Y13 Approaches (continued from Y12)

Question 1

Humanistic Psychology

Answer 1

Humanistic psychology is an approach that emphasises the study of the whole person and sees people as being active in their own development -> views everyone as unique

Question 2

Humanistic approach main assumptions

Answer 2

Humanistic approach main assumptions:
-Idiographic (everyone is unique, cannot generalise)
-Free will (we choose what we do, but with constraints eg social rules and laws
-Holism (no point looking at one aspect of a person, may miss what is affecting them
-Subjective and not scientific

Question 3

Maslow

Answer 3

Maslow -> humanistic psychologist -> interested in positive human traits and lives of extraordinary people -> discovered people can only reach their full potential once a number of needs has been met (hierarchy of needs)

Question 4

5 basic needs of the hierarchy of needs (in humanistic psychology) ranked bottom to top

Answer 4

-Physiological needs (breathing, food, etc)
-Safety needs (security, health, employment)
-Love and belonging (friends, family intimacy)
-Esteem (self-esteem, respect)
-Self-actualization (desire to become the most that one can be)

Question 5

The psychodynamic approach

Answer 5

The psychodynamic approach is a thoeiry that our mental activity is unconscious, and that causes our behaviour

Question 6

Core assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 6

Core assumptions of the psychodynamic approach:
-Unconscious conflicts/forces drive behaviour -> iceberg analogy (levels of consciousness)
-Components of personality (tripartite personality = ID, Ego, Superego)
-Psychosexual stages of development

Question 7

Tripartite personality introduced by Freud as part of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 7

Tripartite personality:
-ID (from birth-2yrs) (pleasure principle, “I want”)
-Ego (from 2-5yrs0 (Reality principle, puts things into perspective, sorts conflicts between ID and superego, uses defence mechanisms
-Supergo (5yrs onwards, conscience, recognition of right or wrong, morality principle)

Question 8

Defence mechanisms of the Ego Dominant personality (as part of the psychodynamic approach)

Answer 8

Defence mechanisms of the Ego Dominant personality (as part of the psychodynamic approach):
-Repression
-Displacement
-Denial

Question 9

Result of long term use of defence mechanisms

Answer 9

Long term use of defence mechanisms can lead to maladaptive/dysfunctional behaviour

Question 10

Acronym for the 5 psychosexual stages of development (Freud)

Answer 10

Acronym for the psychosexual stages of development:
-Old (oral)
-Age (anal)
-Pensioners (phallic)
-Love (latency)
-Greens (genital)

Question 11

Oral conflict/focus of pleasure and consequence if conflict not resolved

Answer 11

Oral conflict/focus of pleasure: mouth (breast feeding) - too much gratification at breast or not enough gratificiation
-Too little gratification = dependant and gullible
-Too much gatrification = orally agressive - verbal agression

Question 12

Anal conflict/focus of pleasure and consequence as said by Freud

Answer 12

-Anus (toilet training) -witholding or expelling faeces
-Anally retentive -> organised, neat, punctual, stingy
-Anally expulsive -> creative, messy, generous

Question 13

Oedipus complex (phallic stage of development) as introduced by Freud

Answer 13

Oedipus complex (phallic stage of development) as introduced by Freud
-> boys - intense sexual feelings for mother, so father is rival (fear of castration), identifies with father and internalises his values, attidues, ebhaviours/beliefs

Question 14

Electra complex as introduced by Freud as part of the phallic stage of psychosexual development

Answer 14

Electra complex as introduced by Freud as part of the phallic stage of psychosexual development:
-> Girls -> unconscious sexual desires for father (‘penis envy’) -> identifies and internalises with mother of her values, attitudes, behaviours/beliefs

Question 15

‘Consequences’ of not resolving conflicts within the phallic stage of the psychosexual approach as introduced by Freud

Answer 15

‘Consequences’ of not resolving conflicts within the phallic stage of the psychosexual approach as introduced by Freud:
-Homosexuality
-Issues with gender
-Jelousy and anxiety
-Narcisstic

