psychodynamic approach

• Freud suggests that the part of the mind we know about (conscious) is merely the tip of the iceberg and below the surface is the preconscious and unconscious mind.
• conscious mind is our perceptions through senses and awarness of the world
• unconscious mind is what we are not aware of and is difficult to access. its a vast storehouse which contains our instincts, needs and internal drives and can also contain disturbing memories which have been forgotten or locked away
• preconscious mind contains thoughts and memories which are not currently in conscious awareness but we can access if desired
• the psychodynamic approach makes three key assumptions:

  1.role of the unconscious

  2.structure of personality

  3.psychosexual stages
• frued described personality as a tripartite system composed of three parts: the Id, the ego and the super ego
• The Id:

  -true nature

  -selfish/pleasure principle

  -driven by unconscious needs and instincts
• The superego:

  -develops at age 5 (end of phallic stage)

  -based on morality principle

  -gives a sense of right and wrong

  -bound to parents moral standards
• The ego:

  -develops at age 2

  -aware of peoples feelings

  -reality principle

  -rational

  -deals between superego and id through defence mechanisms
• one defence mechanism is denial. this is refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
• another defence mechanism is displacement. this is transferring feelings from the source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target
• another defence mechanism is repression. this is forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind
• psychosexual stages:

  5 stages marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve. if not resolved this can leave to a fixation and child carries certain behaviours and conflict into adult life
• 1st psychosexual stage (oral):

  -0-1yrs

  -pleasure from

  sucking and biting mothers breast

  -if not completed causes oral fixation :smoking, nail biting

  -if completed child can eat independently
• 2nd psychosexual stage (anal):

  -1-3yrs

  -pleasure from controlling bowel movements

  -if not completed anal retentive (obsessive,neat) or anal expulsive (messy, thoughtles)

  -if completed potty trained
• 3rd psychosexual stage (phallic):

  -focuses on genitals

  -3-5yrs

  -if not completed leads to a phallic personality (narcissistic and reckless)

  -if completed detached from

  parents
• 4th psychosexual stage (latent):

  -6-12yrs

  -sexual feelings repressed
• 5th psychosexual stage (genital):

  -12yrs+

  -mature sexual interests develop

  -if not completed can lead to difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
• supporting evidence, research support ao3:

  -little hans case study

  • 5-year-old boy with phobia of horses.
  • From 3yrs, he showed an interest in ‘widdlers’, both his own penis and those of other males, including animals.
  • Hans’s fear of horses worsened, and he was reluctant to go out. Freud linked this fear to the horse’s large penis. The phobia improved, relating only to horses with black harnesses over their noses.
  • Freud’s interpretation linked Hans’s fear to the Oedipus complex, the horses (with black harnesses and big penises) unconsciously representing his fear of his father.
  • Freud suggested Hans resolved this conflict as he fantasized about himself with a big penis and married his mother.this allowed him to overcome his castration anxiety and identify with his father.
• In summary, Freud used the case of Little Hans to demonstrate how unconscious desires, conflicts, and anxieties, particularly those related to the Oedipus complex, can manifest as phobias and other psychological symptoms. He interpreted Hans's behavior through the lens of psychodynamic theory, suggesting that childhood experiences and unconscious processes play a crucial role in shaping adult personality and behavior. 
• supporting evidence ao3:

  -comprehensive theory

  -looks at different stages of growing up and unconscious and conscious mind

  -covers alot
• supporting evidence, practical application ao3:

  -father and creator of psychoanalysis

  -therapy which treats mental

  disorders by exploring the unconscious and digging on past childhood trauma

  -helps patients condition

  -fore runner to modern day taking therapies which places value on psychodynamic approach
• limiting evidence ao3:

  • theory based on case studies 
  • based on studies of unique people with uncommon behaviours and life situations
  • theory lacks generalisability to wider population 
• limiting evidence ao3:

  -gender bias

  -majority of case studies that theory is based on are from me

  participants 

  -theory assumes that it is also applicable to women

  -e.g phallic stage only considers exploration of male genitals

  -lacks generalisability across genders
• limiting evidence, ao3:

  -psychic determinism 

  -theory assumes our behaviour is determined by unconscious and led by childhood trauma 

  -everything is driven by unconscious forces and has a deep meaning

  -extreme view and dismisses any influence free will has on behaviour
• ego has a difficult job balancing the conflict demands of the id and superego but does have help in the form of defence mechanisms which are unconscious and ensure the ego is able to prevent us from being overwhelmed