Psychodynamic approach

• Whose work is the psychodynamic approach based on?

  Sigmund Freud
• What is the conscious?

  The small amount of mental activity we know about
• What is the preconscious?


  Things we could be aware of if we tried
• What is the unconscious?

  Things we are unaware of and cannot become aware of, aside from in dreams and parapraxes
• What are parapraxes?

  Slips of the tongue
• What are the three parts of the personality according to Freud?

  ID, ego and superego
• What is the ID?


  • Primitive part of the personality
  • Unconscious drives and instincts Demands instant gratificationSelfish
• What principle does the ID work on?

  The pleasure principle
• What is the ego?


  • Mediator between the two parts of the personality Develops at age 2
  • Manages the other parts of the personality through defence mechanisms
• What principle does the ego work on?


  The reality principle
• What is the superego?

  • Formed around 5 years old
  • Internalised sense of right and wrong
  • Represents morals from child's same gender parent Punishes the ego through feelings of guilt
• What principle does the superego work on?

  Morality principle
• What did Freud mean by his psychosexual stages?

  • Child development develops in 5 stages
  • Each stage, apart from latency, is marked by a conflict the child must resolve Unresolved conflict leads to fixations into adult life
• What are Freuds psychosexual stages?

  Oral stage 0-1Anal stage 1-3Phallic stage 3-6Latency stage 6-11Genital stage 11+
• Where is the erogenous zone in Freuds oral stage?

  The mouth
• What happens if the conflict is unresolved in the oral stage?

  Oral fixation:- Smoking- biting nails- sarcastic- Critical
• Where is the erogenous zone in Freuds anal stage?


  Anus
• What happens if the conflict is unresolved in the anal stage?

  Anal retentive: Perfectionist, obsessive

  Anal expulsive: Reckless, thoughtless, messy
• Where is the erogenous zone in Freuds phallic stage?

  GenitalsBoys experience Oedipus complex, girls experience Electra complex
• What happens if the conflict is unresolved in the phallic stage?

  Phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless
• Where is the erogenous zone in Freuds latency stage?

  Dormant sexual feelings
• What happens if the conflict is unresolved in the latency stage?

  People don't tend to fixate on this stage but if they do they tend to be sexually unfulfilled
• Where is the erogenous zone in Freuds genital stage?

  Sexual interests mature
• What happens if the conflict is unresolved in the genital stage?

  Frigidity, unsatisfactory relationships
• What are defence mechanisms?

  Unconscious ways the ego prevents us from being overwhelmedThey distort reality
• What are the three defence mechanisms?

  DisplacementDenialRepression
• What is the defence mechanism displacement?

  Transferring the feelings from the true target to a substitute one
• What is the defence mechanism denial?

  Refusing to acknowledge a part of reality
• What is the defence mechanism repression?

  Unintentional burying of the problem into the unconscious
• Who was little Hans?

  A five year old boy who had a phobia of horses after seeing one collapse
• What did Freud say about little Hans?

  He was displacing his castration anxiety from his Oedipus complex to horses
• Psychodynamic strengths

  Introduced psychotherapyExplains human behaviour
• Why is "Introduced psychotherapy" a strength of the psychodynamic approach?

  Freud brought a new form of therapy called psychoanalysis Looked into the unconscious and was the first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologicallyCreated a new treatment
• Why is "Explains human behaviour" a strength of the psychodynamic approach?

  It has had a large impact on psychologyExplains personality development Had a positive impact on psychology
• Psychodynamic weaknesses

  Psychoanalysis can be harmful for some peopleUntestable
• Why is "Psychoanalysis can be harmful for some people" a weakness of the psychodynamic approach?

  Doesn't help people with schizophrenia People with schizophrenia can't articulate their thoughts in the way needed for psychoanalysis Doesn't apply to every disorder
• Why is "Untestable" a weakness of the psychodynamic approach?


  • Not open to empirical testing and falsification
  • Difficult to test as concepts are at the unconscious level
  • Pseudoscientific can't may claims about behaviour