AO1

• Who created the psychodynamic approach?


  Sigmund Freud
• What was the first approach developed after introspection?


  The psychodynamic approach
• What role did Freud believe the unconscious mind played in behavior?


  It shapes our behavior in many ways
• How did Freud explain the influence of the unconscious mind?


  Through the tripartite system, psychosexual stages, and defense mechanisms
• What are the three levels of the mind according to Freud?

  • Conscious mind: waking thoughts, awareness, and memories
  • Preconscious: not aware but can recall with cues
  • Unconscious mind: accessible through hypnosis, stores repressed memories
• What is the conscious mind according to Freud?


  It consists of our waking thoughts, awareness, and memories
• What does the preconscious mind refer to?


  Information we are not aware of but can recall with the right cue
• How can we access the unconscious mind?


  Through hypnosis or sometimes through dreams
• What types of conflicts are stored in the unconscious mind?


  Conflict from childhood and repressed memories
• What are the three parts of Freud's tripartite system?


  • Id: pleasure principle, seeks immediate gratification
  • Ego: reality principle, mediates between id and superego
  • Superego: morality principle, focuses on doing the right thing
• What is the id in Freud's tripartite system?


  The part of personality focused on the pleasure principle
• When does the ego develop according to Freud?


  Around the age of two
• What is the role of the ego in Freud's theory?


  It mediates between the id and the superego
• When does the superego develop according to Freud?


  Around the age of five
• What is the focus of the superego?


  Doing the right thing
• How can an imbalance in the psyche cause psychological abnormalities?


  • Healthy ego manages id and superego
  • Weakened ego leads to dominance of one aspect
  • Dominant id: impulsive behavior, aggression
  • Dominant superego: anxiety, obsessive behavior
• What behaviors might result from a dominant id?


  Impulsive behavior and lack of regard for consequences
• What psychological issues can arise from a dominant superego?


  Anxiety about being 'good enough' and obsessive morality
• What are defense mechanisms according to Freud?


  • Protect the ego from conflict
  • Push traumatic events into the unconscious
  • Examples: repression, displacement, denial
• How many stages are there in Freud's psychosexual development?


  Five stages
• What happens at each stage of psychosexual development?


  • Oral (0-2 years): pleasure from the mouth
  • Anal (2-3 years): pleasure from anus
  • Phallic (3-6 years): pleasure from genital area
  • Latent (6-12 years): earlier conflicts repressed
  • Genital (12+): sexual desires become conscious
• What is the focus of pleasure during the oral stage?


  The mouth
• What can unresolved conflict during the oral stage lead to?


  Oral fixation, such as smoking or biting nails
• What is the focus of pleasure during the anal stage?


  The anus
• What are the consequences of unresolved conflict during the anal stage?


  Anal retentive: perfectionist; anal expulsive: messy
• What is the focus of pleasure during the phallic stage?


  The genital area
• What complex do children experience during the phallic stage?


  The Oedipus or Electra complex
• What can unresolved conflict during the phallic stage lead to?


  Narcissism, recklessness, or possibly homosexuality
• What happens during the latent stage of psychosexual development?


  Earlier conflicts are repressed
• What is the focus of pleasure during the genital stage?


  Sexual desires become conscious
• What can unresolved conflict during the genital stage lead to?


  Difficulties forming heterosexual relationships
• What is the acronym to remember the psychosexual stages?


  Old Age Pensioners Like Guinness
• What is the Oedipus complex?


  Young boys are attracted to their mother and jealous of their father
• How do boys resolve the Oedipus complex?


  By identifying with their father
• What is the Electra complex?


  Young girls are attracted to their father and resent their mother
• How do girls resolve the Electra complex?


  By replacing their desire for a penis with a desire for a baby
• What was one of Freud's most famous case studies?


  • Little Hans: a 5-year-old boy with a phobia of horses
  • Freud suggested it was a form of displacement related to the Oedipus complex
• What is the difference between idiographic and nomothetic approaches?


  • Idiographic: focuses on individual cases (e.g., Freud)
  • Nomothetic: uses statistical analyses for general laws (e.g., cognitive approaches)