Psychdynamic approach

• Psychosexual Stages

  Oral (0-1 years) - Focus of pleasure is in the mouth.

  Anal (1-3 years) - Focus of pleasure is in the anus.

  Phalic (3-5 years) - Focus of pleasure is in the genital.

  Latency - Earlier conflicts are repressed.

  Genital - Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty.
• The structure of personality

  The id (pleasure principle) only present during birth, selfish and demands instant gratification.

  The ego (realtiy principle) the mediator between the id and the superego

  The superego (morality principle) represents the moral standards of the childs same-sex parent and punishes the ego for wrongdoing (through guilt)
• Unfalsifiable

  A limitation of this approach is that it is unfalsifiable (meaning you cannot prove it wrong) which means that it does not meet the scientific criterion of falsification. -non scientific-
• Psychic Determinism

  All mental processes are not spontaneous but are determined by the unconscious or preexisting mental complexes.  ( no free will )
• Oral stage: Mothers breasts are the focus of desire
• Anal stage: Child focuses on withholding and expelling faeces
• Phallic stage: Children experience the Oedipus complex, where they develop a strong desire to have a father and a strong dislike of their mother, or the Electra complex, where they develop a strong desire to have a mother and a strong dislike of their father.
• Latency stage: Conflicts are resolved and early years are largely forgotten
• Genital stage: Sexual desires become conscious with the onset of puberty