The Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What is the psychodynamic approach?
A perspective that describes different forces, most of which are unconscious
What is the unconscious?
The part of the mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behaviour
What is the id?
Entirely unconscious - the id is selfish and aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification
What is the ego?
The ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the ego and the superego
What is the superego?
The moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self ; how we ought to be
What are defence mechanisms?
Unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the id and the superego
What are psychosexual stages?
Five developmental stages that all children will pass through. At most stages there is a specific conflict
What are human behaviour and personality largely determined by?
Unconscious motives - our behaviour is caused by the unconscious motives which we can’t consciously access
What is our understanding of ourselves distorted by?
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
What do experiences and relationships in the first few years of life do?
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
What is the best way to study humans?
Through the case study method - this allows individuals to be studied in detail.
What did Freud state is the part of the mind we are aware of?
The conscious- this is the ‘tip of the iceberg’
What is most of the mind make up of?
The unconscious which has a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that influence behaviour significantly
What is likely to be stored in the unconscious?
Threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed (locked away and forgotten about)
What does the preconscious include?
Thoughts and ideas which we become aware during dreams or ‘slips of the tongue’ (parapraxes) e.g. calling a male teacher Dad.
What is the id concerned with?
Instant gratification and is dominated by internal forces. It operates on the pleasure principle - the id gets what it wants
When does the id develop\?
The id is present at birth whereas the other two parts of the personality develop in the early years of life
What does the ego work on?
The reality principle - it is the mediator between the two other parts
When does the ego develop and what is it’s role?
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.
When does the superego develop?
During the phallic stage of psychosexual development
What is the superegos role?
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.
What is this structure of personality called?
The tripartite system
How many stages of development just Freud state there was?
Five
What is each stage of development marked by?
Each stage apart from latency is marked by a conflict that the child must resolve to successfully pass through to the next stage.
What does any psychosexual conflict that is not resolved lead to?
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.
What are the five developmental stages?
Oral stage Anal stage Phallic stage Latency stage Genital stage
What is the oral stage and when does the child pass through it?
0-15/18 months
Oral receptive - Pleasure gained from sucking and swallowing
Oral aggressive - As the teeth emerges pleasure gained from biting and chewing
What is the anal stage and when does the child pass through it?
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
What is the phallic stage and when does the child pass through it?
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.
What is the latency stage and when does it occur?
Around 5 years - puberty
Standstill stage - the child directs its attention to cognitive and social development
What is the genital stage and when does it occur?
From puberty onwards
Re-emergence of libido and directed at love objects outside the family
What is the libido?
Sexual desire / sex drive
How does the ego protect itself?
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.
What do these defence mechanisms sometimes include?
Some distortion from the reality and as a long-term solution they are regarded as psychologically unhealthy and undesirable
What is repression?
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
What are thoughts that are commonly repressed?
Those that result in feelings of guilt from the superego
What is denial?
Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
What is displacement?
Transferring feelings from the true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target.
What is projection?
When a person’s own thoughts/feelings are projected onto another person (usually caused by guilt)
What is reaction formation?
Where a person behaves in the opposite way to how they think or feel
What is sublimation?
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
