AO3: Psychodynamic approach

Cards (4)

  • Strength: Real-world application
    What? Psychotherapy
    Who? Psychoanalysis - brings repressed emotions into conscious mind to deal with - forerunner to counselling
    Why? Valuable
  • Counterpoint: Real-world application
    What? Only successful with mild neuroses
    Who? Psychotherapy can be harmful with more serious neuroses
    Why? Mightn't apply to all disorders
  • Strength: Explanatory power
    What? Ability to explain human behaviour
    Who? Used to explain: personality development, psychological disorders, gender identity, etc. + draws attention to connection between childhood and later development
    Why? Positive impact on psychology and society
  • Limitation: Untestable concepts
    What? Untestable
    Who? Popper - doesn't meet scientific criteria of falsification - difficult to test
    Why? Pseudoscientific