Psychodynamic approach

• State the three assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

  1. Most of the influences on our behavior come from the unconscious mind.
  2. Our psyche is made up of several parts that are continually at war with each other, and this conflict is what drives behaviour.
  3. All children go through a series of psychosexual stages, and if they experience unresolved conflict, it can affect adult life.
• What is the id?

  governed by the pleasure principle and demands immediate gratification.
• What is the superego?


  governed by the morality principle and determines what behaviour is good/ bad by punishing the ego for wrongdoing and making us feel guilty.
• What is the ego?

  Governed by the reality principle and and is themediator between the id and superego by trying to reduce the conflict through the use of defence mechanisms.
• Defence mechanisms convert unconscious impulses into more acceptable forms. For example, with displacement an impulse may be redirected away from its original target onto a more acceptable one.
• The psychodynamic approach developed by Freud assumes that behaviour is influenced by the unconscious mind.
• AO3

  One strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it has real life practical applications. For example, it led to a new dynamic type of therapy, psychoanalysis where freudian therapists have claimed that success with many patients. This means that individuals can explore their unconscious thoughts and emotions and find a resolution for their psychological challenges. Therefore, the psychodynamic approach has immense value in improving the quality of life for individuals through therapy in the real world.
• AO3

  One strength of the psychodynamic approach is it has research support from case studies. For example, Freud found Little Hans developed a fear of horses after initially fearing his father. This fear of horses symbolised his father, with the horse's blinkers representing his father's glasses. This suggests that Little Hans used defence mechanisms to displace his fear of his father onto the horse as a way to indirectly express his unconscious fear and anxiety towards his father. As a result, the case study of Little Hans gives credibility to the psychodynamic approach
• What is the counter argument to research support from case studies

  However, since Freud conducted a case study, it's not possible to make universal claims about human behaviour based on one individual's experience (Little Hans). Therefore, the study lacks generalisability in representing the broader population.
• AO3

  One weakness of the psychodynamic approach is that it has untestable concepts. For example, it includes a number of abstract concepts such as the Id, the superego, and the ego. This means that there are subjective interpretations which makes it challenging to scientifically measure and validate the concepts. Consequently, the psychodynamic approach lacks objective support for its concepts, which reduces its scientific credibility.
• AO3

  One weakness of the psychodynamic approach is that it is deterministic. For example, the psychodynamic approach assumes that behaviour is influenced by the unconscious mind. This implies that individuals do not have free will over their actions as their behaviour is determined by unconscious motives which are shaped by their biological drives and their early experiences. Therefore, the psychodynamic approach is unrealistic and unhelpful for individuals as its deterministic stance undermines individuals' sense of control and free will.
• State the 3 main types of defence mechanisms

  1. Denial- when an individuals refuses to acknowledge some aspect of reality. This way, the ego ignores the superego & refuses to believe that it has given into the id
  2. Repression- is when threatening impulses are repressed into the unconscious. The ego pushes the ids impulses back into the unconscious.
  3. Displacement- occurs when an unacceptable drive such as hatred is transferred from its primary target to a more acceptable target. This way, id impulses are redirected towards something else
• Which components of the personality is part of your unconscious?

  Id and superego
• Which component of the personality is part of the conscious?

  The ego
• State the 5 psychosexual stages in order

  1. Oral (0-1 years )
  2. Anal (1-3 years )
  3. Phallic (3-5 years)
  4. Latency (5 years to 12 years)
  5. Genital (12 years-18 years)
• State the conflict and consequences of this conflict not being resolved in the oral stage

  Conflicts= forceful feeding, deprivation or early weaning.

  
  

  Consequences of fixation:

  • oral fixation- smoking, chewing pens and fingernails, overeating and drinking
• State the conflict and consequences of this conflict not being resolved in the anal stage

  Conflicts= too harsh or too lax during toilet training

  
  

  Consequences of fixation:

  • Too harsh toilet training can result in an anally retentive personality obsessive where the child becomes tidy and neat.

  • Too lenient in toilet training can result in an anally expulsive personality where the child is disorganised, deviant and reckless.
• State the conflict and consequences of this conflict not being resolved in the phallic stage

  Conflicts= abnormal family set up leading to unusual relationship with mother or father where the child is sexually attracted to their parent

  Consequences of fixation:

  • Homosexual, reckless, narcissistic personality
• State the conflict and consequences of this conflict not being resolved in the latency stage

  Conflicts= interacting with same sex peers

  Sexual impulses are repressed, no body part fixation during this stage
• State the conflict and consequences of this conflict not being resolved in the genital stage

  Conflicts= Establishing intimate relationships with opposite sex

  Consequences of fixation:

  fixation at this stage (puberty) is what should happen and indicates a well-adjusted adult. 
• In which stage does the oedipus and electra complex occur?

  The phallic stage
• In which gender does the Oedipus and electra complex happen in?

  Oedipus complex= Male

  Electra complex= female
• What is the Oedipus complex?

  • Boys develop a sexual desire for their mother and so see their father as a rival and feel hatred towards them.  • Fearing that their father will castrate them, boys repress their feelings for their mother and identify with their father (boys get castration anxiety)

  -They take on his gender role and moral values.
• What is the electra complex?

  • Girls experience penis envy- they desire their father as the penis is the primary love object- and hate their mother. 
  • Girls then give up the desire for their father over time and replace this with a desire for a baby (identifying with their mother in the process).
• What does it mean to be anally expulsive?

  child becomes super keen to use the toilet
• What does it mean to be anally retentive?

  Child becomes nervous about learning to use the toilet
• What is fixation?

  where repressed psychological trauma from childhood affect behaviour is later life
• Psychological traumas

  According to Freud, if a child experiences trauma between stage 1-3, the traumatic experiences will be repressed into the unconscious mind