PSYCHODYNAMIC: assumptions, relationships and therapy. Flashcards
1
Q
Explain the influence of childhood experiences assumption
A
- shape adult personality
- psychological development takes place in the psychosexual stages and each represents the fixation of libido on a different area of the body
- 5 stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
—> frustration or overindulgence causes fixation and leads to diff personality
—> oral: 0-18m, Id present, oral receptive = dependant
IE Bowlbys 44 thieves research - fixation at phallic stage lead to difficulty maintaining relationships and therefore explain thieving characteristics
2
Q
Explain the unconscious mind assumption
A
- Freud suggested the mind was like an iceberg and much of what goes on inside the mind lies beneath the surface
- unconscious mind is not logical and is ruled by pleasure seeking. It can only be accessed via psychoanalysis ie dream analysis or Freudian slips
—> determines much of our behaviour, motivated by unconscious emotional drives. Relates to ego defence mechanisms which are used to protect the ego from anxiety causes by conflicts between the id, ego and superego
IE projection, displacement and repression -> lead to disturbed behaviour
3
Q
Define repression, projection and displacement
A
- repression: keeping troublesome emotions out of conscious awareness
- projection: attributing undesirable impulses or characteristics to others
- displacement: unconsciously transferring impulses from a threatening object to non-threatening object
4
Q
Little Hans (UM)
A
- phobia of horses
- Freud suggested this was due to his intense envy of his father that he projected to horses
5
Q
Explain the tripartite personality assumption
A
- adult personality involves 3 parts, developed at different stages
- Id is present from birth, it is the pleasure principle as aims to gain gratification. It is unconscious
- ego appears around 2. Conscious and rational part of mind, works out ways to balance demands of Id —> reality principle. Resolves conflict between Id and superego
- superego appears around 4. Represents sense of right and wrong and is the ideal self. It is the morality principle
Bowlbys 44 thieves suggest separation of mother and child could affect superego development, explaining thieving behaviour due to a reduced sense of right and wrong
6
Q
Explain why the psychodynamic psychologists would view dream analysis as an appropriate therapy
A
- one assumption of the psychodynamic approach is that our unconscious mind has the greatest influence on our behaviour. Therefore the aim of psychoanalysis is to make the unconscious conscious so that people become aware of the unconscious influences
- the reason for this is to help the client uncover any underlying conflict within the unconscious mind, and bring it to the conscious so it can be addressed and dealt with
- dream analysis is thought to be the royal road to the unconscious mind. Freud believes dream often represented underlying conflict and it is through dream analysis that the therapist can help decode the storyline of the dream to find its underlying meaning, which will unlock the unconscious
7
Q
Describe the main components of dream analysis (8)
A
- Freud describes dreams as the royal road to the unconscious mind. Dreams are therefore the unconscious way of fulfilling wishes and desires that are unacceptable to be satisfied in the conscious mind. Dreams allow successful wish fulfilment
- according to Freud, the content of dreams is expressed symbolically and so to undercover the underlying meaning, the symbols get decoded. This is where the context of the dreamers life should be considered
- 1: dreamer recalls dreams to therapist, what they remember is called manifest content
- 2: the process of dream works is applied to the dream. This is when latent content (underlying meaning of dream) is transferred to manifest content
- 3: there are five processes in dream work - condensation, displacement, representation, symbolism, secondary elaboration
—> condensation: many elements that make up the latent content of the dream are represented by just one image so the info is condensed. - 4: therapist reverses dreamwork to uncover the underlying meaning of the dream, decoding manifest to latent. Multiple interpretations offered by therapy to enable client to choose what they deem most fitting
8
Q
dream analysis effectiveness - side effects
A
- strength OR weakness (go W)
- do not cause side effects like drugs but the information recalled/interpreted could be traumatic and cause distress. Also false memory syndrome could arise whereby the patients identity and relationships could be affected by false memories they believe to be true (links to ethics).
- therefore lacks face validity as doesn’t make sense to use a therapy that could further harm a patient
9
Q
dream analysis effectiveness - patient is in charge
A
- strength
- although the therapist takes the expert role, the patient is involved in therapy too. They have to recall the dream for the therapist as well as select the interpretation. Could increase effectiveness
- however patient still reliable on therapist which could potentially create power imbalance (ethics).
- has face validity as makes sense for the client to have an important role in their own treatment/recovery
10
Q
dream analysis effectiveness - usefulness
A
- weakness
- dream analysis may be appropriate to help with phobias, anxiety and depression but due to the subjective nature of it, it’s appropriateness could be questioned ie would not be appropriate for someone with severe depression due to it being emotionally distressing. If not effective, then it would not be appropriate to use it
- therefore lacks face validity as does not make sense to use if only sometimes can be helpful, and lacks application as it cannot be used on all people or in all circumstances
11
Q
dream analysis effectiveness - subjective interpretation
A
- weakness
- aim is to gain insight into the unconscious thoughts which could be (for example) creating the anxiety. It suggests that by coming aware of them, the issue can be cured. But due to subjective nature of the dreamers feedback and therapists interpretation, it is possible that the real unconscious conflict may not be uncovered leading to an inability to treat the cause. Goes against objectivity of science
- lack application and face validity as does not make sense to undergo treatment that may not actually help
12
Q
dream analysis effectiveness - research evidence
A
- strength
- evidence that suggests there is a link between dreaming and thinking - Salms used PET scans to demonstrate that when asleep, the rational part of the brain (ego) is inactive whereas areas concerned with memory and motivation (id) are active. This therefore supports why dream analysis may be effective at uncovering unconscious thoughts and desires
- externally valid as scientific research found in multiple people to support it
13
Q
dream analysis ethics - power imbalance between therapist and client
A
- weakness
- as therapist offers insight into the patients unconscious, the patient has to rely on the therapist to progress through the therapy. Particularly with depressed patients, the patients could become over-dependant on the therapist due to over-relying on people in their lives
- breaks BPS guidelines of responsibility a dr has for patient to ensure they are looked after and not harmed
14
Q
dream analysis ethics - false memory syndrome
A
- weakness
- false memories may come from the dream analysis which the therapist claims to have uncovered. These could then affect the clients identity and relationships as they may believe they’ve experienced these traumatic events
- breaks responsibility and integrity of BPS guidelines as dr should care for patient and not cause them further harm and also not compromise their dignity
15
Q
dream analysis ethics - risk of harm
A
- weakness
- could occur from therapist guiding client toward distressing interpretations. Whilst insight may be needed for recovery, distress caused may be worse than the current distress. Clients must be warned of this beforehand
- break respect a dr has to patient to look after them and keep them informed
