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the psychodynamic perspective Flashcards

1
Q

who is Sigmund Freud?

A

a psychiatrist and neurologist, key pioneer of the psychodynamic approach

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2
Q

what is the main focus of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality?

A

that the unconscious mind influences behaviour

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3
Q

what can traumatic childhood experiences lead to according to Freud? how?

A

mental disorders due to repression into the unconcious mind

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4
Q

what therapeutic method did Freud develop to address repressed memories?

A

psychoanalysis or psychotherapy

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5
Q

what are the three forces that shape personality according to the psychodynamic perspective?

A

Id, ego, and super-ego

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6
Q

What is a ‘Freudian slip’?

A

an unintentional error that reveals unconscious thoughts

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7
Q

how does the psychodynamic perspective view the influence of unconscious motives?

A

they influence behaviour and feelings without our awareness

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8
Q

why is the psychodynamic theory considered unfalsifiable?

A

because the unconscious mind cannot be objectively observed or measured, therefor unscientific

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9
Q

how does childhood experience influence adult behaviour according to Freud? what does this show?

A

childhood experiences shape the development of our personality forces (id, ego and superego), suggesting that both nature and nurture interact when our personality develops

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10
Q

what are the two instinctive drives governing behaviour in Freud’s theory?

A

Eros (the sex drive) and Thanatos (the death instinct)

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11
Q

what does Eros promote according to Freud?

A

our survival, reproduction, and social cooperation

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12
Q

what negative behaviours can Thanatos lead to?

A

aggression, risky behaviours, and re-experiencing past traumas

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13
Q

what are the three components of personality in the Tri-Partite Personality model?

A

Id, Ego, Superego

These components were proposed by Sigmund Freud.

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14
Q

what is the nature of the id in the Tri-Partite Personality model?

A

our primitive and instinctive component of personality

It consists of biological components present at birth, including Eros and Thanatos.

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15
Q

what is our id?

A

our primeval, greedy, self-centred and lustful side

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16
Q

what instincts are associated with the id?

A

our Eros (life instinct, contains libido - our sex drive)
our Thanatos (death instinct, aggressive)

Eros relates to survival and pleasure, while Thanatos relates to aggression and self-destruction.

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17
Q

what is our ego?

A

our concious self

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18
Q

what role does the ego play in personality according to Freud?

A

our ego mediates between the unrealistic id and the external real world

The ego is the decision-making component of personality.

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19
Q

what is our superego?

A

our moral and judicial side - the side that acts like an internal authoritarian parent

It is learned from parents and acts as an internal moral compass.

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20
Q

what does the superego include?

A

it incorporates the values and morals of society, which are learned from our parents and wider society

It functions like an internal parent.

21
Q

what creates anxiety in the Tri-Partite Personality model?

A

the conflict between the id, ego, and superego

Parts of the unconscious mind (id and superego) are in constant conflict with the conscious part (ego).

22
Q

how does the ego deal with anxiety?

A

by using defence mechanisms

Defense mechanisms are unconscious strategies used to protect oneself from anxiety.

23
Q

what is our conscious mind? our preconscious? our unconscious?

A

conscious = our thoughts and perceptions
preconscious = things we can be aware of if we try e.g. our memories
unconscious = things that we are unaware of and can not become aware of

24
Q

give examples of what is in our unconscious mind?

A

unacceptable desires
immoral urges
selfish needs
violent motives
traumatic experiences

25
Q

what are the five psychosexual stages proposed by Freud?

A
  • oral - sucking behaviour (0-18 months)
  • anal - holding or discarding faeces (18 months - 3.5 years)
  • phallic - fixation on genitals (3.5 - 6 years)
  • latency - repressed sexual urges (6 years - puberty)
  • genital - awakened sexual urges (puberty onwards)

These stages are part of Freud’s theory of psychosexual development, which suggests that personality develops through a series of childhood stages.

26
Q

what behaviour characterizes the Oral stage in Freud’s psychosexual stages?

A

sucking behaviour

The Oral stage occurs from birth to 18 months of age.

27
Q

at what age does the oral stage occur in Freud’s psychosexual stages?

A

0-18 months

28
Q

what is the primary focus during the anal stage of Freud’s psychosexual development?

A

controlling bladder and bowles

29
Q

at what age does the Anal stage occur in Freud’s psychosexual stages?

A

18 months - 3.5 years

The Anal stage involves the child’s ability to control bodily functions.

30
Q

what is the primary focus during the Phallic stage of Freud’s psychosexual development?

A

fixation on genitals

This stage occurs from ages 3.5 to 6 years.

31
Q

at what age does the phallic stage occur in Freud’s psychosexual stages?

A

3.5 - 6 years

32
Q

what happens during the Latency stage according to Freud?

A

repressed sexual urges

The Latency stage lasts from age 6 until puberty.

33
Q

at what age does the latency stage occur?

A

6 years - puberty

34
Q

what is the focus in the Genital stage in Freud’s psychosexual development?

A

awakened sexual urges

This stage begins at puberty and continues into adulthood.

35
Q

what is the consequence of becoming fixated at one of Freud’s psychosexual stages?

A

it restricts full development and results in specific personality symptoms

Fixation can lead to various personality traits or disorders.

36
Q

what is an example of a personality symptom resulting from fixation in the Anal stage?

A

An ‘anally retentive’ personality

This symptom may manifest as an obsession with cleanliness and orderliness.

37
Q

what is a problem/fixation during the oral stage?

A

dependency or aggression, problems with drinking, smoking, eating, nail biting etc.

38
Q

what is a problem/fixation during the anal stage?

A

either
anal expulsive (messy, wasteful, destructive)
anal retentive (orderly, rigid, obsessive)

39
Q

what is a problem/fixation during the phallic stage?

A

confused sexual identities or sexual deviancies
for girls, freud said they would suffer from penis envy

40
Q

what is a problem/fixation during the latency stage?

A

this is an important stage for self-confidence and communication skills

41
Q

what is a problem/fixation during the genital stage?

A

problems that emerge in this stage are carried over from earlier stages

42
Q

the ego can redirect anxiety using defence mechanisms, there are 3 key defence mechanisms what are they?

A

repression
displacement
denial

43
Q

what is repression?

A

burying an unpleasant thought or desire in the unconscious mind e.g. trauma and abuse as a child

44
Q

what is displacement?

A

emotions being directed away from the real source/target, and instead towards other thing e.g. hitting a wall in anger

45
Q

what is denial?

A

when a threatening thought is ignored or treated as if it is not true

46
Q

other defence mechanisms?

A

regression
projection
compensation

47
Q

what are applications of the psychodynamic theory?

A
  • psychotherapy (psychoanalysis)
  • personality research
  • clinical psychology
48
Q

strengths of the psychodynamic perspective?

A
  • useful
    = can be used for practical applications e.g. psychoanalysis
  • holistic view
    = less reductionalist
    = considers both the nature and nurture view
    = high in validity
49
Q

weaknesses of the psychodynamic perspective?

A
  • unscientific
    = relies on non-observable constructs
    = unfalsifiable
    = does not support psychology as a science
  • relies on case studies
    = usually small, restricted samples
    = not necessarily representative
    = means we can not make generalisations to a wider population

psychology (12 decks)

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