the psychodynamic approach Flashcards
Freud developed the psychodynamic approach which assumes three things
List three assumptions of Freud’s psychodynamic approach: 1 Human behaviour has unconscious causes that we’re not aware of 2 From birth humans have a need to fulfil basic biological motivations 3 Childhood experiences are a really important influence on the development of adult personality and psychological disorders
Freud said there are three levels of consciousness
List Freud’s three levels of consciousness: 1 Conscious 2 Preconscious 3 Unconscious
What does the conscious level contain
This is what we are aware of at any given time for example what we are seeing hearing smelling or thinking
What does the preconscious level contain
This is made up of memories that we can recall when we want to for example we can recall our address phone number childhood memories or what we did at the weekend
What does the unconscious level contain
This is made up of memories desires and fears which cause us extreme anxiety and have therefore been ‘repressed’ or forced out of conscious awareness
Freud said there are three parts of the personality
Name the three parts of Freud’s personality structure: 1 Id 2 Ego 3 Superego
What is the id
The id is the selfish part of the personality that contains our innate aggressive and sexual instincts It wants to be satisfied by whatever means possible and obeys the pleasure principle It accounts for unreasonable behaviour and appears at birth
What is the ego
The ego exists in both the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind and acts as a rational part known as the reality principle It develops within the first three years after birth and balances the id and the superego to keep our behaviour in line
What is the superego
The superego is in both the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind This is the part of the mind that takes our morals into consideration and is involved in making us feel guilty It develops around four to five years of age
How can conflicts develop between the parts of the personality
Conflicts can develop between the id the ego and the superego if the id and the superego have opposing demands For exampleQuestion
What are the three levels of consciousness according to Freud
Conscious Preconscious and Unconscious
What is the conscious mind responsible for
Awareness of what we are seeing hearing smelling or thinking
What does the preconscious mind include
Memories that can be recalled when needed such as phone numbers childhood memories or past weekend activities
What is the role of the unconscious mind
It stores memories desires and fears that cause anxiety and are repressed influencing behaviour and dreams
What are the three parts of the personality according to Freud
Id Ego and Superego
What principle does the id follow
The pleasure principle
What principle does the ego follow
The reality principle
What does the superego represent
It represents morality and develops guilt based on internalized parental and societal values
What is Freud’s iceberg analogy
The id and superego are unconscious while the ego spans both conscious and unconscious levels like the tip of an iceberg above water
What mechanisms does the ego use to reduce anxiety caused by conflicts between the id and superego
Defense mechanisms such as repression denial and displacement
What is repression
Repression involves stopping unwanted thoughts or painful memories from becoming conscious
What is denial
Denial is the refusal to acknowledge threatening or unpleasant realities
What is displacement
Displacement redirects negative impulses onto someone or something else
What are the five stages of psychosexual development according to Freud
Oral Anal Phallic Latent and Genital
What happens in the oral stage of psychosexual development
Focus is on sucking behaviours from 0 to 18 months
What happens in the anal stage of psychosexual development
Focus is on keeping or discarding feces from 18 months to 3.5 years
What happens in the phallic stage of psychosexual development
Focus is on genital fixation including Oedipus and Electra complexes from 3.5 to 6 years
What happens in the latent stage of psychosexual development
Sexual urges are repressed from 6 years to puberty
What happens in the genital stage of psychosexual development
Awakened sexual urges from puberty onward
What is fixation according to Freud
When a child receives too much or too little pleasure at a psychosexual stage causing lasting personality traits
What example did Freud give for fixation
Weaning too early may result in traits such as nail-biting smoking or abnormal eating
What research method did Freud use in his psychoanalysis
Case studies to explore unconscious conflicts based on dreams and fears
What was the case study of Little Hans about
It focused on Hans’s phobia of horses interpreted as repressed Oedipal conflicts
What strengths does the psychodynamic approach have
