The Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What is Freud’s iceberg metaphor?

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

What did Freud describe personality as?

Answer 2

Tripartite

Question 3

What is the Id?

Answer 3

Primitive, selfish, irrational.
Presents at birth, demands immediate satisfaction regardless of circumstances
Ruled by pleasure principle

Question 4

What is the superego?

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

What is the ego?

Answer 5

Rational part of personality- mediates between id and superego- employs defence mechanisms.
Developed at around 2yrs, governed by reality principle.

Question 6

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

What is denial?

Answer 7

Refusing to acknowledge aspects of reality

Question 8

What is displacement?

Answer 8

Transferring feelings from the source of a distressing emotion onto a substitute target

Question 9

What is repression?

Answer 9

Forcing a depressing memory out of the conscious mind into the unconscious mind

Question 10

What is the oral stage?

Answer 10

0-1 years, focus on mouth
Pleasure through mouth- sucking/biting etc
Oral fixation- smoking, nail biting

Question 11

What is the anal stage?

Answer 11

1-3 years, focus on anus
Pleasure through withholding faeces
Anally retentive- perfectionist/obsessive
Anally expulsive- thoughtless/messy

Question 12

What is the phallic stage?

Answer 12

3-5 years, focus on genitals.
Pleasure through genital area, Oedipus/electra complex
Phallic fixation- reckless/narcissistic behaviour

Question 13

What is the latency stage?

Answer 13

6- puberty, focus hidden.
Earlier conflicts represses, no conflict here.

Question 14

What is the genital stage?

Answer 14

Puberty+, focus on forming heterosexual relationships.
Pleasure through sexual desire becoming conscious. fixation at this stage may lead to issues forming heterosexual relationships.

Question 15

What is the Oedipus/electra complex?

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

What is the Little Hans case study?

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Evaluate the psychodynamic approach

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Evaluate the psychodynamic approach acronym

Answer 18

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