Freud's psychodynamic explanation

• Eros


  our instinct for life
• Neuroses


  issues where someone knows they have them and neuroses are simply normal functioning moving down the line from normal
• Psychoses


  problems that are individual cannot deal with and is not totally aware of so there's little or no insight there for someone to help themselves. Break from reality.
• Thantos


  Our drive to reduce arousal, to reduce life, death instinct
• Conscious mind


  Holds thoughts, ideas, emotions and other aspects of thinking the individual is AWARE of. Perceptual awareness, awareness of things around you.
• Preconscious mind


  holds thoughts and ideas that can be accessed and are ready to be known about. Holds our memories that are accessible not repeated.
• unconscious mind


  level of the mind in which thoughts, feelings, memories, and other information are kept that are not easily or voluntarily brought into consciousness
• Ego


  balances demands of id with demands of superego, to make rational decisions. Develops at 18 months

  Juggles demands
• Id


  what an individual wants, contains thanathos, born with sexual drive and pleasure principle

  Wants satisfaction
• Superego


  holds 'shoulds' and 'oughts' what we should be like, holds conscience given by society. Morality principle.

  Develops around 4

  the 'you' can't have part of personality
• Catharsis


  a release of emotional tension

  when something that is unconscious is brought into conscious mind then the thoughts or memories bring emotions so are released

  When repressed ideas are brought into conscious mind, the feelings are released and that releases energy that was being used up, person is 'freed' from these emotions and thoughts
• Freud and aggression


  aggression is instinctive

  Link to superego in children. They may get angry with parents for not allowing them to do certain things
• Main drives of aggression


  Libido (sex drive and self preservation)

  Ego (preserve the self and respond to these drives whilst balancing superegos demands and repress unacceptable thoughts into unconscious

  These thoughts can leak out in dreams, defence mechanisms such as displacement or free analysis.
• Little Hans


  5 year old with a phobia of horses

  freud thought the horse represented his father as he was scared his father would castrate him for desiring his mother

  Saw aggression in jealousy a boy will feel towards his father for getting in the way of the boys feelings towards his mother.
• Strengths of Freud's theory


  Generated data from in depth case studies.

  Freuds idea about treating mental health problems provided solutions that were unavailable at the time
• Weaknesses of Freud's theory


  doesn't use scientific method

  Datas qualitative and personal

  Concepts aren't measurable

  Only looked at development up to puberty and adolescence