psychodynamic approach

• Freud was the first to systematically study and

  theorize the workings of the unconscious mind in the

  manner that we associate with modern psychology.
• The causes of a person’s behaviour originate in

  their unconscious and different aspects of a

  person’s unconscious struggle against each other.
• An adult’s behaviour and personality is rooted in

  childhood experiences.
• Both innate, internal processes and the external

  environment contribute to adult personality.

  (Mix of nature and nurture)
• Dynamic forces, such as Thanatos (aggression) and Eros

  (sexual energy) constantly drive all human behaviour.

  Sexual drive is known as = libido
• The conscious mind, the part of our mind that

  we know about and are aware of
• The unconscious also contains threatening

  and disturbing memories that have been

  repressed, or locked away and forgotten.
• the preconscious which includes

  thoughts and ideas which we can access if

  we try.
• The ID is the primitive part of our personality. It operates on the pleasure

  principle – the id gets what it wants. It is seething mass of unconscious

  drives and instincts. the id is known as selfish and demands gratification of needs
• The SUPEREGO is formed at the end of the phallic stage, around the age

  of five.

  It is our internalised sense of right

  and wrong. Based on the morality

  principle it represents the moral

  standards of the child’s same-sex

  parent and punishes the ego for

  wrongdoing (through guilt).
• The EGO works on the reality principle and is the mediator between the

  other two parts of the personality.

  The ego develops around the age of two

  years and its role is to reduce the conflict

  between the demands of the id and the

  superego. It manages this by employing

  a number of defence mechanisms.
• Freud believed that

  the ego seeks to restore balance through

  various protective measures known as

  defence mechanisms.
• we are unaware that we are using defence mechanisms, they operate in various ways that distort reality
• denial- refusing to accept real events because they are unpleasant e.g. someone refuses to admit that they have an alcohol problem although they are unable to go a single day without drinking.
• displacement- transferring inappropriate urges or behaviours onto a more acceptable or less threatening target. e.g. during a lunch at a restaurant, mark was angry at his dad but does not express it instead is rude towards the waiter.
• repression- supressing painful memories and thoughts e.g. leshea cant remember her grandfathers heart attack although she was present.
• oral stage (mouth) 0 to 1 years old- focus of pleasure is on the mouth, childs desire to be breastfed - consequences of unresolved conflict: oral fixation- smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical
• anal stage (anus) 1 to 3 years old- foucus on pleasure on the anus, childs gain pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces - consequence oof unresolved conflict: anal retentive - perfectionist, obsessive :anal expulsive- thoughtless, messy
• phallic stage (gennitals) 3 to 5 years old- focus of pleasure in genital area, child experiences the oedipus or electra complex - consequences: phallic personality- narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual
• latency stage 6 to 11 years old- earlier conflicts are repressed
• genital stage (genitals) 12+ - sexual desires become conscious alongside onset of puberty - consequence: difficulty forming at heterosexual relationship
• oedipus complex involves thee acceptance that children have sexual energy (libido), takes place in the phallic stage of development.
• Boys unconsciously desire their mothers, leads to jealousy of father.

  Boy worried about castration anxiety if father finds out.

  Boy represses desire for mother and identifies with father.

  Boy therefore internalises (takes on) fathers male characteristics and

  morals to resolve the conflict – so superego develops.
• electra complex is where girls are aware that they have no penis and believe that their mother has castrated them so they resent them, girls develop penis envy (father becomes love object)(envy is of the power the males have as a result of their penis), leads to identification with their mothers.
• practical application (evaluations)

  • range of techniques designed to access the unconscious, e.g. hypnosis and dream analysis
  • some psychoanalysis has been criticised as inappropriate, harmful for people suffering from mental disorders

  support

  • psychoanalysis is still used to treat patients and has helped and reduced suffering for many people

  limitations

  • psychoanalysis is not always appropriate treatment for those with more serious mental illnesses
• the case study method (evaluations)

  • freuds theory based on intensive study of single individuals who were in therapy
  • although his observations where detailed, critics suggested its not possible to make universal claims about human nature based on studies based on such a small number of individuals who were psychologically abnormal
  • freuds interpretations were subjective

  limitations

  • freuds data and theories were not based on scientific methods
• untestable concepts (evaluations)

  • popper argued that the psychodynamic approach doesnt meet the scientific criterion of falsification, its not open to empirical testing
  • freuds concepts (such ad ID and oedipus complex) said to occur at an unconscious level, making them difficult or impossible to test

  limitations

  • psychodynamic approach doesnt meet criteria to be called science as they cant be empirically measure or hypothesis tested, harming the scientific credibility of psychology, leaving many inaccurate view of psychology as a scientific discipline
• What does psychic determinism claim about human behavior?

  Human behavior is the result of childhood experiences and innate drives.
• What does the concept of psychic determinism imply about actions?

  Every action has some kind of meaning and can provide insight into our unconscious.
• What is a limitation of psychic determinism in terms of scientific investigation?

  It adds to the subjectivity of interpretations and is not in line with scientific methods of investigating behavior.
• How does psychic determinism contrast with hard determinism?

  Psychic determinism focuses on unconscious drives, while hard determinism, as used by behaviorism, emphasizes environmental factors.
• What type of determinism is used by social learning theory?

  Reciprocal determinism.
• What type of determinism is associated with the cognitive approach?

  Soft determinism.
• What type of determinism is used by the biological approach?

  Biological determinism.
• What does the psychodynamic approach suggest about human behavior?

  Human behavior is governed by unconscious drives and traumatic childhood experiences that are repressed.
• How does psychic determinism affect the concept of free will in behaviour?

  It suggests that individuals do not have free will over their behaviour as they are influenced by unconscious drives.
• explanatory power (evaluations)

  • alongside behaviourism, psychodynamic approach remained the dominant force in psychology and has been used to explain a wide range of phenomena such as personality development, abnormal behaviour, moral development and gender
  • its also significant in drawing attention to connection between experiences in childhood such as relationships with parents and later development

  supports

  • freuds theories had a huge influence on psychology and western contemporary thought. demonstrated by the fact that many of the core concepts have became part of a common language.