Psychodynamic approach

• who? when?

  Freud, 1900s
• Conscious mind


  A mental state of awareness that we have ready access to - the 'tip of the iceberg'.
• Preconscious mind


  (underneath the surface of conscious mind) - encompasses thoughts and memories which are not currently in conscious awareness but can be accessed if desired.
• Unconscious mind


  The part of mental activity that cannot be voluntarily retrieved

  
  

  (makes up 80% of the mind)

  
  

  Store of biological drives and instincts that influence behaviour and personality.

  
  

  Contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed - these are accessed via dreams or through 'slips of the tongue' (parapraxes).
• Id


  Develops at birth

  
  

  Unconscious drives and instincts - primal desires

  
  

  'Pleasure principle' - demands constant and immediate gratification, regardless of the consequences.

  
  

  Self-centred and impulsive

  
  

  Contains the libido.
• Ego


  Reality principle

  
  

  Balances conflict between the Id and Superego through the use of defence mechanisms.

  
  

  Develops around age 2.
• Superego


  Formed during the Phallic stage of psychosexual development (3-6 years)

  
  

  Mortality principle - child's moral code

  
  

  Arises through identification with the same-sex parent, the child internalises his/her moral standard.

  
  

  Consists of the conscience and the ego-ideal - which are internalised standards of what is good and bad behaviour.
• Defence mechanisms


  Operate at an unconscious level.

  
  

  They are deployed by Ego to balance conflict between the Id and Superego.

  
  

  They are used to protect the conscious mind from feelings of anxiety or guilt which arise because we feel threatened, or because our Id and Superego become too demanding.

  
  

  They result in some distortion to memory - keeping anything unpleasant/uncomfortable in the unconscious mind.
• Repression


  Forcing a distressing or traumatic memory out of the conscious mind.

  
  

  For example, during the Oedipus complex, aggressive thoughts of the same sex parent are repressed.
• Denial


  Not acknowledging an aspect of reality - blocking external events from awareness.

  
  

  For example, smokers may refuse to admit to themselves that smoking is bad for their health.
• Displacement


  Transferring emotions from the true source of distress onto a substitute target - to satisfy an impulse (eg: aggression)
• Free association


  A method of exploring the unconscious, patient's articulation of free association (can talk about anything) is encouraged to reveal unconscious thoughts and emotions - like repressed traumatic experiences.
• Dream analysis


  Dream interpretation to explain the meaning in the way unconscious thoughts and emotions are processed in sleep.
• Rorschack inkblot test


  Individual interpretations of inkblots are recorded and analysed to identify inner feelings and personality structure.
• 1st psychosexual stage

  Oral (0-1 years)

  
  

  Focus of libido = mouth

  Pleasure focus on sucking thumb or breast.

  
  

  Fixation - oral fixation (eg: nail biting), smoking, overeating
• 2nd psychosexual stage

  Anal (1-3 years)

  
  

  Focus of libido = anus

  Pleasure focus on anus - pleasure from holding or expelling faeces

  
  

  Fixation

  anal retentive - organised

  anal expulsive - outgoing and messy
• 3rd psychosexual stage

  Phallic (3-6 years)

  
  

  Focus of libido = genital

  Pleasure focus on genitals - children become increasingly aware of their bodies, heightened interest in their own genitals and the opposite sex.

  
  

  Resolving Oedipus / Electra complex

  
  

  Fixation - phallic personality - narcissistic, vain, self-obsessed, sexual anxiety.
• 4th psychosexual stage

  Latency (6 years - puberty)

  
  

  Sexual impulses repressed - engaging in hobbies and interests rather than sexual activities.

  
  

  Developing defence mechanisms

  
  

  Ends with the start of puberty, sexual desires become conscious.

  
  

  Difficulty forming healthy relationships or expressing emotions - feelings of insecurity, inadequacy and social isolation in adulthood.
• 5th psychosexual stage

  Genital (puberty - adulthood)

  
  

  Focus of libido = genitals

  
  

  Onset of mature adult sexuality

  
  

  Onset of romantic and sexual emotions - formation of intimate relationships.

  
  

  Exploring sexual identity

  
  

  Sexual dysfunction, difficulty forming healthy relationships.
• Unresolved conflict in one stage leads to fixation affecting adult life.


  Experiences that occurred during the stages of psychosexual development unconsciously influence our adult behaviour/experience - we are unaware of these early experiences, as the memory has been repressed.

  
  

  If you don't move successfully through a stage, it creates an unresolved conflict - which then manifests itself in symbolic outward behaviours as an adult.

  
  

  - example of hard determinism
• If all stages were completed successfully, then the person should be sexually matured and mentally healthy.
• Support - real life application - P

  This approach has revolutionised therapies
• Real life application - E

  Offers the first talking therapy called psychoanalysis

  designed to access unconscious mind.

  
  

  Psychoanalysis employs a range of techniques, such as exploring dreams and memories to learn about unresolved conflicts and fixations - so they can be recognized and managed.
• Real life application - E

  In a review of psychotherapy studies, DeMaat et al concluded that psychoanalysis produced significant improvements in symptoms that lasted years after treatment.
• Real life application - L

  This approach has contributed to the development of treatments, a forerunner in modern day psychotherapies.

  
  

  This shows the practical application of the theory to therapeutic settings.
• Limitation of psychoanalysis

  This form of therapy may only be suitable for those suffering from mild neuroses. It may not be appropriate for severe mental disorders like schizophrenia.

  
  

  Moreover, Sue and Sue argue that the therapy's emphasis on gaining personal insight has little relevance to non-Western cultures. In China, people who are depressed/anxious avoid distressing thoughts rather than openly discuss them.
• Limitation - use of case studies - P

  Case study method: ideas were developed by Freud using a small number of case studies (the intensive study of single individuals)
• The use of case studies - E

  For example, Freud supported his concept of the Oedipus complex with the case of Little Hans, a 5 yr old who had a fear of horses.

  
  

  Freud suggested his phobia was a form of displacement in which his repressed fear of his father (castration anxiety) had been displaced onto the horse - who became a symbolic representation of Han's fear.
• The use of case studies - E

  This means it's more difficult to generalise findings or make universal claims on human nature based on such a limited sample.

  
  

  Also, Freud's interpretations of his observations were highly subjective and it's unlikely that other researchers - like in the case of Little Hans - would've drawn the same conclusions.
• The use of case studies - L

  In comparison to other approaches (such as the biological and cognitive approaches), Freud's methods lack scientific vigour - his theories are unfalsifiable.
• Too deterministic - P

  Explains human behaviour as determined by unresolved conflicts in childhood and innate drives (Id, Ego, Superego) - this is known as psychic determinism.
• too deterministic - E

  According to Freud, there is no such thing as an accident.

  
  

  Even a 'slip of the tongue' (parapraxes) have symbolic meaning and can be explained by the underlying authority of the unconscious.
• too deterministic - E

  This takes a hard determinism stance, suggesting that free will has little influence over behaviour.
• too deterministic- L

  This weakens the appropriateness of the approach, taking a soft deterministic stance (such as the cognitive approach does) may be more appropriate.