AO3 - The Psychodynamic Approach

Cards (2)

  • The psychosexual stages can be criticised for psychic determinism. This is because the feature suggests that an individual is controlled by internal and external factors such as the occurrence of fixations that inevitably cause behaviour, such as oral fixations resulting in behaviour such as smoking. Therefore, it neglects the role of free will and choice that individuals have. This could leave individuals feeling like they have no control over their own behaviour. Limiting the appropriateness of using the psychosexual stages to explain human behaviours and development.
  • A strength of the psychodynamic explanation of human behaviour is that it has practical applications. This is because the principles of the theory, that behaviour is caused by the unconscious mind has led to the treatment of psychoanalysis, which can be used to treat abnormalities in the real world, such as depression and anxiety by dealing with conflicts hidden in the unconscious. Therefore, the psychodynamic approach of human behaviour is an important part of applied psychology as it helps to treat people in the real world.
    • Discussion: economy