The Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What is the psychodynamic approach?
A perspective that describes the different forces (dynamics), most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience
What is the unconscious?
The part of the mind that we are unaware of but which directs much of our behaviour
What is the ID?
Entirely unconscious, the ID is made up of selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification
What is the Ego?
The ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the ID and Superego
What is the Superego?
The moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self - how we ought to be
What are defence mechanisms?
Unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the ID and superego
What are psychosexual stages?
Five developmental stages that all children pass through. At each stage there is a different conflict, the outcome of which determines future development
What things are stored within the unconscious?
Biological drives and instincts that have a significant influence on our behaviour and personality
Threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed or locked away and forgotten
How can repressed memories be accessed?
Freudian slips (parapraxes) or during dreams
What is contained within the preconscious?
Thoughts and memories which are currently not in conscious awareness but we can access if desired
How did Freud describe the structure of personality?
As a tripartite
What principle does the ID operate on?
The pleasure principle
What is the pleasure principle?
The ID gets what it wants
Which part of the personality is present at birth?
ID
Which principle does the ego operate on?
Reality principle
What age does the ego develop?
Two years
When is the superego formed?
At the end of the phallic stage, around the age of five
What principle is the superego operated on?
The morality principle
Freud claimed that child development occurred in how many stages?
Five
What does an unresolved psychosexual conflict lead to?
Fixation
What is fixation?
The child becomes ‘stuck’ and carries certain behaviours and conflicts associated with that stage through to adult life
What are the five psychosexual stages?
Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
What is the first psychosexual stage and what ages does it occur?
Oral, 0-1 years
What happens in the oral stage?
Focus of pleasure is the mouth, mothers breast is the object of desire
What is the consequence of unresolved conflict in the oral stage?
Oral fixation - smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical
What is the second psychosexual stage and when does it occur?
Anal, 1-3 years
What happens in the anal stage?
Focus of pleasure is the anus. Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces
What is the consequence of unresolved conflict in the anal stage?
Anal retentive - perfectionist, obsessive
Anal expulsive - thoughtless, messy
What is the third psychosexual stage and when does it occur?
Phallic, 3-6 years
What happens in the phallic stage?
Focus of pleasure is the genital area.
Child experiences the Oedipus or electra complex
What is the consequence of unresolved conflict in the phallic stage?
Phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual
What is the fourth psychosexual stage?
Latency
What happens in the latency stage?
Earlier conflicts are repressed
What is the final psychosexual stage?
Genital
What happens in the genital stage?
Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty
What is the consequence of unresolved conflict in the genital stage?
Difficulty forming homosexual relationships
What is repression as a defence mechanism?
Forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind
What is denial as a defence mechanism?
Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
What is displacement as a defence mechanism?
Transferring feelings from true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target
What is one strength of the psychodynamic approach? (Treatment)
Real world application - introduced the idea of psychotherapy. Value in the approach in creating a new approach to treatment
What is a limitation of the psychodynamic approach? (Mental disorders)
Psychoanalysis is regarded as inappropriate and even harmful for people experiencing serious mental disorders
What is a strength of the psychodynamic approach? (Explanatory power)
Ability to explain human behaviour - positive impact on psychology
What is a limitation of the psychodynamic approach? (Untestable)
Much of it is untestable. Popper argued that the approach does not meet the scientific criteria of falsification. Suggests that the theory was pseudoscientific.
