the psychodynamic approach Flashcards
what is the psychodynamic approach
a perspective that describes the different forces (dynamics), most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience
what is the unconscious
the unconscious is the part of the mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behaviour
what did Freund suggest about our mind
Freund suggested that the part of our mind that we know about and are aware of conscious mind - is merely the “tip of the iceberg”
Most or mind is made up of the unconscious
what is the role of the unconscious
the unconscious is a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that has a significant influence on our behaviour and personality
The unconscious also contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed or locked away and forgotten (these memories are threatening and disturbing)
how can the memories locked away in the unconscious be accessed
we can access these memories:
- during dreams
- through “slips of the tongue” (what Freud referred to as parapraxes) e.g. calling a female teacher “mum” instead of “miss”
what is the preconscious
under the surface of our conscious mind is the preconscious which contains thoughts and memories which are not currently unconscious awareness but we can access if desired
what is the structure of personality
Freud describes personality as “tripartite” composed of three parts:
- Id
- Ego
- the Superego
what is the Id
the Id is the primitive pat of our personality
It operates on the pleasure principle - the id gets what it wants
It is a seething mass of unconscious drives and instincts
The Id is only present at birth -Freud describes babies as “bundles of Id”
what is the ego
the ego is the reality principle
It is the mediator between the other two parts of the personality
It develops around the age of two years and its role is to reduce the conflict between the demand of the id and the superego
how does the ego reduce the conflicts between the id and the superego
it does this by employing a number of defence mechanisms
what is the superego
The superego is formed at the end of the phallic stage around the age of 5
It is our internalised sense of right and wrong
Based on the morality principle it represents the moral standards of the child’s same - sex parent and punishes the ego for wrongdoing (through guilt)
what are the different defence mechanism
defence mechanisms are unconscious and from being overwhelmed by temporary threats or trauma
the three main defence mechanisms are:
- repression
- denial
- displacement
what is repression
repression is forcing a distressing memory our of the conscious mind
what is denial
denial is refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
what is displacement
displacement is transferring feelings from the source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target
what are the psychosexual stages
Freud claimed that a child development occurred in five stages
each stage (apart form the latency stages) is marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve in order to progress successfully to the next stage
unresolved psychosexual conflict leads to “fixation” where a child becomes “stuck” and carries certain behaviours and conflicts associated with the stage through to adult life
what are the different stages
stage 1:
oral (ages 0-1years old)
stage 2:
anal (1 - 3 years)
stage 3:
phallic (3-5 years)
stage 4:
latency
stage 5:
genital
what happens in stage 1 (oral) and what is the consequence of unresolved conflict
The focus of pleasure is the mouth with the mother’s breast is the object of desire
unresolved conflict:
oral fixation, smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical
what happens in stage 2 (anal) and what is the consequence of unresolved conflict
focus of pleasure is the anus
the child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling feces
unresolved conflict:
Anal retentive (held feces in)
- perfectionist, obsessive
Anal expulsive (let feces out) -thoughtless, messy
what happens in stage 3 (phallic) and what is the consequence of unresolved conflict
the focus of pleasure is thee genital area
-the child experiences the Oedipus or Electra complex
consequence of unresolved conflict:
narcissistic, reckless possibly homosexual
what happens in stage 4 (latency) and what is the consequence of unresolved conflict
Earlier conflicts are repressed
there is no conflicts to be resolved at this stage
what happens in stage 5 (genital) and what is the consequence of unresolved conflict
sexual desires become conscious alongside puberty
consequence of unresolved conflict:
difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
what is the heart of the psychodynamic approach
childhood and the role of the unconscious
