The Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What is the structure of personality?
The mind is made up of three parts. The id is the primitive part driven by the pleasure principle (ie babies). The superego is driven by the morality principle (develops by the age of three). The ego (develops at around 5) mediates between the id and the superego, driven by the reality principle.
What is the role of the unconscious?
We are aware of our conscious mind, we can be aware of our pre-conscious thinking in dreams and the unconscious is beyond awareness. It stores biological drives and instincts. According to Freud, urges, feelings and ideas that are tied to anxiety, conflict and pain are in the unconscious, exerting influence on our actions and our conscious awareness.
What are the tactics used to reduce feelings of anxiety caused by conflicts between the id and superego?
Unconscious defence mechanisms:
Denial-refusing to acknowledge an aspect of reality by rejecting a thought or feeling eg. An alcoholic may think they’re not addicted.
Displacement-transferring feelings from true source of distressing emotions onto a substitute target eg to slam a door after an argument.
Repression-forcing a memory out of the conscious mind eg an abuse victim may repress memories and become abusive in the future.
What are the psychosexual stages of development?
Each stage is marked by a specific pace they derive pleasure and a different conflict the child must resolve to move on to the next stage. Unresolved conflicts lead to fixations.
What is the fixed sequence for the psychosexual stages of development?
Oral (0-1): mother’s breast is object of pleasure (tasting and sucking). For a successful completion, the child must be able to eat independently.
Anal (1-3): child gains pleasure from retaining or expelling faeces. Successful completion requires effective potty training.
Phallic (3-5): Oedipus (boys) or Electra (girls) complex-rivalry between child and same sex parent for the attention of the opposite sex parent. For successful completion, the child has to identify with the same sex parent to avoid them finding out about this want of attention.
Latency (5-puberty): early conflicts are repressed and sexual urges are sublimated into sports/hobbies.
Genital (puberty-adult): sexual desires become conscious alongside puberty. For successful completion, a healthy adult relationship should develop.
What are the consequences of a psychosexual change not being completed?
Oral-if the child is allowed to suck too much, they become over optimistic and gullible (passive, needy, overeats and drinks).
Anal-if parents are too strict with potty training (anal retentive) child becomes tidy but mean. If parents are too relaxed (anal expulsive) child becomes generous but disorganised.
Phallic/Electra-leads to weak morality and gender identity. Narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual.
Latency- no lasting consequences
Genital-difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
What is the Oedipus complex?
This is when a boy wants his mother as his primary love object and wants his father out of the way. The boy then fears that his father will find out about these feelings and tries to identify with the father to avoid this.
What is the Electra complex?
Girls believe that the mum castrated herself and her. She has sexual feelings for her dad. To avoid the mum finding out, she identifies with her mum.
Evaluation point-this approach has explanatory power.
It has been used to explain a wide variety of behaviours, and link experiences in childhood to adult personality. Alongside behaviouralism, it was the dominant approach in psychology during the twentieth century.
Evaluation point-case study methods have limitations.
Freud used a small number of case studies (eg. Little Hans: Hans had a phobia of white horses at 5. Freud interpreted his fear as castration anxiety, the horse being representation of his father-displacement). Critics have suggested that it is not possible to make universal claims about human nature based on such a small sample. Despite the detail in Freud’s observation and recordings, his interpretations were highly subjective, therefore having low inter rather reliability.
Evaluation point-there are many untestable concepts.
Many of Freud’s concepts are almost impossible to test (such as the id or Oedipus concept which occur at an unconscious level). Karl Popper (philosopher of science) argued that the psychodynamic approach doesn’t meet the scientific criterion of falsification. Therefore it has the status of a pseudoscience (a fake science).
Evaluation point-there are practical implications
Psychoanalysis was introduced through this approach, designed to access the unconscious mind through techniques such as hypnosis and dream analysis. However this may not be suitable for all people or for all disorders (eg. SZ). However psychoanalysis is the forerunner for many modern day psychotherapists, and talking cures have since been developed.
Evaluation point-this is based on psychic determinism
All behaviour is determined by unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood. Even a slip of the tongue is explained to be driven by unconscious thoughts and have deep symbolic meaning. It suggests that free will may have no influence on behaviour.
