A03

• * practical applications ?

  • led to treatment of abnormality - psychoanalysis
  • therapy includes dream analysis
  • uncovers repressed trauma from unconscious mind
  • ecological
  • shows that memories are repressed & unconscious drives behaviour
  • helps in real world -therapy is given to people with mental health issues
• X unscientific & unfalsifiable?

  • based on the unconscious
  • cannot be physically seen/measured/disproved as its very abstract
  • eg structure of personality is based on unconscious
  • ? internal
  • cannot be empirically tested due to its focus being on unconcious mind which is not physical
  • does not adhere to features of a science
• X retrospective outlook?

  • childhood influences are over emphasised at the expense of adult ones
  • even if childhood experiences play part in behaviour that does not mean to say that we can ignore adult experiences that may contribute to behaviour
  • ignores experiences we have as adults that could affect behaviour
  • so other approaches that focus on present thoughts (cognitive) may be more important in explaining adult behaviour
• X out of date

  • was created in 1900s
  • so no longer relevant
  • eg oedipus/electra complex are no longer relevant explanations of consequences fixation in psychosexual stage as they rely heavily on nuclear families
  • ingores factors such as same sex/single parent households
  • ? temporal
  • neglects modern day societal factors that may affect adult behaviour meaning no longer vaild in todays society
• X psychically deterministic?

  • claims behaviour is pre determined by childhood experiences & not in our control
  • pro - allows us to predict & determine future behaviour
  • eg if child is fixated on oral stage of psychosexual development may group as chain smoker/nail biter
  • con - neglects individual differences & fact that we respond differently to psychosexual stages
  • ignores individual differences & concept of free will
  • suggests all behaviour is pre determined by our childhood & not down to factors such as biology/learning from role models which are falsifiable behaviours