The Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What is Freud’s iceberg metaphor?
Conscious mind is smallest part. Preconscious mind is things you’re not currently thinking about but can be easily retrieved. Unconscious mind is largest part, influences behaviour but not brought to consciousness.
What did Freud describe personality as?
Tripartite
What is the Id?
Primitive, selfish, irrational.
Presents at birth, demands immediate satisfaction regardless of circumstances
Ruled by pleasure principle
What is the superego?
Developed between 3 and 6, embodies sense of right and wrong. Represents standards of same sex parent and punishes ego for wrongdoing through guilt.
Irrational, influenced by morality principles.
What is the ego?
Rational part of personality- mediates between id and superego- employs defence mechanisms.
Developed at around 2yrs, governed by reality principle.
What are defence mechanisms?
Used by ego, unconscious, and prevent us being overwhelmed, not healthy long term. Used when somebody is faced with a situation unable to be dealt with rationality.
What is denial?
Refusing to acknowledge aspects of reality
What is displacement?
Transferring feelings from the source of a distressing emotion onto a substitute target
What is repression?
Forcing a depressing memory out of the conscious mind into the unconscious mind
What is the oral stage?
0-1 years, focus on mouth
Pleasure through mouth- sucking/biting etc
Oral fixation- smoking, nail biting
What is the anal stage?
1-3 years, focus on anus
Pleasure through withholding faeces
Anally retentive- perfectionist/obsessive
Anally expulsive- thoughtless/messy
What is the phallic stage?
3-5 years, focus on genitals.
Pleasure through genital area, Oedipus/electra complex
Phallic fixation- reckless/narcissistic behaviour
What is the latency stage?
6- puberty, focus hidden.
Earlier conflicts represses, no conflict here.
What is the genital stage?
Puberty+, focus on forming heterosexual relationships.
Pleasure through sexual desire becoming conscious. fixation at this stage may lead to issues forming heterosexual relationships.
What is the Oedipus/electra complex?
Phallic stage.
Unconscious rivalry develops between child and same-sex parent,for affection from opposite sex parent. Boys experience castration anxiety, girls develop penis envy.
To overcome conflict, children must learn to identify with same sex parent. Easier for boys than girls.
What is the Little Hans case study?
5 year old boy with horse phobia.
Freud suggested this may be due to large penis of horse, as he showed great interest in his own penis/other penises.
After a while phobia improved, relating only to horses with black harnesses. Father suggested this symbolised his moustache.
Freuds interpretation linked hans’ fears to Oedipus complex, horses with black harnesses and big penises representing conscious fear of his father.
Evaluate the psychodynamic approach
Strength: Practical application- talking therapies.
Introduced idea of psychotherapy as opposed to physical treatments. Forerunner to many modern day talking therapies e.g. counselling. Has value- created new treatment. High external.
Weakness: Not empirically testable.
Can’t dissect human mind to reveal id, ego, superego. Not scientific in its approach to explaining behaviour, relies solely on subjective interpretation of psychoanalyst. Pseudoscience, not factual. Low internal.
Weakness: Significant gender/culture bias (IDA)
Obsession with Oedipus complex is intrinsically androcentric, theory irrelevant to understanding women. Gender bias. All patients came from Viennese middle class, universal generalisations based on unrepresentable sample. Culture bias.
Evaluate the psychodynamic approach acronym
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