The Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What is the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

A perspective that describes different forces, most of which are unconscious

Question 2

What is the unconscious?

Answer 2

The part of the mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behaviour

Question 3

What is the id?

Answer 3

Entirely unconscious - the id is selfish and aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification

Question 4

What is the ego?

Answer 4

The ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the ego and the superego

Question 5

What is the superego?

Answer 5

The moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self ; how we ought to be

Question 6

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 6

Unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the id and the superego

Question 7

What are psychosexual stages?

Answer 7

Five developmental stages that all children will pass through. At most stages there is a specific conflict

Question 8

What are human behaviour and personality largely determined by?

Answer 8

Unconscious motives - our behaviour is caused by the unconscious motives which we can’t consciously access

Question 9

What is our understanding of ourselves distorted by?

Answer 9

Defence mechanisms - what insight we do have doesn’t provide an accurate picture of who we are, through repression and projection we distort reality to avoid the psychological pain of truth

Question 10

What do experiences and relationships in the first few years of life do?

Answer 10

Set the pattern for what is the unconscious mind and thus personality and behaviour in adulthood. Bowlby suggested that an infant who does not form a secure attachment to the mother in the first year of life will have problems in later life

Question 11

What is the best way to study humans?

Answer 11

Through the case study method - this allows individuals to be studied in detail.

Question 12

What did Freud state is the part of the mind we are aware of?

Answer 12

The conscious- this is the ‘tip of the iceberg’

Question 13

What is most of the mind make up of?

Answer 13

The unconscious which has a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that influence behaviour significantly

Question 14

What is likely to be stored in the unconscious?

Answer 14

Threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed (locked away and forgotten about)

Question 15

What does the preconscious include?

Answer 15

Thoughts and ideas which we become aware during dreams or ‘slips of the tongue’ (parapraxes) e.g. calling a male teacher Dad.

Question 16

What is the id concerned with?

Answer 16

Instant gratification and is dominated by internal forces. It operates on the pleasure principle - the id gets what it wants

Question 17

When does the id develop\?

Answer 17

The id is present at birth whereas the other two parts of the personality develop in the early years of life

Question 18

What does the ego work on?

Answer 18

The reality principle - it is the mediator between the two other parts

Question 19

When does the ego develop and what is it’s role?

Answer 19

Develops at the age of 2 and it’s role is to reduce conflict. The ego may use defence mechanisms to protect the conscious mind from discovering what is in the id e.g. repression is motivated forgetting where unpleasant memories are forced into the unconscious mind.

Question 20

When does the superego develop?

Answer 20

During the phallic stage of psychosexual development

Question 21

What is the superegos role?

Answer 21

It is the moral part of the personality and includes the conscience. The id and superego are in conflict and the ego must maintain equilibrium between them and with the realities of society.

Question 22

What is this structure of personality called?

Answer 22

The tripartite system

Question 23

How many stages of development just Freud state there was?

Answer 23

Five

Question 24

What is each stage of development marked by?

Answer 24

Each stage apart from latency is marked by a conflict that the child must resolve to successfully pass through to the next stage.

Question 25

What does any psychosexual conflict that is not resolved lead to?

Answer 25

Fixation - where the child becomes stuck in the stage and this manifests itself in certain behaviours and conflicts that a child carries throughout their life.

Question 26

What are the five developmental stages?

Answer 26

Oral stage 
Anal stage 
Phallic stage
Latency stage
Genital stage

Question 27

What is the oral stage and when does the child pass through it?

Answer 27

0-15/18 months
Oral receptive - Pleasure gained from sucking and swallowing
Oral aggressive - As the teeth emerges pleasure gained from biting and chewing

Question 28

What is the anal stage and when does the child pass through it?

Answer 28

1-3 years
Expulsive - pleasure gained from expelling and playing with faeces
Retentive - During toilet training pleasure gained from holding on to and controlling bowel movements

Question 29

What is the phallic stage and when does the child pass through it?

Answer 29

3-5/6 years
The libido becomes focused on curiosity and pleasure involving genitals which becomes directed towards the opposite sex parent. Boys experience the Oedipus complex and girls experience the Electra complex.

Question 30

What is the latency stage and when does it occur?

Answer 30

Around 5 years - puberty

Standstill stage - the child directs its attention to cognitive and social development

Question 31

What is the genital stage and when does it occur?

Answer 31

From puberty onwards

Re-emergence of libido and directed at love objects outside the family

Question 32

What is the libido?

Answer 32

Sexual desire / sex drive

Question 33

How does the ego protect itself?

Answer 33

By using strategies to reduce anxiety - these are conscious and ensure that the ego is able to prevent us from being overwhelmed by a temporary threat or traumas.

Question 34

What do these defence mechanisms sometimes include?

Answer 34

Some distortion from the reality and as a long-term solution they are regarded as psychologically unhealthy and undesirable

Question 35

What is repression?

Answer 35

Of fundamental importance within Freud’s theory of personality as it is used to prevent unpleasant memories from becoming conscious. Forcing distressing memories from the mind

Question 36

What are thoughts that are commonly repressed?

Answer 36

Those that result in feelings of guilt from the superego

Question 37

What is denial?

Answer 37

Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality

Question 38

What is displacement?

Answer 38

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

Question 39

What is projection?

Answer 39

When a person’s own thoughts/feelings are projected onto another person (usually caused by guilt)

Question 40

What is reaction formation?

Answer 40

Where a person behaves in the opposite way to how they think or feel

Question 41

What is sublimation?

Answer 41

Negative thoughts and feelings are channelled or redirected into socially accepted behaviour.
Regarded by Freud as a very positive and productive mechanism of defence and one that benefitted society