Psychodynamic

• Sigmund Freud

  • proposed mind is more complex, animalistic and vulnerable
  • We have 2 basic ‘innate’ drives - Sex ‘Eros’ and Death ‘Thanatos’
  • enjoyment stimulates libidinal energies
• 
  

  Proposed:

  • ego is vulnerable to conflict between Id (Desires) and the super-ego (constraining)
  • this is ‘Anxiety’

  
• Psychosexual Development

  • 18m - Oral: learn pleasure in our environment
  • 18m-3Y - Anal: retain and release pleasure + emotion
  • 3-6Y - Phallic: develop morals through identification with parents
  • 6Y- puberty - Latent: nothing happens
  • Puberty- Death - Genital: learn sex for reproduction is acceptable
• Defence Mechanisms

  • Denial - denies anxiety exists
  • Regression - moving back to an earlier stage
  • Repression - banishing memory
  • Projection - pushing unwanted impulse onto others
  • Displacement - moving an impulse from one to another
  • Reaction Formation - forming strong opinions to mask desires
  • Sublimation - transforming impulses into something constructive
• Research in support

  • Repression – Williams et al (1994)

  –1/3 of all abuse victims have no recollection of abuse during adolescence and early childhood.

  • Reaction formation – Adams et al (1996)

  –80% of the strongest homophobes are sexually aroused by scenes of homosexual sex

  • Tripartite personality – Solms (2000)

  –PET scans show different parts of the brain are activated to correspond to the different structures in Freud’s model
• Research in support

  • Early trauma distorts personality - Thigpen and Cleckley (1957)

  -Case study of DID (Dissociative identity disorder). in response to early trauma ‘Eve’ had three distinctive and contradictory personality.

  • Unconscious drives shape behaviour - Felliti (2001)

  -5 Morbidly obese women who struggled to diet. they would ‘sleep eat’. They all had early childhood sexual trauma.
• Case studies F = Freud’s analysis

  • Anna O [F: Repressed Sexual desires]

  –Fear of water – didn’t speak her native language – Paralysis

  –Not cured

  • Little Hans [F: Castration Anxiety]

  –Fear of horses

  –Not cured
• Case studies F = Freud's analysis

  • Wolf Man [F: Saw parents being intimate]

  –Fear of Wolves

  –Not cured

  • Rat Man [F: Latent homosexuality]

  –Generalised obsessions

  –Specific fear of Rats

  –Not cured
• Evaluation

  • lacks falsifiability
  • cant be tested - cant be proven wrong
  • can’t be considered science if cant proven wrong
  • Bowlby was trained by Freud’s daughter
  • Ignores biology and cognition
  • Gender and cultural bias.
• Psychoanalysis

  Releasing repressed emotions and experiences

  Commonly used to treat depression

  Insight into inner consciousness
• How does it work?

  Therapist direct and discloses little about themselves

  Patient asked what is on their mind

  Therapist probes into unconscious

  • Free association - mind wanders freely. often uncovers repressed events and exposes unconscious desires

  Therapist looking for resistance + defences

  • Abreaction - reexperiencing a vivid traumatic event
  • Catharsis - unpleasant release of emotions
• Is it effective?

  Art therapy - Used with children and severely traumatised people

  Play therapy - helps children to articulate thoughts and feelings
• Is it appropriate?

  Effectiveness lower than most treatments

  Psychoanalysis last resort for treatments
• Smith and Glass (1976)

  Argued Psychoanalysis was 2/3rds effective as CBT but at worst 50% less effective

  • time consuming
  • expensive
  • strain on patient (tried so many treatments before hand)
  • Still used today