APPROACHES IN PSYCHOLOGY - Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

4 assumptions of psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

1. Driving force behind behaviour is unconscious mind
2. Instincts and drives motivate our behaviour (sexual and aggressive instincts present from birth)
3. Childhood experiences determine personality and behaviour
4. Psychoanalysis shoukd be used to make the unconscious conscious

Question 2

What is the conscious mind

Answer 2

Part of mind we can access

Question 3

What is the unconscious mind

Answer 3

Part of mind that we can’t access
(Desires , traumatic memories etc)

Question 4

What is the id

Answer 4

Primitive urges (sexual aggressive) it demands instant gratification of its desires (pleasure principle )

Question 5

What is the Ego

Answer 5

Delays the ids drive for pleasure , keeps balance of id and superego (reality principle )

Question 6

What is superego

Answer 6

Opposite of id , feels guilt and holds someone back from behaving in a wrong way ( morality principle )

Question 7

What age does the id develop

Answer 7

Birth to 18 months

Question 8

What age does ego develop

Answer 8

18 months to 3 years

Question 9

What age does superego develop

Answer 9

3-6 years

Question 10

What happens when there is inbalance in id and superego

Answer 10

Abnormal behaviour and mental health problems this could be phobias

Question 11

What is a defence mechanism

Answer 11

Unconscious methods of reducing anxiety (the ego uses these to manage id and superego )

Question 12

What does unconscious conflict lead to

Answer 12

Anxiety

Question 13

What are the 3 defence mechanisms

Answer 13

Repression
Denial
Displacement

Question 14

What is repression

Answer 14

Forgetting a painful or disturbing memory by pushing it to unconscious mind where u can’t access it but it’s still there your just unaware of anxiety it causes

Question 15

What effect does repression have on behaviour

Answer 15

No recall of event but still effects behaviour even if not aware of it

Question 16

What is denial

Answer 16

Refusal to accept reality of an unpleasant situation

Question 17

What effect does denial have on behaviour

Answer 17

People may believe negative situations are positive so it doesn’t cause anxiety

Question 18

What is displacement

Answer 18

Focus of a strong emotion is expressed onto a neutral person or object

Question 19

What effect does displacement have on behaviour

Answer 19

Exhibit strong emotions onto an uninvolved person

Question 20

Give one strength and one limitation of defence mechanisms

Answer 20

STRENGTH - explanatory power , relatable to many people (repression denial displacement ) so helps understand own behaviour

LIMITATION - lacks falsifiability and test ability as they are unconscious processes that can’t be studied directly only inferred so it’s subjective not free from bias

Question 21

What did Freud say about dreams and the role of unconscious

Answer 21

Dreams have meanings they are the expression of the unconscious

Role of unconscious- eveeything we do has meaning even if it was done by accident there is an unconscious reasoning behind it like knocking over a vase by accident but u probably did it cause u didn’t like the person who owns it

Question 22

What is psychoanalysis

Answer 22

First psychotherapy , it’s a treatment for mental disorders like phobias

Question 23

What does psychoanalysis aim to do

Answer 23

Make the unconscious conflict conscious to strengthen the ego and help the to cope effectively

Question 24

Describe how psychoanalysis would work (patient and therapist )

Answer 24

Build a therapeutic relationship with patient let them talk no judgment sit behind them so can’t be seen

As patients start showing unconscious conflict they use defence mechanism like “therapy is a waste of time” this is resistance which is good as it’s a sign therapy is getting to the unconscious problems

Question 25

Techniques used in psychoanalysis

Answer 25

1. Dream interpretation 2. Free association 3. Projective techniques like ink blot test They all aim to access the persons unconscious

Question 26

What is Free association give example

Answer 26

Read a list of words to patient and they say first word thag comes to mind and so there hasn’t been time for the ego to censor it so shows unconscious urges Any pause is a sign of ego censoring response

Question 27

Limitations of psychoanalysis

Answer 27

Time consuming expensive Only as affective as placebo (EYSENCK) can’t treat all disorders

Question 28

What is Libido

Answer 28

Sexual mental energy that motivates behaviour feelings thoughts

Question 29

What is fixation

Answer 29

Getting stuck in a particular stage and so has effects on adult personality and behaviour

