the psychodynamic approach

Question 1

how does Freud suggest the mind is set up?

Answer 1

the conscious - the part we are aware of
the unconscious - which is a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that has a significant influence on behaviour (it also contains threatening and disturbing memories which have been repressed)
the preconscious - which contains thoughts and memories which are not currently conscious but can be accessed if desired

Question 2

what is the structure of personality

Answer 2

the Id, Ego and Superego

Question 3

what is the Id?

Answer 3

the primitive part of our mind that operates on the pleasure principle - it is a mass of drives and instincts - it is present at birth and is completely selfish and demands gratification of its needs

Question 4

what is the Ego?

Answer 4

works on the reality principle and is the mediator between the other two - it is there to manage the conflicts of the Id and Superego through defence mechanisms - forms at around age 2

Question 5

what is the Superego?

Answer 5

works on the morality principle and punishes the Ego for wrong doing through guilt - forms at around age 5 - it is our internalised sense of right and wrong

Question 6

what are the psychosexual stages?

Answer 6

5 stages that a child must go through and resolve before moving onto the next - any stage unresolved leads to a fixation that continues into adult life

Question 7

what is the first psychosexual stage?

Answer 7

Oral - age 0-1 - focus of pleasure is the mouth - unresolved conflict leads to oral fixation (e.g. smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, e.c.t)

Question 8

what is the second psychosexual stage?

Answer 8

Anal - age 1-3 - focus of pleasure is the anus (pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces) - unresolved conflict leads to either Anal retentive (perfectionist) or Anal expulsive (thoughtless / messy)

Question 9

what is the third psychosexual stage?

Answer 9

Phallic - age 3-6 - focus of pleasure is the genitals - unresolved conflict leads to Phallic personality (reckless, narsissistic)

Question 10

what is the fourth psychosexual stage?

Answer 10

Latency - all other conflicts are repressed

Question 11

what is the fifth psychosexual stage?

Answer 11

Genital - Sexual desires are conscious alongside puberty - unresolved conflict leads to difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 12

what is the problem with defence mechanisms?

Answer 12

the ego has defence mechanisms that are unconscious and prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary threats - but involve some sort of distortion of reality and are regarded as unhealthy for a long-term solution

Question 13

strengths of psychodynamic approach

Answer 13

• helped create a new form of therapy (psychoanalysis - using techniques like dream analysis) therefore has real world application due to being first therapy to treat mental illness psychologically
• its ability to explain behaviour - used to explain huge range of phenomena (e.g personality developments, origins of psychological disorders, gender identity, e.c.t) therefore has had a positive impact on psychology

Question 14

weaknesses of psychodynamic approach

Answer 14

• it is not scientific therefore it cannot be tested - its not falsifiable - its hugely outdated (temporal validity) - suggests its a pseudoscience
• it is deterministic as it suggests if you do not resolve a stage in childhood then you will experience a fixation in adulthood
• has weak evidence supporting it - done through observation (not tested) therefore can lead to bias / distortion