🟥2.1 - Approaches In Psychology (Set B - Psychodynamic Approach) Flashcards
What are defence mechanisms in the mind? why are they important?
Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological responses that protect people from feelings of anxiety, threats to self-esteem, and things that they don’t want to think about or deal with
Explain how the defence mechanism repression works?
Thoughts that are kept in the unconscious mind and are not allowed into the conscious mind (as if they have been forgotten) - protects the person from these thoughts and means the EGO does not have to deal with them
Explain how the defence mechanism denial works?
Unconscious process which happens when a person refuses to accept that an event has happened - may occur after a very traumatic experience, aims at giving the mind time to comprehend and process
Why might a person not know they are ‘in denial’, what are some issues with being in denial?
not a conscious process therefore the person will not know they are ‘in denial’ - long periods of denial can be bad for health and cause you to loose touch with reality
Explain how the defence mechanism displacement works?
When an unacceptable drive such as hatred to a mother is displaced to a more acceptable target like your brother
Give 2 evaluations on defence mechanisms?
- lack of falsifiability since defence mechanisms are unconscious processes and can’t be studied directly
- defence mechanisms can only be inferred from behaviour or reported thoughts/experiences
What does the psychodynamic approach state?
states that the unconscious forces deep in our mind have the greatest influence on our thoughts,feelings and behaviour - how you behave could be a result of an early traumatic childhood experience which is now coming out and driving your behaviour in adulthood
What are three features of the psychodynamic approach?
- one of the earliest approaches of psychology around 19th century
- main figure in theory is Sigmund Freud
- idea that childhood experiences remain unconscious but have great influence on our adult lives and shape our personality
What is the role of the unconscious mind?
primitive, instinctual wishes as well as information and experiences which we cannot access and have acquired during childhood, can not recall because they are buried deep within our mind - however they may arise in adulthood and drive our behaviour
What is the role of the conscious mind?
Is responsible for what we are currently aware of - able to actively recall these thoughts, example would be want your currently thinking
What is the role of the pre-conscious mind?
includes thoughts which we become aware of during dreams or randomly through ‘slips of the tongue’, eg calling your teacher mum - become aware of this information when you direct attention to it
How did Freud believe past traumatic expirences deep within our unconscious mind could be cured?
Believed that only though the ‘talking cure’ (talking to a therapist) in which we bring up these traumatic experiences buried deep in our unconscious to our consciousness where we can cure the problem
Explain the importance of the unconscious mind as a defence mechanism?
unconscious psychological operation that functions to protect a person from anxiety-producing thoughts and feelings related to internal conflicts and outer stressors
Explain the relation between the unconscious mind and mental disorders?
Mental disorders arise from repressed unresolved, unconscious conflicts originating in childhood
Explain Freud belief about the structure of the personality (tripartite model)?
Believed we all have three characters in our mind at the same time, if they are unbalanced they can cause us anxiety and may eventually lead to mental abnormality - experiences in childhood shape the development of the 3 parts (Id, Ego, Superego)
