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AQA A-Level Psychology > Approaches- Biological and Psychodynamic approach > Flashcards

Approaches- Biological and Psychodynamic approach Flashcards

1
Q

What is the biological approach ?

A

A perspective which emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body in order to explain behaviour

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2
Q

What is a persons genotype ?

A

Their genetic make-up

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3
Q

What is a persons phenotype ?

A

Physical and behavioural characteristics a person shows

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4
Q

What is neurochemistry ?

A

The study of chemicals and chemical processes which take place in the nervous system

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5
Q

What are some strengths of the biological approach ?

A
  • Uses a range of precise and highly scientific methods
  • Real life application
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6
Q

What are some weaknesses of the biological approach ?

A
  • Very deterministic
  • Twin studies ate flawed due to extraneous factors that may affect them, that are out of control
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7
Q

Who is the psychodynamic approach associated with the work of ?

A

Sigmund Freud

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8
Q

What are the 3 components of the mind ?

A

1- Unconscious
2- Conscious
3- Preconscious

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9
Q

What is the unconscious ?

A

Material that we are obviously aware of

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10
Q

What is the preconscious ?

A

Just under the surface of our conscious mind, contains stored information that can easily be made conscious

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11
Q

What is the unconscious ?

A

A vast area of the mind that is inaccessible. It. contains memories that would be distressing to the conscious mind

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12
Q

What are the 3 parts of the Tripartite personality ?

A
  • The ID
  • The Superego
  • The Ego
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13
Q

What is the ID ?

A

This is driven by pleasure and allows us to get out basic needs met. It wants immediate satisfaction with no consideration for the reality of the situation

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14
Q

What is the Ego ?

A

It has the job of meeting the needs of the Id whilst taking into consideration the constraints of reality. It reduces conflict between the Id and superego and does this by employing defence mechanisms

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15
Q

What is the superego ?

A

Our conscience and sense of right and wrong and produces feelings of guilt for wrongdoing

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16
Q

What are the three defence mechanisms ?

A
  • Repression
  • Denial
  • Displacement
17
Q

What is repression and what effect does it have on behaviour ?

A

An unpleasant memory is pushed into the unconscious mind where it is not accessible
to the conscious mind and can therefore cannot cause anxiety. It does however still
affect behaviour in the unconscious mind. It means there is no recall of the event or situation.

18
Q

What is denial and what effect does it have one behaviour ?

A

Refusal to accept the reality of an unpleasant situation. This reduces anxiety caused by that
situation. It may lead people to believe that the situation is not negative and that it should not cause anxiety. This is not positive thinking, merely a resistance to accept reality.

19
Q

What is displacement and what effect does it have on behaviour ?

A

When the focus on a strong
emotion is expressed onto a
neutral person or object. This
reduces anxiety by allowing
expression of that emotion. It means Someone may exhibit very
strong emotion but focus it
onto an uninvolved person or
object

20
Q

What is the first psychosexual stage ?

A

Oral (0-1 years)
- Only the id is present at this stage, so the infant seeks immediate
gratification, achieved through its
mouth - feeding, crying, and oral
exploration of the world. Mothers
breast- object of desire
- Consequences are: Oral fixation- smoking, biting nails, overeating, sarcastic, critical.

21
Q

What is the second psychosexual stage ?

A

Anal (1-3 years)
- Focus of pleasure- through defecating.
- Consequences are : If the parents are too lenient- leads to an anally expulsive character- someone
who is disorganized, thoughtless,
messy.
If parents are very strict about toilet
training and/or a child becomes too
fixated on retaining faeces- become
anal retentive- neat, stingy and
obsessive. More likely to suffer from
OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)

22
Q

What is the third psychosexual stage ?

A

Phallic (3-5 years)
- Boys develop unconscious sexual
desires for their mother and become
rivals with their father for her
affection. They develop a fear that
their father will punish them for these feelings (castration anxiety) This is called the Oedipus complex. To combat this anxiety, boys decide to identify with their fathers rather than fight with him. As a result they. develop masculine characteristics and repress their sexual feelings towards. their mothers.
Girls develop an unconscious sexual
attraction to their father, and so
identify with their mothers to reduce
anxiety. The young girl has penis envy and resents the mother for not
providing her with one (The Electra
complex).
- Consequences are : Phallic personality- narcissistic, reckless.
For Oedipus complex anxiety to be
resolved a father figure must be
physically present. Argued that without a father figure- boys are more likely to be homosexual and/or have issues with their gender identity.

23
Q

What is the Oedipus complex ?

A

Boys develop unconscious sexual desires for their mother and become rivals with their father for her attention

24
Q

What is the electra complex ?

A

Girls develop an unconscious sexual attraction to their father and so identify with their mothers to reduce anxiety

25
Q

What is the fourth psychosexual stage ?

A

Latent stage (6-Puberty)

26
Q

What is the fifth psychosexual stage ?

A

Genital stage (Puberty onwards)

27
Q

What are some strengths of the psychodynamic approach ?

A
  • Freuds therapies led to the development of associated therapies
    (psychoanalysis)
  • First to suggest how childhood can have an effect on adult behaviour
28
Q

What are some of the weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach ?

A
  • Vast majority of evidence has come from case studies so can not be generalised
  • Freuds theories were only based on men
  • Psychic determinism
  • Pseudoscience

AQA A-Level Psychology (33 decks)

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