Focuses on psychological causes of disorders offers therapy techniques links childhood to later development
What weaknesses does the psychodynamic approach have
Subjective interpretations unfalsifiable theories unscientific research methods and difficulty establishing cause and effectQuestion
What does the psychodynamic approach emphasize
The active nature of mental processes and their role in shaping personality and behaviour
What are the key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach
1 Human behaviour has unconscious causes 2 From birth humans have a need to fulfil basic biological motivations 3 Childhood experiences greatly influence adult personality and psychological disorders
How did Freud divide the mind into levels of consciousness
Conscious Preconscious and Unconscious
What is the role of the conscious mind
It contains everything we are aware of at any given moment such as thoughts feelings and perceptions
What is stored in the preconscious mind
Memories and information that can be retrieved when needed such as childhood events or addresses
Why is the unconscious mind significant
It stores repressed memories desires and fears influencing behaviour and dreams without conscious awareness
How does Freud explain the structure of personality
It is divided into three parts the id ego and superego
What does the id do
It contains innate instincts and operates on the pleasure principle seeking instant gratification
At what age does the id develop
It is present at birth
What role does the ego play
The ego acts as a rational mediator balancing the id and superego according to the reality principle
At what age does the ego develop
The ego develops within the first three years of life
What is the purpose of the superego
It internalizes moral standards and induces feelings of guilt
At what age does the superego develop
It develops between four and five years of age
What analogy did Freud use to explain personality
Freud compared personality to an iceberg with the ego and superego partially visible in consciousness and the id fully submerged in the unconscious
How do conflicts arise between the id ego and superego
The id demands instant gratification while the superego imposes moral standards causing anxiety that the ego mediates
What defense mechanisms did Freud propose to resolve conflicts
Repression Denial and Displacement
What is repression in Freud’s theory
The process of pushing distressing thoughts or memories into the unconscious
What is denial in Freud’s theory
Refusal to accept reality or acknowledge threatening situations
What is displacement in Freud’s theory
Redirecting negative impulses or feelings onto another person or object
What are Freud’s five stages of psychosexual development
Oral Anal Phallic Latent and Genital
What is the focus of the oral stage
Gratification through sucking behaviour from birth to 18 months
What is the focus of the anal stage
Gratification through controlling bowel movements from 18 months to 3.5 years
What is the focus of the phallic stage
Focus on genital awareness and development of the Oedipus and Electra complexes from 3.5 to 6 years
What is the focus of the latent stage
Repression of sexual urges from 6 years to puberty
What is the focus of the genital stage
Awakening of sexual urges and maturity during puberty and adulthood
What happens if a child becomes fixated at a psychosexual stage
They may develop traits related to that stage such as smoking for oral fixation
What is Freud’s theory of fixation
Fixation occurs when too much or too little gratification is experienced during a psychosexual stage
How did Freud study unconscious conflicts
He used case studies like that of Little Hans to explore fears and repressed memories
What was the Little Hans case study
Fear of horses was interpreted as repressed Oedipal conflict and fear of the father
What were the findings of the Little Hans case study
Hans’s fear of horses symbolized his fear of castration by his father due to the Oedipus complex
What strengths does the psychodynamic approach have
It was the first to focus on psychological causes of disorders links childhood experiences to adult development and offers methods like psychoanalysis
What weaknesses does the psychodynamic approach have
It relies on subjective interpretations is unfalsifiable lacks scientific rigor and uses unrepresentative case studies
Why are Freud’s methods criticized
They rely on retrospective analysis of memories dreams and interpretations making them unreliable
What is the scientific limitation of Freud’s research
The lack of controlled experiments makes it difficult to establish cause and effect relationships
How did Freud influence the study of mental health
He shifted the focus from supernatural causes to psychological and unconscious factors
What is the unresolved criticism of Freud’s approach
The theories are difficult to test empirically and may not apply universally beyond the case studies usedQuestion
