Psychodynamic Approach

• Assumptions of Psychodynamic approach

  Behaviour determined more by psychological than biological factors.

  
  

  Behaviour largely controlled by unconscious part of the mind
• The role of the unconscious

  Most of the mind is made up of the unconscious (80%)

  
  

  A vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that influence behaviour and personality
• Structure of Personality


  3 Components:

  
  

  id

  
  

  ego

  
  

  superego

  
• The id

  Primitive part of the personality.

  
  

  Operates on pleasure principle

  
  

  Seething mass of unconscious drives and instincts

  
  

  Selfish, demands instant gratification of its needs

  
  

  Present at birth

  
• The ego


  Works on the reality principle

  
  

  Mediates between the id and superego

  
  

  Develops around the age of 2

  
  

  Reduces conflict between id and superego

  
  

  Employs a number of defence mechanisms

  
• The superego


  Based on the morality principle

  
  

  Our internalised sense of right and wrong

  
  

  Develops at end of phallic stage (around 5 years old)

  
  

  Represents the moral standards of the same sex parent

  
• Defence mechanisms


  Repression

  
  

  Denial

  
  

  Displacement
• Repression


  Unconscious forgetting.

  
  

  Disturbing thoughts not allowed to become conscious.

  
  

  Example - Not recalling a traumatic childhood event such as abuse.

  
• Denial


  Reducing anxiety by refusing to see the unpleasant aspects of reality.

  
  

  Example - Student with poor grades telling themselves that grades don't matter

  
• Displacement


  Transferring Impulses and feelings to an originally neutral or innocent target

  
  

  Example - Blaming Jews for society's problems

  
• Psycho sexual stages of development theory

  Child development occurs in 5 stages, each of which is marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve to pass to the next stage.

  
  

  Any unresolved conflict leads to fixation and certain characteristics of that stage will be carried through to adult life
• Psycho sexual stages of development

  Oral

  
  

  Anal

  
  

  Phallic

  
  

  Latent

  
  

  Genital
• Oral Stage


  0-1 Years

  
  

  Focus of pleasure is the mouth

  
  

  The mother's breast becomes the object of desire as feeding reduces the child's negative experience of hunger

  
  

  Consequence of unresolved conflict - Oral fixation (Smoking, biting nails, sarcasm, critical)

  
• Anal Stage


  1-3 years

  
  

  Focus of pleasure is the anus. The child gains pleasure form retention and expulsion of faeces.

  
  

  Consequence of unresolved conflict

  - Anal retentive (perfectionist, obsessive)

  - Anal expulsive (thoughtless, messy)
• Phallic stage


  3-6 years

  
  

  Focus of pleasure is the genital area. Boys experience the oedipus complex, girls experience the electra complex. Resolution of these complexes form their gender identity and moral basis.

  
  

  Consequence of unresolved conflict - Phallic personality (narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexuality)
• Latent Stage


  Earlier conflicts are repressed. Sexual drive is present but dormant.

  
  

  Freud stated that the sexual energy is focussed towards peer friendships.
• Genital Stage


  12+ years

  
  

  Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty. Focus is directed to gaining heterosexual pleasure through intercourse.

  
  

  Consequence of unresolved conflict - Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships. Sexual perversions may develop if fixated at earlier stage.
• Oedipus Complex


  During phallic stage, boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother and murderous hatred for their father as he is their rival.

  
  

  Fearing their father will castrate them, boys repress their feelings for their mother and identify with their father, taking on his gender role and moral values.
• Electra complex


  During phallic stage, girls experience penis envy.

  
  

  They desire their father as the penis is the primary love object and hate their mother as she is their rival.

  
  

  Girls will give up the desire for their father over time and replace this with a desire for a baby, identifying with their mother in the process.
• Case study of Little Hans

  Offers support for oedipus complex.

  
  

  Hans' phobia a result of displacement in which his repressed fear of his father was transferred onto horses.

  
  

  Horses were a symbolic representation of Hans' real unconscious fear of castration.

  
• Psychodynamic Approach - Evaluation

  +Explanatory power - The approach has provided a huge influence to western psychology and is a dominant force.

  
  

  -The case study method - can't make universal claims based on an individual. The findings were also subjective. This approach lacks a scientific base.

  
  

  -Untestable concepts - doesn't meet the scientific criterion of falsification, it isn't open to empirical testing. Theories in this approach are untestable.
• Essay Plan - Describe + Evaluate Psychodynamic Approach

  AO1

  Role of unconscious

  Structure of personality

  Psychosexual stages of development

  Oedipus/Electra complexes

  
  

  AO3

  Little Hans case study

  Case study method is highly subjective

  Issues with falsification

  Negative approach
• Psychodynamic Approach linked to Topics

  Forensic - Psychodynamic explanation for offending behaviour.

  
  

  Attachment - Maternal deprivation.

  
  

  Gender - Oedipus and Electra.