around pleasure
It is the part of our personality that is selfish, irrational and emotional, it is not affected by reality, logic or the everyday world

Question 13

What part of the mind is the ego?

Answer 13

It is our sense of ‘self’

Question 14

What is the ego?

Answer 14

It is the rational, conscious part of the mind that mediates between the unrealistic id and the real world

Question 15

What is the ego’s function?

Answer 15

To satisfy the id’s demands in a safe and socially acceptable way

Question 16

What happens to the ego when the superego has formed?

Answer 16

The ego also balances the conflicting demands of the id and superego

Question 17

What part of the mind is the superego?

Answer 17

Part of the unconscious mind

Question 18

What is the superego?

Answer 18

It incorporates the values and morals of society, which are learned from parents and motivates us to behave in a socially responsible and acceptable way

Question 19

What is the superegos function?

Answer 19

To control the id’s impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression

Question 20

What did Freud state about the underlying unconscious?

Answer 20

It is sexual, and that ‘sexual energy’ (or libido) is present from birth

Question 21

What does the focus of the libido do?

Answer 21

It shifts as we develop from one erogenous zone to another

Question 22

What has to happen for someone to move to the next psychosexual stage?

Answer 22

Freud stated that there is an unconscious conflict at each stage which must be resolved before the next stage is reached, if conflict is not resolved, the individual will become fixated at this stage, and this controls personality traits in adulthood

Question 23

How many psychosexual stages are there?

Answer 23

5

Question 24

What is the way to remember the order of the psychosexual stages?

Answer 24

Old Aged Pensioners Like Gardening

Question 25

What are the 5 psychosexual stages?

Answer 25

Oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, latency stage, genital stage

Question 26

What is the oral stage?

Answer 26

Focus of pleasure is the mouth and the mother’s breast is the focus of desire

Question 27

At what age does the oral stage occur?

Answer 27

0-1 year

Question 28

What is the anal stage?

Answer 28

Focus of pleasure is the anus and child focuses on withholding and expelling faeces - potty training

Question 29

At what age does the anal stage occur?

Answer 29

1-3 years

Question 30

What is the phallic stage?

Answer 30

Focus of pleasure is genitals and children experience the Oedipus/Electra complex

Question 31

At what age does the phallic stage occur?

Answer 31

3-5 years

Question 32

What is the Oedipus complex?

Answer 32

Freud suggested that children in the phallic stage begin to have unconscious sexual desires for their opposite sex parent. This makes them resentful of the same sex parent, as they see them as a competitor for their parent’s love
In order to resolve this anxiety, boys identify with their father and internalise his morals and standards, which becomes the superego. Boys think that if they become more masculine their father will like them and not want to castrate them

Question 33

What is the Electra complex?

Answer 33

Freud viewed femininity as failed masculinity.
He argued that girls believe they do not have a penis because their mother must have already castrated them. They turn to their fathers for love in the hope of regaining their penis.
Girls suffer penis envy for the rest of their lives. The only way a woman can resolve her penis envy is by having a male baby, taking a male lover or having a career, basically try to become more like a man as a way of compensating for the lack of penis

Question 34

What are the ego’s defence mechanisms?

Answer 34

Regression, repression, denial and displacement

Question 35

What is regression?

Answer 35

The ego aims to reduce conflict by mediating between the demands of the id and superego → reduce anxiety.

If the ego fails to resolve conflict, they can become fixated at the stage of psychosexual development where the conflict occurs.

Later trauma causes them to regress back to the stage.
That regression causes them to display undesirable behaviours linked to the erogenous zone.

Question 36

What is repression?

Answer 36

Repression involves unconsciously blocking out unpleasant thoughts, feelings and impulses

Question 37

What is denial?

Answer 37

Refusing to accept reality or facts

Question 38

What is displacement?

Answer 38

Displacement involves transferring negative feelings from one thing to another

Question 39

Who are the 2 main case studies?

Answer 39

Little Hans and Anna O

Question 40

What are 3 evaluation points for the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 40

• Explanatory power
• The case study method
• Untestable concepts