Question 16

Conflicts within the latency stage of psychosexual development

Answer 16

Latency - 6yrs->puberty - libido is dormant, focus on friends and school, friendly with same gender, calming time

Question 17

Genital stage of the psychosexual development

Answer 17

Genital stage of the psychosexual development -> puberty -> adulthood - sexual experimentation - conscious - sexual perversions are consequences of not resolving conflicts

Question 18

Negative evaluation of Freud’s psychodynamic approach

Answer 18

Negative evaluation of Freud’s psychodynamic approach:
- = Untestable concepts (eg personality components cannot be tested scientifically -> lacks scientific credibility)
- = Gender bias => said that males are superior -> pressure on females eg during breastfeeding stage -> socially sensitive
- = Lacks temporal validity (irrelevant in modern society)
- = Psychic determinism -> individual has no free will and behaviour is determined by childhood experiences
- = states a child aquires personality at 3-6 yrs, how accurate is this?

Question 19

Positive evaluation of Freud’s psychodynamic approach

Answer 19

Positive evaluation of Freud’s psychodynamic approach;
+ = Influential in the field of psychology -> practical application in psychoanalysis therapy in today’s society
+/- = idiographic (case studies looks into an individual)

Question 20

The humanistic approach evaluation

Answer 20

The humanistic approach evaluation:
- = Cultural bias/ethnocentric -> applicable to invidividual cultures eg western
+ = Not reductionist as holism is advocated (idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person) - valid
+ = does not use animal testing as understanding can only be achieved through studying humans
- = Unscientific

Question 21

Who is Carl Rogers?

Answer 21

Carl rogers:
-Pioneering founder of the humanistic approach -> came up with the key concepts
-Developed client-centered psychotherapy
-Suggested we have three selves
-Said people have to be fully functioning to reach self-actualisation

Question 22

Three selves as introduced by Carl Rogers as part of the humanistic approach

Answer 22

Three selves as introduced by Carl Rogers as part of the humanistic approach:
-Self concept (the self you feel are)
-The ideal self (the self you wish to be)
-The real self (the person you actually are)

Question 23

Congruence as part of the humanistic approach

Answer 23

Congruence -> when your selves are the same as eachother, Roger said it was necessary for a person to be congruent to reach self-actualisation (difficult to achieve) - unconditional positive regard is important in achieving congruence

Question 24

What is unconditional positive regard in the humanistic approach?

Answer 24

Unconditional positive regard = humans have to feel nurtured and valued by significant people in their lives, this is giving freely and will help people develop a healthy sense of self-worth -> the opposite is the case for negative regard (such as criticism and blame) which leads to low self esteem

Question 25

What are the conditions of worth as part of the humanistic approach

Answer 25

Conditions of worth are requirements that the individual feels needs to be met in order to be loved (also called conditional positive regard)

Question 26

Positive and negative evaluation of schemas as part of the cognitive approach

Answer 26

Schemas:
+ = Can predict things based on experiences
+ = Process info rapidly
+ = Prevents us becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
- = Memories can be distorted by sensory information and can be affected ie in eye witness testimonies

Question 27

Cognitive approach assumptions

Answer 27

Cognitive approach assumptions:
-Mind works as a computer (computer analogy)
-Use of schemas
-Thoughts act as mediational processes between stimulus and behavioural responses
-Mental processes can be scientifically studied

Question 28

What is inferences in cognitive psychology?

Answer 28

Inferences = assumption of causality is made as mental processes cannot be directly observed

Question 29

Positives of using standard deviation in psychological research

Answer 29

Positives of using standard deviation in psychological research:
-Shows how spread out data is
-Reveals participant variables

Question 30

Main components of the cognitive approach

Answer 30

Main components of the cognitive approach:
-Mental processes mediate between the stimulus and response
-Computer analogy
-Schemas
-Cognitive neuroscience
-Scientific studies of people
-Cognitive processes must be studied in order for human behaviour to be understood

Question 31

Research methods in cognitive psychology evaluation

Answer 31

Research methods in cognitive psychology evaluation:
+ = high control -> scientific -> reliable and replicable
+ = operationalised variables
+ = procedure standardisation -> replicable and reliable