Psychodynamic approach

• What did Sigmund Freud argue?

  He argued that people were born with basic instinct and drive but partially by their unconscious as well
• What were the 3 parts of the iceberg metaphor?

  • The conscious level contains thoughts and perceptions, this contains the small amount of mental activity that we know about
  • The subconscious holds our memories and knowledge, which are things we could be aware of
  • The unconscious mind holds everything that we can't be aware of like fears, shameful experiences and traumatic experiences
• What is the id?

  • The id only operates in the unconscious.
  • It is based on the pleasure principle - demanding gratification.
  • It is present from birth.
  • This also contains our drives and instincts linked to libido
• What is the ego?

  • The ego is the next part to develop around 2 years old.
  • Its role is to act as a compromise between id and superego through the reality principle.
  • It uses defence mechanisms
• What is the superego?

  • This is present from 5 years old
  • The superego develops at 5 years old.
  • It is the sense of wrong and right
  • it is based on the moral standards children have been socialised to follow
  • if not followed correctly, it punishes through guilt
• What are the different defence mechanisms that the ego uses?

  • Repression: An unconscious block of any unpleasant thoughts. These influence behaviour unconsciously so the individual is not aware of reasons for their behaviour. E.g. someone unable to form relationships
  • Denial - refusing to acknowledge a part of reality E.g. An alcoholic deny having a drinking problem despite being arrested for it
  • Displacement: you redirect feelings to another target e.g anger goes to mum
• What is the first stage of the psychosexual stages?

  Oral
• What are the details of the 'oral' stage?

  • The first stage is oral - present from birth to 1 year
  • The id desire is the mouth.
  • The mouth is the main source for pleasure, the child enjoys tasting and sucking.
  • They learn delayed gratification.
  • Successful completion is weaning - which is independent eating
  • Symptoms of not completing oral is nail biting or smoking
• What is the second stage of the psychosexual stages?


  Anal
• What are the details of the 'anal' stage?

  • The second stage is anal - present from 1-3 years old
  • The main id desire is the johnson.
  • This shows the beginning of the ego where the child becomes aware of reality and the need to conform with demands of others
  • Anal retentive means that they might be perfectionist and obsessive
  • Anal expulsive means that the person may be messy and careless
• What is the third stage pf the psychosexual stages?

  Phallic
• What are the details of the 'phallic' stage?

  • The phallic stage happens at 3-5 years old
  • The id desire is the Oedipus complex where the males want to subconsciously get rid of their father so they can et closer to their mother
  • However, the male will then experience castration anxiety and identify with the father to resolve the problem
  • The female part is the called the Electra Complex
  • Fixations involve narcissism and recklessness
• What is the 4th stage of the psychosexual stages?

  Genital
• What are the details of the 'genital' stage?

  • This happens from 6-12 years old
  • Libido urges are put towards sports
  • The issues and conflicts from the last 3 stages are repressed so the child can focus on other things
  • There is a focus on same sex relationships as well
• What is the last stage of the psychosexual stages?

  Latency
• What are the details of the latency stage?

  • This happens from 12 and and onwards during puberty
  • The person should develop healthy adult relationships if all the other stages are completed successfully
• What is a strength of the psychodynamic approach?

  • Massive development in psychology due to size of the approach
  • There was new methodological way of empirical testing which was case studies
  • It focused on observable behaviour than introspection.
  • It acknowledges childhood trauma and therefore led to a bigger acceptance of internal conflict
• What is another strength of the psychodynamic approach?

  • It has practical applications
  • It led to a technique called psychoanalysis
  • Psychologists use special techniques to reveal the unconscious like dream analysis and free association.
  • It acts as the predecessor of many modern day techniques
  • However, although there are claims of treating mild neurosis
  • It is thought not to be appropriate for more severe conditions like schizophrenia
• What was a weakness of the psychodynamic approach?

  • Freud based his detailed analysis on case studies like little hans and middle aged women
  • case studies bring very detailed knowledge from a patient, which can be interesting.
  • However, you may not be able to generalise the information to the whole population
  • It is unlikely to be representative
  • The external validity from the population is likely to be questionable too
• What is another weakness of the psychodynamic approach?

  • Karl Popper, argued that this data does not meet falsification .
  • This is because the psychodynamic approach isn't open to testing.
  • This is because Freud’s theories are to happen at an unconscious level and impossible to test as a result.
  • According to Popper, this classifies the psychodynamic approach as being a pseudoscience. 
• Why is the psychodynamic approach deterministic?

  • It is deterministic as it says that we have no free will over behaviour.
  • Our adulthood is affected by our childhood, so the way we are in adulthood is to be blamed by the parents.
  • For example being anal retentive means that you are a perfectionist and obsessive
  • Therefore the psychodynamic approach is deterministic