psychodynamic approach

• The foundations of the psychodynamic approach were laid by who?

  Sigmund Freud
• What did Freud propose?

  The notion of the unconscious, which lies at the root of his hugely influential theory
• What is the unconscious mind?


  Vast parts of the mind that are inaccessible to conscious

  awareness
• What metaphor did Freud use to describe the mind

  As an iceberg
• Why did Freud describe the mind as an iceberg?

  Consciousness being the small part of the structure which we are aware of (the top of the iceberg) and the unconscious taking up a much larger proportion of the human mind (beneath the surface)
• What did Freud argue about the unconscious mind?

  The unconscious is the motivating force behind our behaviour and the unconscious mind protects the conscious self from anxiety in a variety of ways
• According to Freud, the personality is what?

  Tripartite
• What is the tripartite personality?

  Made up of three components: the ID, ego and superego.
• When does the id form?

  From birth to 18 months
• The id is referred to as what?

  The pleasure principle
• What is the id like?

  Childlike, selfish and hedonistic part of personality which focuses on the self
• Is the id in the conscious or unconscious mind?


  Unconscious
• When does the ego form?

  Between 18 months and 3 years
• The ego is referred to as what?

  The reality principle
• What is the role of the ego?

  Neither the id nor the superego should become dominant, it is the role of the ego to ensure this doesn't happen by balancing them
• Is the ego in the conscious or unconscious mind?


  Conscious
• When does the superego form?

  Between the ages of 3 and 6 years
• The superego is referred to as what?

  The morality principle
• What is the role of the superego?

  It acts as an individuals conscience and is the opposite of the id, it feels guilt and hold people back if an action is morally wrong.
• Is the superego in the conscious or unconscious mind?


  Unconscious
• What is the role of defence mechanisms?

  Defence mechanisms help the ego manage the conflict between the id and the superego. Defence mechanisms provide an unconscious strategy to deal with unresolvable conflict.
• What does conflict and anxiety need to be managed?

  Anxiety can weaken the ego which weakens the ability for it to balance the id and superego, potentially leading to one of them becoming dominant.
• What are the three defence mechanisms you need to know?

  Repression, Denial, Displacement
• What is repression?


  Repressionoccurs when a traumatic or distressing memory is forced out of conscious awareness and into the unconscious mind.
• What is denial?


  Denialinvolves a refusal to accept the truth or reality of a situation, acting as though nothing distressing has happened.
• What is displacement?


  Displacementis when the feelings towards a target individual cannot be expressed directly and are therefore transferred onto someone/something else.
• According to Freud, children pass through which psychosexual stages of development?

  Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latent, Genital
• What happens during each stage?

  The child has its desires for bodily pleasure denied and redirected by its parents until they focus exclusively on the appropriate sexual outlet for the given stage
• According to Freud, what happens if a child fails to resolve the conflict at each of the psychosexual stages?

  They may develop a fixation where they display certain behaviours/characteristics in their adult life
• What age is the oral stage?

  0-1 years
• Where is the focus of pleasure in the oral stage?

  Mouth
• What happens in the oral stage?

  The infant experiences pleasure through their mouth, particularly sucking and biting.
• What happens if someone becomes fixated in the oral stage?

  Oral fixation: here a person might engage in behaviours like

  smoking, nail-biting, etc.
• What age is the anal stage?

  1-3 years
• Where is the focus of pleasure in the anal stage?


  Anus
• What happens in the anal stage?

  The child becomes aware of the reality principle imposed by the parents and must undergo potty training in order to control their bowel movements.
• What happens if someone becomes fixated in the anal stage?

  1) Anal retentive: here a person might become an obsessive perfectionist

  2) Anal explusive: here a person might be messy and thoughtless.
• What age is the phallic stage?

  3-5 years
• Where is the focus of pleasure in the phallic stage?

  Genitals
• What happens in the phallic stage?

  The major feature of this stage is the Oedipus complex in which infant boys must overcome their unconscious sexual desire for their mother by identifying with their father.