Psychodynamic Approach

• Assumption: Behaviour can be directed by unconscious conflict.
• Freud felt behaviour is directed by the unconscious mind. The amount of unconscious conflict will depend upon the completion of 5 psychosexual stages:

  Oral -- mouth is the main source of pleasure.

  Anal -- control over faeces is the main source of pleasure.

  Phallic -- genitals are the main source of pleasure: Oedipus complex - boys resent their father, desire their mother / Electra complex - girls have penis envy, desire father, resent mother.

  Latency -- instincts subside, moral behaviour develops further.

  Genital -- instincts reappear, sexual desires become conscious.
• Fixation at any of the psychosexual stages occurs when a negative event happens within our childhood that prevents us from successfully completing a stage.
• The ID -- pleasure principle that is present from birth (in the unconscious mind)

  The Ego -- reality principle that appears around age 2 (mainly in the conscious mind)

  The Superego -- morality principle that appears at the end of the phallic stage (once we have identified with our same sex parent - partially in the conscious mind)
• The ego copes with the conflicting demands of the ID and Superego which causes anxiety - to reduce anxiety, the ego uses defence mechanisms:

  Repression -- distressing memories are forced into the unconscious mind.

  Denial -- reality is not acknowledged.

  Displacement -- negative emotions are transferred from the real source to a sub target.
• Evaluation

  Has research support from case studies -- individuals who have repressed memories have resurfaced in therapy -- credible.

  RWA -- led to development of psychoanalysis which is still used today for treatment -- useful.

  Criticised for psychic determinism -- does not take into consideration the concept of free will -- approach may be limited.

  Lacks scientific credibility -- no way to test the idea of the unconscious or defence mechanisms.