Psychodynamic Approach

• Assumptions:

  • Unconscious activity is the key determinate of how we behave.
  • Early childhood experiences are believed to be pivotal in making us the person that we are.
• The Role of the Unconscious:

  1. Conscious mind: what we are aware of at any one time.
  2. Pre-conscious mind: thoughts that may become conscious at some point. for example through dreams and slips of the tongue.
  3. Unconscious mind: The part we are unaware of. The driving, motivating force behind our behaviour and personality.
• • Freudian slips: when we make a mistake in our speech that reveals our unconscious thoughts and desires.
• Structure of personality: The Id

  • pleasure principle - all needs should be met
  • present at birth
  • primitive apart of the personality
  • Demand instant gratification
  • if dominant Id - highly impulsive and lacks self control
• Structure of personality: The ego

  • Reality principle
  • developed around the age of 2
  • Acts as mediator - reduce conflict between Id and Superego
• Structure of personality: The superego

  • Morality principle
  • developed at 4/5yrs
  • represents moral standards
  • conscience/guilt and shame
  • If dominant superego - judgmental and critical, highly anxious
• The Psychosexual stages of development:

  • Freud believe that children are born with a libido - a sexual (pleasure) urge
  • To be psychologically healthy, we must successfully complete each stage
  • Fixated: stuck at a particular stage due to an unresolved conflict at one of the stages
• The psychosexual stages of development: Oral

  • 0-1 yrs
  • libido = mouth
  • Conflict = weaning
  • fixation = sucking thumb, smoking and drinking
• The psychosexual stages of development: Anal

  • 2-3yrs
  • libido = bladder and bowels
  • conflict = toilet training
  • fixation = messiness
• The psychosexual stages of development: phallic

  • 3-5yrs
  • Libido = genitals
  • conflict = Oedipus and Electra complex
  • fixation = overly dependent on mother/father
• The psychosexual stages of development: Latency

  • 6-12yrs
  • Libido = dormant not active
  • conflict = defence mechanisms development
  • fixation = immaturity
• The psychosexual stages of development: Genital

  • 12+yrs
  • Libido = sexual desires
  • conflict = reaching full sexual maturity
  • fixation = if all stages were successfully completed then the person should be sexually matured and mentally healthy.
• Oedipus complex (boys):

  • the son sees the father as a threat and a rival
  • the son suffers from castration anxiety
  • he identifies with his father
  • adopts male identity and characteristics
  • internalisation of his morals and standards
• Electra complex (girls):

  • sees the mother as a threat and rival
  • she suffers from penis envy which symbolises male power
  • sees herself and her mother as powerless
  • she converts desire for penis into a desire for a baby
  • identifies with mother and adopts female roles
  • internalisation of her morals and standards
• Defence Mechanisms: unconscious resources used by the ego to manage the conflict between id and superego.
• Defence mechanisms: repression

  • where a distressing memory is forced out of the conscious mind into the unconscious mind.
• Defence mechanisms: denial

  • when you refuse to acknowledge some part of reality.
• Defence mechanism: displacement

  • when you transfer feelings from the true source of distressing emotions onto a substitute target.
• strengths:

  • supporting evidence - little Hans
  • real life application - psychoanalysis eg. free association and dream analysis
• weakness:

  • use of case studies - can't generalise
  • unscientific - highly subjective - based on his opinions
  • unfalsifiable - there is no way to falsify and disprove his theories