What does the psychodynamic approach focus on
The active nature of mental processes and their role in shaping personality and behaviour
What is Freud’s first assumption about human behaviour
Human behaviour has unconscious causes that we are not aware of
What is Freud’s second assumption about human motivation
Humans have a basic need to fulfil biological motivations such as food sleep and water
What is Freud’s third assumption about childhood
Childhood experiences strongly influence adult personality and psychological disorders
What did Freud’s interest in hysteria lead him to propose
Hysteria symptoms with no physical cause are the result of unconscious thoughts
What are Freud’s three levels of consciousness
Conscious Preconscious and Unconscious
What does the conscious level contain
Things we are aware of at any moment such as hearing seeing or thinking
What does the preconscious level contain
Memories and information that can be retrieved when needed such as addresses and childhood memories
What does the unconscious level contain
Repressed memories fears and desires that are not accessible but influence behaviour and dreams
What are Freudian slips
Accidental mistakes in speech that reveal unconscious thoughts
How are Freudian slips connected to the unconscious
They are caused by unconscious thoughts momentarily surfacing
What three parts make up Freud’s structure of personality
Id Ego and Superego
What does the id operate on
The pleasure principle seeking immediate gratification
What does the ego operate on
The reality principle balancing the id’s desires and the superego’s morality
What is the superego’s role
To impose moral standards induce guilt and act as the moral compass
How do the id and superego conflict
The id seeks instant satisfaction while the superego imposes moral restrictions
How does the ego resolve conflicts between the id and superego
By using defense mechanisms to reduce anxiety
What analogy explains the mind’s structure
Freud’s iceberg analogy with most of the mind below the surface in the unconscious
What are defense mechanisms
Strategies used by the ego to protect against anxiety caused by conflicts
What is repression
Repression stops unwanted painful thoughts from becoming conscious
What is denial
Denial involves ignoring or refusing to accept a threatening reality
What is displacement
Displacement redirects negative emotions or impulses onto something else
What are Freud’s five psychosexual stages
Oral Anal Phallic Latent and Genital
What happens during the oral stage
From 0 to 18 months pleasure is derived from sucking behaviour
What happens during the anal stage
From 18 months to 3.5 years focus is on controlling bowel movements
What happens during the phallic stage
From 3.5 to 6 years children focus on genital awareness and Oedipus or Electra complexes
What happens during the latent stage
From 6 years to puberty sexual urges are repressed
What happens during the genital stage
From puberty onward sexual urges awaken and are directed toward mature relationships
What is fixation in Freud’s theory
Becoming stuck at a psychosexual stage due to too much or too little gratification
What behaviours might result from oral fixation
Traits such as smoking nail-biting or overeating
What is the Oedipus complex
When a boy desires his mother and feels jealous of his father
What is the Electra complex
When a girl desires her father and feels jealousy toward her mother
What method did Freud use in his research
Case studies of patients exploring unconscious fears and conflicts
What was Freud’s case study of Little Hans
Hans had a phobia of horses which Freud interpreted as a fear of his father due to the Oedipus complex
What did Freud interpret Hans’s fear of horses as
Horses symbolized Hans’s fear of castration by his father
What strengths does the psychodynamic approach have
Focus on psychological causes of disorders links childhood experiences to development and offers therapies like psychoanalysis
What weaknesses does the psychodynamic approach have
Reliance on subjective methods unfalsifiable theories unscientific research and lack of generalizability
Why is Freud’s research method criticized
Case studies cannot be generalized and rely on subjective interpretations
Why are Freud’s theories considered unscientific
They cannot be tested or falsified and lack empirical evidence
What is a practical limitation of Freud’s theories
They focus on the patient’s past rather than their current experience or environment
What was a key contribution of the psychodynamic approach
It introduced psychological explanations for mental illness instead of supernatural causes
What does fixation at the anal stage potentially lead to
Fixation may cause traits like excessive tidiness or stubbornness
Why are Freud’s interpretations controversial
They are based on his personal observations and cannot be objectively verified
