Sigmund Freud is the pioneer of the psychodynamic approach
Freud assumed that people are born with basic instincts/need that behaviour is in large controlled by the unconscious mind
Freud also divided the mind into 3 structures: id, ego and superego
role of the unconscious mind
most of our mind is made up of the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind holds repressed memories. 3 components are the id, ego and superego
Id
driving us to satisfy selfish urges (i.e. acts according to the 'pleasure principle') (exists from birth).
ego
acts rationally, balancing the ID and the superego (i.e. acts according to the 'reality principle') (develops years 2-4).
superego
concerned with keeping to moral norms (i.e. acts according to the ‘morality principle’), and attempts to control a powerful ID with feelings of guilt (develops years 4-5).
Psychosexual stages
Oral – mouth is focal point of sensation (0-18 months)
Phallic – fixation on genitals. oedipus/electra complex. boys get castration anxiety (3.5 – 6 years)
Latency – repressed sexual desires, focus issues on social and intellectual skills (6 years - puberty)
Genital – sexual desires become conscious with puberty (puberty onwards)
problems in psychosexual stages lead to
oral - chain smoking
anal - anal expulsive (too messy) and anal retentive (being too clean)
phallic - low self worth/intimacy issues
latency - low self esteem
genital - hard to form mature sexual relationships and establish intimacy
defence mechanisms
repression - forcing distressing memory out of the conscious mind
denial - refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
displacement - transferring feeling from the true source to a substitute
what are the psychosexual stages?
5 stages of child development each marked with different conflicts that the child must resolve in order to progress successfully. unresolved conflict leads to fixations/problems with certain behaviours