psychodynamic approach

• Psychodynamic approach


  Suggests that human behaviour results from unconscious processes, of which we are unaware
• Tripartite Personality


  • Id
  • Ego
  • Superego
• Id


  The primitive biological part of the mind, present from birth, consisting of basic biological impulses or drives such as hunger, thirst etc. Known as the pleasure principle.
• Ego


  Mediates between the id and superego, develops around age 2, tries to reduce conflict between the id and superego by using defence mechanisms. Known as the reality principle.
• Superego


  Our inner parent voice, judges whether actions are right or wrong, an internalised representation of the same sex parent. Known as the morality principle.
• Psychosexual stages


  1. Oral

  2. Anal

  3. Phallic

  4. Latency

  5. Genital
• If a child does not resolve the conflict at each psychosexual stage, they will become fixated in that stage and carry it into adulthood, reflected in their behaviours
• Freud's case studies


  • Little Hans demonstrating the Oedipus Complex
• Freud's case studies could be open to researcher bias as he could be looking for evidence for his own theories
• It is hard to generalise from one individual to the general population, lacking generalisability
• Freud's methods could be said to lack scientific credibility and validity
• Freud's theories contain abstract concepts that cannot be operationalised or measured in a scientific way, making them non-falsifiable and lacking scientific credibility
• Despite the subjective research methods, the psychodynamic approach has good explanatory power for human behaviour
• The psychodynamic approach is deterministic, suggesting that childhood experiences shape adult personality and ignoring the role of free will and other adult life factors
• Humanism may be a more effective and holistic way of explaining human behaviour, as it acknowledges both psychodynamic and biological causes