Question 30

What is gratification

Answer 30

Satisfaction and pleasure required at each stage

Question 31

Describe the ORAL stage, divisions age focus of libido description and effect on adult behaviour

Answer 31

Divisions - passive , aggressive Age - 0-12 months Focus of libido - mouth Description - mothers breast is object of desire Effect on adult behaviour - oral fixation leads to smoking biting nails being sarcastic and critical

Question 32

Describe the ANAL stage , divisions age focus of libido description and effect on adult behaviour

Answer 32

Divisions - expulsive, retentive Age - 1-3 years Focus of libido - Anus Description- child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces Effect on adult behaviour - ANAL EXPULSIVE - thoughtless messy ANAL RETENTIVE - obsessive , perfectionist

Question 33

Describe the PHALLIC stage , divisions age focus of libido description and effect on adult behaviour

Answer 33

divisions - Oedipus or electra complex Age - 3-5years Focus of libido- genitals Description - Oedipal of electra complex experiences Adult behaviour - phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless, possible homosexual

Question 34

Describe the LATENT stage , divisions age focus of libido description and effect on adult behaviour

Answer 34

Divisions- none Age - 6-12 years Focus on libido- none Description - earlier conflicts repressed Adult behaviour - none

Question 35

Describe the GENTIAL stage , divisions age focus of libido description and effect on adult behaviour

Answer 35

Divisions - NONE Age - 12+ years Focus on libido - GENITALS Description - sexual desire become conscious alongside puberty Adult behaviour- difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 36

Describe the Oedipal complex

Answer 36

Intense sexual feelings for mother Boy sees father as rival and is threatened by him and so feels castration anxiety (all of this is unconscious mind) boy acts similar to father (identification) to reduce castration anxiety Freud said that if there is no father figure he would be likely to grow up to be homosexual

Question 37

Describe electra complex

Answer 37

Girls realise they don’t have a penis “think mother castrated them” and so at 3 years old ish develop “penis envy” This desire for penis is expressed through playing with dolls( a baby) Girls desire father same as boys desire mother And so same identification process (all in unconscious)

Question 38

Strength of psychosexual stages

Answer 38

Contribution to society- Long term Effects of traumatic events in childhood like child abuse and parental separation

Question 39

2 limitations of psychosexual stages

Answer 39

Gender biased - as whole theory is mainly based on male development and little mention to female so can’t apply to females Difficult to test scientifically as it’s impossible to measure as it s all in unconscious (libido) so can’t establish if theory is valid

Question 40

What was the case study of “little Hans”

Answer 40

Analysis of phobia in a 5yr old boy Hans had a phobia of running horses Hans behaviour analysed by Freud through letters. Freud analysed that Hans fascination with his penis was important , he saw that animals like horses have larger penises than him THIS INDICATES PHALLIC STAGE . Hans father left for a while Hans liked the attention from mother when father came back Hans resented father THIS IS OEDIPAL COMPLEX Hans little sister was born and had major influence on Hans behaviour he was hostile to sister - EXTENSION OF OEDIPAL COMPLEX Hans was experiencing castration anxiety Recovered from phobia . When read paper didnt know it was about him

Question 41

What aspects of Freuds theories does the case Study of Little Hans demonstrate

Answer 41

1. Defence mechanism - displacement 2. Explanation of phobias 3. How boys experience Oedipal complex

Question 42

EVALUATION OF PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH 2 strengths

Answer 42

1. Supported by case study of little Hans phobia of horses shows Oedipus complex (boy was in phallic stage ) 2. Successful treatment - treating mental disorders using psychoanalysis like depression and BERGIN found that 80 percent of patients benefited from psychoanalysis compared to 65percent from other types of psychotherapies HOWEVER HYSENCK found that psychoanalysis is only as effective as placebo and it only works if one believes in Freud psychodynamic approach

Question 43

EVALUATION OF PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH 2 limitations

Answer 43

1. Evidence on which he based his theory on is not scientific he used case studies in a small sample and it was sample of his friends and he analysed dreams etc and all this is open to bias and subjectivity 2. Can’t test empirically - memory bias as individuals don’t even remember stages and how u can’t test id ego super ego so lacks validity and so assumptions could be incorrect