The Psychodynamic Assumptions Flashcards
When does the Id emerge?
The Id is innate as it emerges at birth during the oral stage of psychosexual development
Summarise the Id
- The Id wants immediate gratification
- The pleasure principle drives it; this is the instinctive drive to seek pleasure and avoid pain at any cost. For example, when a child cries when hungry, thirsty or wants attention.
- The Id lies in the unconscious mind.
When does the Ego emerge?
The Ego develops around the age of 2 during the anal stage of psychosexual development
Summarise the Ego
- The ego acts as a referee between the Id and the Superego.
- The ego is the conscious, rational part of the brain which is governed by the reality principle, which works out ways of balancing the demands of the Id in a socially acceptable way.
When does the Superego emerge?
The superego develops around the age of 4 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development
Summarise the Superego
- The superego is involved in both the conscious and unconscious
- Consists of 2 systems, the conscience and the ideal self.
- The conscience is the inner voice that tells us when we have done something wrong, it can then punish the ego through feelings of guilt.
- Continually the ideal self is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, behaviour which falls short of the ideal self may be punished by the superego.
- The superego is governed by the morality principle, this is what decided whether an action is right or wrong.
What did Freud propose about childhood experiences?
- Our childhood experiences shape our adult personality.
- He proposed that psychological development in childhood occurs in a series of developmental stages; the psychosexual stages each represent the fixation of libido (sexual drive or instincts) on a different area of the body.
Explain fixation in terms of the psychosexual stages
- Problems during the psychosexual stages can result in a child getting fixated on the body part associated with that stage
- This leads to long-lasting effects on the adult personality.
- Fixation can be caused by 2 things, frustration [child’s needs are underatisifed] or overindulge [ the child’s needs have been over satisfied so the child Is comfortable and does not want to move to the next stage]
Oral stage …
- Age it occurs
- Where is the libido centred
- Examples
- Key events of this stage
- Frustration leads to …
- Overindulgence leads to …
- 0 - 18 months
- Libido is centred in the mouth
- Sucking, swallowing, biting
- Breastfeeding
- Pessimism, envy, sarcasm
- Optimism, gullibility, neediness
Anal stage …
- Age it occurs
- Where is the libido centred
- Examples
- Key events of this stage
- Frustration leads to …
- Overindulgence leads to …
- 18 months - 3 years
- Libido is centred in the anus
- Withholding expelling and playing with faeces
- Potty training
- Stubborn, possessive, overly tidy
- Messy, disorganised, reckless
Phallic stage …
- Age it occurs
- Where is the libido centred
- Explain the Oedipus and Electra complex
- How to resolve the complexes
- Fixation leads to …
- 3-5 years
- Libido is centred in the genitals (penis or clitoris)
- Oedipus complex is when boys develop a sexual desire for their mother, they become jealous of their father and then scared the father will find out and castrate him. The Electra complex is similar in that girls develop a sexual desire for their father who has a penis which induces penis envy, the girl becomes angry towards the mother out of jealousy.
- Resolvement occurs when the child identifies with the parent of the same sex and internalizes the parental values. Boys substitute desire for their mother with other women and girls substitute desire for a penis with desire for a baby and other men.
- Fixation leads to problems with sexuality and difficulty building and maintaining relationships
Latency stage …
- Age it occurs
- Where is the libido centred
- Key events of this stage
- 5 years to puberty
- There is little to no sexual motivation
- Sexual motivation is repressed and instead, the energy is focused on ageing knowledge and understanding of reality. E.g. making friends, learning at school and making hobbies
Genital stage …
- Age it occurs
- Where is the libido centred
- Key events
- Resolution leads to …
- Puberty onwards
- Libido is centred around the genital however more on intercourse than masturbation
- Adolescent sexual experimentation
- Settling down in a loving and stable relationship
Describe the conscious mind
- The conscious mind is the logical part of the mind that is in your current awareness
- Our thoughts, feelings, awareness of the current environment and key memories are all part of the conscious mind.
- The conscious mind cannot retain all information it remains outside of immediate awareness but is still accessible, this is called the preconscious mind.
Describe the subconscious mind
- The subconscious includes the things we are not thinking of at the moment but can easily draw into conscious awareness.
