the psychodynamic perspective

Question 1

who is Sigmund Freud?

Answer 1

a psychiatrist and neurologist, key pioneer of the psychodynamic approach

Question 2

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

Answer 2

that the unconscious mind influences behaviour

Question 3

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

Answer 3

mental disorders due to repression into the unconcious mind

Question 4

what therapeutic method did Freud develop to address repressed memories?

Answer 4

psychoanalysis or psychotherapy

Question 5

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

Answer 5

Id, ego, and super-ego

Question 6

What is a ‘Freudian slip’?

Answer 6

an unintentional error that reveals unconscious thoughts

Question 7

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

Answer 7

they influence behaviour and feelings without our awareness

Question 8

why is the psychodynamic theory considered unfalsifiable?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

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

Answer 9

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

Question 10

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

Answer 10

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

Question 11

what does Eros promote according to Freud?

Answer 11

our survival, reproduction, and social cooperation

Question 12

what negative behaviours can Thanatos lead to?

Answer 12

aggression, risky behaviours, and re-experiencing past traumas

Question 13

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

Answer 13

Id, Ego, Superego

These components were proposed by Sigmund Freud.

Question 14

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

Answer 14

our primitive and instinctive component of personality

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

Question 15

what is our id?

Answer 15

our primeval, greedy, self-centred and lustful side

Question 16

what instincts are associated with the id?

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

what is our ego?

Answer 17

our concious self

Question 18

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

Answer 18

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

The ego is the decision-making component of personality.

Question 19

what is our superego?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

what does the superego include?

Answer 20

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

It functions like an internal parent.

Question 21

what creates anxiety in the Tri-Partite Personality model?

Answer 21

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).

Question 22

how does the ego deal with anxiety?

Answer 22

by using defence mechanisms

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

Question 23

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

Answer 23

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

Question 24

give examples of what is in our unconscious mind?

Answer 24

unacceptable desires
immoral urges
selfish needs
violent motives
traumatic experiences

Question 25

what are the five psychosexual stages proposed by Freud?

Answer 25

- 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) ## Footnote These stages are part of Freud's theory of psychosexual development, which suggests that personality develops through a series of childhood stages.

Question 26

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

Answer 26

sucking behaviour ## Footnote The Oral stage occurs from birth to 18 months of age.

Question 27

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

Answer 27

0-18 months

Question 28

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

Answer 28

controlling bladder and bowles

Question 29

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

Answer 29

18 months - 3.5 years ## Footnote The Anal stage involves the child's ability to control bodily functions.

Question 30

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

Answer 30

fixation on genitals ## Footnote This stage occurs from ages 3.5 to 6 years.

Question 31

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

Answer 31

3.5 - 6 years

Question 32

what happens during the Latency stage according to Freud?

Answer 32

repressed sexual urges ## Footnote The Latency stage lasts from age 6 until puberty.

Question 33

at what age does the latency stage occur?

Answer 33

6 years - puberty

Question 34

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

Answer 34

awakened sexual urges ## Footnote This stage begins at puberty and continues into adulthood.

Question 35

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

Answer 35

it restricts full development and results in specific personality symptoms ## Footnote Fixation can lead to various personality traits or disorders.

Question 36

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

Answer 36

An 'anally retentive' personality ## Footnote This symptom may manifest as an obsession with cleanliness and orderliness.

Question 37

what is a problem/fixation during the oral stage?

Answer 37

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

Question 38

what is a problem/fixation during the anal stage?

Answer 38

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

Question 39

what is a problem/fixation during the phallic stage?

Answer 39

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

Question 40

what is a problem/fixation during the latency stage?

Answer 40

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

Question 41

what is a problem/fixation during the genital stage?

Answer 41

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

Question 42

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

Answer 42

repression displacement denial

Question 43

what is repression?

Answer 43

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

Question 44

what is displacement?

Answer 44

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

Question 45

what is denial?

Answer 45

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

Question 46

other defence mechanisms?

Answer 46

regression projection compensation

Question 47

what are applications of the psychodynamic theory?

Answer 47

- psychotherapy (psychoanalysis) - personality research - clinical psychology

Question 48

strengths of the psychodynamic perspective?

Answer 48

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

Question 49

weaknesses of the psychodynamic perspective?

Answer 49

- 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