Psychodynamic Approach

• The role of the unconscious


  The conscious mind (we are aware of)

  - 'Tip of the iceberg'.

  
  

  The unconscious

  -A vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that has a significant influence on our behaviour and personality.

  - Also contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed.

  
  

  Preconscious mind (underneath the surface of conscious mind) - Thoughts and ideas we may become aware of during dreams or through 'Slips of the tongue' (parapraxes).

  
• The structure of personality

  Id, ego, superego

  
• Id


  - A reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives.

  - The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.
• Ego


  - The largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality.

  - The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.
• Superego


  - The part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.

  - Formed at the end of the phallic stage.

  - Based on the morality principle.
• Psychosexual Stages


  The childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones.
• Oral Stage


  Freud's first stage of psychosexual development during which pleasure is centred in the mouth

  
• Anal Stage


  Freud's psychosexual period during which a child learns to control his bodily excretions
• Phallic Stage


  Freud's third stage of personality development, from about age 4 through age 7, during which children obtain gratification primarily from the genitals.

  
• Latency Stage


  The fourth psychosexual stage, in which the primary focus is on the further development of intellectual, creative, interpersonal, and athletic skills.

  
• Genital Stage


  Freud's last stage of personality development, from the onset of puberty through adulthood, during which the sexual conflicts of childhood resurface (at puberty) and are often resolved during adolescence.
• Defence Mechanisms


  Unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the id and the superego.
• Repression


  Defence mechanism by which anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings are forced to the unconscious.

  
• Denial


  Defense mechanism by which people refuse to accept reality.

  
• Displacement


  Transferring emotions from the original source to another
• Strengths of the psychodynamic approach

  Real-world application

  - Psychoanalysis is the forerunner to many modern-day 'talking therapies', such as counselling, that have since been established.

  - HOWEVER, although Freudian therapists have claimed success for many patients with mild neuroses, psychoanalysis is regarded as inappropriate, even harmful, for people experiencing more serious mental disorders (such as schizophrenia).

  
  

  Explanatory power

  - Had a huge influence on psychology and contemporary thought.
• Limitations of the psychodynamic approach

  Untestable concepts

  - Popper argued that the psychodynamic approach doesn't meet the scientific criterion of falsification.

  - It isn't open to empirical testing.

  - Many of Freud's concepts (such as the Id and Oedipus Complex) are said to occur at an unconscious level, making them difficulty, if not impossible, to test.

  
  

  Psychic determinism

  - An extreme view because it dismisses any possible influence of free will on behaviour.
• Little Hans


  - 5 year old with a phobia of horses

  - Freud thought the horse represented his father as he was scared his father would castrate him for desiring his mother - this is the Oedipus complex theory