psychodynamic approach

• What did Sigmund Freud suggest about the conscious mind?

  It is merely the tip of the iceberg.
• What is the unconscious mind according to Freud?

  A vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts
• What types of memories does the unconscious contain?

  Threatening and disturbing memories that are repressed
• How can repressed memories be accessed according to Freud?

  During dreams or through slips of the tongue
• What is the preconscious mind?

  Thoughts and memories not currently in awareness
• How did Freud describe personality?

  As tripartite, composed of three parts
• What is the Id according to Freud?

  The primitive part of our personality
• What principle does the Id operate on?

  The pleasure principle
• What is the role of the Ego?

  To mediate between the Id and Superego
• What does the Superego represent?

  Our internalized sense of right and wrong
• What does the Superego do when the Ego does wrong?

  It punishes the Ego through guilt
• What are the psychosexual stages of development according to Freud?

  1. Oral (0-1 years)

  • Focus: Mouth
  • Fixation: Smoking, biting nails

  2. Anal (1-3 years)

  • Focus: Anus
  • Fixation: Perfectionist or messy

  3. Phallic (3-6 years)

  • Focus: Genital area
  • Fixation: Narcissistic, reckless

  4. Latency (6-puberty)

  • Earlier conflicts repressed

  5. Genital (puberty onward)

  • Focus: Heterosexual relationships
• What happens if a psychosexual conflict is unresolved?

  It leads to fixation in adulthood
• What are defence mechanisms in Freud's theory?

  • Unconscious strategies used by the Ego
  • Manage conflict between Id and Superego
  • Prevent overwhelming feelings from threats or traumas
  • Often involve distortion of reality
  • Considered unhealthy long-term solutions
• What is the focus of pleasure in the oral stage?

  The mouth and mother's breast
• What is an anal-retentive personality?

  Perfectionist and obsessive traits
• What characterizes an anal-expulsive personality?

  Thoughtless and messy behavior
• What is the focus of pleasure in the phallic stage?

  The genital area
• What is a phallic personality?

  Narcissistic and reckless traits
• What occurs during the latency stage?

  Earlier conflicts are repressed
• What happens during the genital stage?

  Sexual desires become conscious
• Why are many aspects of Freud's stage theory considered outdated?

  They do not reflect modern psychological understanding