Psychodynamic Approach

• What were Freud's Key beliefs?

  • We are not always aware of all aspects of ourselves.
  • We have an active unconscious mind that we have no direct access to
  • He believed we have a conscious, preconscious and unconscious mind
  • He studied case studies based on women in Vienna
• What are the 3 parts to the human mind?

  Conscious, Unconscious and Preconscious
• What is the conscious mind?

  The part of the mind we know about: thoughts and perceptions.
• What is the unconscious mind?

  A vast store of biological drives and instincts which influence personality. For example selfish needs, immoral urges and violent urges. It also contains repressed memories. The unconscious is the driving force behind our behaviour and personality, it protects our self conscious from anxiety and fear.
• What is the preconscious mind?

  Memories and easily accessed knowledge. Thoughts and ideas may come out in dreams or in slips of tongue.
• What is ID?

  Entirely unconscious, focused on getting what it wants. Operates on pleasure principle, it is entirely selfish and demands immediate gratification. Formed between birth and 18 months.
• What is the superego?

  Formed around 3 and 6 years old. It is our internal sense of what's right and wrong, represents moral and the ideal self. Operates on the morality principle. Role is to subdue the activity of the ID, punishes the ego for wrongdoings through guilt.
• What is the ego?

  Develops between 18 months and 3 years, balances ID and superego. The ego has certain defence mechanisms that allows us to block out any memories that may overwhelm us. These suppressed memories may emerge as unusual behaviour, "reality principle".
• What are the 4 defence mechanisms?

  Repression - The mind prevents certain thoughts and memories from entering conscious awareness.

  Regression - People returning to an earlier developmental stage

  Denial - Someone ignoring the reality of a situation to avoid anxiety

  Displacement - Transferring negative feelings from one object to another
• What is the Electra Complex?

  Girls experience penis envy, they desire their father as the penis is the primary love object. Resulting in them hating their mother.
• What is the Oedipus Complex?

  Boys want their mother as their primary love object and wants his father out of the way.
• What are the strengths of the Psychodynamic approach?

  • Defence mechanisms are seen as significant
  • Highlights the importance of childhood
  • Psychoanalysis can work for some people
• What are the weaknesses of the Psychodynamic approach?

  • Case studies are subjective
  • Lacks factual support
  • Too deterministic (little free will)
  • Cannot be proved wrong
  • Based on interpretation