PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH

• The psychodynamic approach includes : the unconscious , the structure of personality , defence mechanisms and the psychosexual stages
• The role of the unconscious

  Most of our mind is made up of the unconscious , which stores biological drives that influence our behaviour and personality. The unconscious mind also contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed.
• The structure of personality

  The ID is entirely unconscious and operates on the pleasure principle so demands immediate gratification.

  The Ego balances the conflicting demands of the ID and the superego.

  The Superego is our internalised sense of right and wrong.
• Defence mechanisms - unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the ID and the superego.
• What are the 3 defence mechanisms?

  Repression , denial , and displacement
• What are the 5 psychosexual stages?

  Oral , Anal , Phallic , Latency , Genital
• What are the evaluation points for the psychodynamic approach?

  Strength - created psychotherapy

  Counter argument - psychoanalysis is inappropriate for serious mental disorders

  Strength - can explain human behaviour

  Weakness - untestable
• EVALUATION - CREATED PSYCHOTHERAPY

  A strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it created psychotherapy as an alternative to physical treatments. Freud created a new form of therapy called psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis uses a range of techniques designed to access the unconscious, such as dream analysis. Psychoanalysis claims to help clients by bringing their repressed emotions into their conscious mind so they can be dealt with. This shows the value of the psychodynamic approach it developed a new approach to treatment .
• EVALUATION - COUNTER ARGUMENT

  However, although Freudian therapists have claimed success for many clients with mild neuroses, psychoanalysis is regarded as inappropriate for people experiencing more serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Many of the symptoms of schizophrenia, such as paranoia and delusional thinking, mean that those with the disorder have lost their grip on reality and cannot control their thoughts in the way required by psychoanalysis. This suggests that psychotherapy may not apply to all mental disorders.
• EVALUATION - CAN EXPLAIN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

  A strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it can explain human behaviour. The psychodynamic approach has been used to explain a wide range of phenomena such as personality development, abnormal behaviour, moral development and gender identity. The psychodynamic approach is also significant in drawing attention to the connection between experiences in childhood, such as our relationship with our parents, and our later development. This suggests that the psychodynamic approach has had a positive impact on psychology.
• EVALUATION - WEAKNESS

  A weakness of the psychodynamic approach is that much of it is untestable. The psychodynamic approach does not meet the scientific criteria of being falsification. Many of Freud's concepts occur at an unconscious level, making them impossible to test. Furthermore, his ideas were based on the subjective study of single individuals, such as Little Hans, which makes it difficult to make universal claims about human behaviour. This suggests that the psychodynamic approach is pseudoscientifc rather than established fact.