psychodynamic approach

• assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

  behaviour is primarily influenced by unconscious factors

  behaviour is hugely influenced by events in childhood.

  psychic determinism
• role of the unconscious

  stores biological drives and instincts that has a significant influence on behaviour.

  contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed, locked away and forgotten. - can be accessed during dreams or 'slips of the tongue'
• what makes up the personality?

  • Id
  • Ego
  • Superego
• Id

  • governed by the pleasure principle
  • is innate and present from birth
  • unconscious drives and instincts.
  • selfish and demands instant gratification.
• types of id energy

  • Libido = sexual energy, pleasures of the senses
  • Thanatos = aggressive energy, pleasure in harming others or self.
• Ego

  • governed by the reality principle.
  • develops from the age of 2
  • partly conscious and unconscious
  • mediates between the id and superego
  • employs defence mechanisms
• development of the ego

  • child learns there are consequences to actions through interactions with the world.
  • ego enables individual to get what they want and to think of long-term/ figure out consequences
  • less moral + caring than the superego.
  • more rational + calculating than the id.
• Super-ego

  • governed by the morality principle.
  • develops from age 5
  • unconscious internalised sense of right and wrong.
  • child adopts morality of the same gender parent.
  • occurs during phallic stage of development
• functions of the super-ego

  • has strong emotions to prevent selfishness.
  • moral behaviour = pride
  • immoral behaviour = guilt
  • guilt is a stronger emotion needed to prevent chaos in society + stop us being selfish when no-one is looking.
  • morality is the internalised voice of parents, God + society
• psychosexual stages

  • any psychosexual conflict that is unresolved int hese stages leaads to fixation where the child becomes 'stuck' and carries certain behaviours associated with that stage to adult life.
  • oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
• oral stage

  • 0-1 years
  • focus of pleasure is the mouth
  • consequence of unresolved conflict - smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical
• anal stage

  • 1-3 years
  • focus of pleasure is the anus
  • anal retentive - perfectionist, obsessive
  • anal expulsive - thoughtless, messy
• phallic stage

  • 3-6 years
  • focus of pleasure is the genital area
  • consequence - narcissistic, reckless
• latency

  earlier conflicts are repressed
• genital

  sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty
• defence mechanisms

  • psychic processes that protect the ego
  • often arise from conflict between id + super-ego
  • repression, denial, displacement
• repression

  unpleasant memories, anxieties and emotions are forced out of conscious awareness
• denial

  refusing to acknowledge an aspect of reality, actively denying that it has occurred.
• displacement

  focus of a strong emotion is expressed on to a neutral / alternative person or object
• strength - real world application

  introduced the idea of psychotherapy/psychoanalysis

  first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologically rather than physically.

  psychoanalysis claims to bring repressed emotions to the conscious mind to deal with them.

  shows value of psychodynamic approach to creating new treatment
• counterpoint - real world application

  psychoanalysis has been regarded as inappropriate and sometimes harmful for people with serious mental disorders. e.g. schizophrenia.

  people with SZ may have paranoia and delusional thinking which means that they cannot articulate their thoughts in the way required by psychoanalysis due to loss of grip on reality.

  therefore, cannot be applied to all mental disorders.
• strength - explanatory power

  Although controversial, psychodynamic approach had influence on psychology.

  Key force in psych for first half of the 20th century.

  Made the connection between childhood experiences and later development.

  Has been used to explain personality, origins of psychological disorders.

  Psychodynamic approach has had positive impact on psychology.
• limitation - psychic determinism

  suggests that our behaviour is determined by unconscious conflicts from childhood and we have no control over it.

  means even accidents have deep meaning and insights into out unconscious.

  dismisses the idea of free will
• limitation - untestable

  We are unaware of the unconscious it cannot be objectively and systematically measured.

  Means, according to Karl Popper, the approach doesn't meet scientific criteria of falsification.

  Not a scientific approach
• limitation - idiographic

  Some ideas based on individual case studies.

  E.g. Little Hans study led to the Oedipus and Electra complexes.

  Therefore it is hard to make universal claims about human behaviour.