Psychodynamic

• Associated with the work of Sigmund Freud
• What are the key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

  • The role of the unconscious
  • The triplet personality
  • Defence mechanisms
  • Psycho sexual stages
• The role of the unconscious:

  • We are not aware of the vast majority of our thoughts
  • Our unconscious consists of our basic instincts and drives, as well as disturbing thoughts that are repressed
  • The preconscious contains unconscious thoughts that we can become aware of through dreams or Freudian slips
  • The conscious minds is just the tip of the iceberg
• The Tripartite Personality:

  Freud saw behaviour as being caused by conflict between the three components of our personality:

  • The Id
  • The Ego
  • The Superego
• The Id:

  • Present at birth
  • Primitive
  • Acts on the pleasure principle
  • Selfish and demands instant gratification
• The Ego:

  • Emerges at the age of two
  • Acts on the reality principle
  • Uses defence mechanisms as protection
  • Mediates between the two parts
• The Superego:

  • Emerges at around the age of 5
  • Acts on the morality principle
  • Our sense of right and wrong
  • Punishes the ego for wrongdoing (through guilt)
• What are defence mechanisms?

  • The ego uses these to help balance the demands of the Id and superego
  • You are never aware of these taking place
  • They protect us from temporary trauma but in the long term can cause mental health problems
• What are the 3 defence mechanisms?

  • Repression
  • Denial
  • Displacement
• What is repression?

  It is where a distressing memory is locked away in the unconscious mind
• What is denial?

  Refusing to acknowledge distressing aspects of reality
• What is displacement?

  Transferring emotions from their true source onto a substitute target
• What are the 5 psychosexual stages?

  • Oral
  • Anal
  • Phallic
  • Latent
  • Genital
• Describe the oral stage:

  Age: 0-1 years old

  Focus of libido: Mouth

  Consequence of fixation: Smoking, nail biting, sarcasm
• Describe the anal stage:

  Age: 1-3 years old

  Focus of libido: Anus (potty training)

  Consequence of fixation:

  • Overindulgence = Anal expulsive (messy and thoughtless)
  • Too strict = Anal retentive (perfectionist)
• Describe the phallic stage:

  Age: 3-5 years

  Focus of libido: Penis

  • Oedipus complex (boys)
  • Electra complex (girls)

  Leads to gender identification

  Consequence of fixation: Self obsessed, reckless and possibly homosexual
• Describe the latent stage:

  Age: 6-puberty

  Focus of libido: libido repressed

  Consequence of fixation: none
• Describe the genital phase:

  Age: puberty onwards

  Focus of libido: genitals (sexual desires become conscious)

  Consequence of fixation: Difficulty forming romantic relationships