psychodynamic approach

• psychodynamic approach - 


  perspective that describes the different dynamics (forces) most of which are unconscious that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience
• role of unconscious -

  • most of mind is the unconscious - vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts with significant influence on our behaviour and personality
  • unconscious also contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed
  • accessed during dreams or slips of the tongue
  • preconscious - under surface of our conscious mind - contains thoughts and memories not currently in conscious awareness but can be accessed
• structure of personality -

  • id = primitive part of personality - operates on pleasure principle - id gets what it wants - unconscious drives and instincts - only id is present at birth
  • ego = works on reality principle - mediator between other 2 parts of personality - develops at around 2 - role is reducing conflict between demands of the id and superego - manages by employing defence mechanisms
  • superego = formed at end of phallic stage (5) - internalised sense of right and wrong - based on morality principle - moral standards
• psychosexual stages -

  • each stage has conflict child must resolve in order to progress successfully to next stage - unresolved leads to fixation
  • oral (0-1) - mouth - oral fixation (smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical)
  • anal (1-3) - anus - anal retentive (perfectionist, obsessive) anal expulsive (thoughtless, messy)
  • phallic (3-6) - genitals - phallic personality (narcissistic, reckless)
  • latency - earlier conflicts are repressed
  • genital - sexual desires become conscious alongside onset of puberty - difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
• defence mechanisms -

  • ego has difficult job balancing demands of the id and superego - does help in form of defence mechanisms
  • unconscious and ensure the ego is able to prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary threats or traumas
  • often involve some form of distortion of reality and as long-term solution are regarded as psychologically unhealthy and undesirable
  • eg repression, denial and displacement
• evaluation of psychodynamic approach: real world application (strength) -

  • P: introduced the idea of psychotherapy
  • E: new form of therapy - psychoanalysis - was the first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologically rather than physically - employed range of techniques designed to access the unconscious
  • E: claims to help clients by bringing represses emotions to conscious mind so they can be dealt with - forerunner to many modern talking therapies such as counselling
  • L: shows value of psychodynamic approach in creating a new approach to treatment
• evaluation of psychodynamic approach: real world application counterpoint (limitation) -

  • P: freudian therapists have claimed success for many clients with mild neuroses, however psychoanalysis is regarded as inappropriate, harmful for people experiencing more serious mental disorders (eg schizophrenia)
  • E: many symptoms of schizophrenia such as paranoia and delusional thinking means those with the disorder have lost their grip on reality and cannot articulate their thoughts in the way required by psychoanalysis
  • L: suggests freudian therapy and theory may not apply to all mental disorders