Approaches (L9-13) Flashcards
(48 cards)
1
Q
What are the key assumptions of the physcodynamic approach?
A
- driving force behind our behaviour is the unconscious mind
- instincts and drives motivate our behavior
- early childhood makes us the person we are
2
Q
What did Freud believe about levels of the mind, PA?
A
- believed there are 3 levels to the mind
- concius mind containing thoughts, feelings and memories that one is currently aware of
- preconscious mind containing thoughts, feelings and memories that a person could access if they wanted
- unconscious mind, Freud argued that the largest part of the mind is inaccessible, including biological drives, instincts, desires, repressed memories, and fears, can be accessed through psychoanalytic therapy
3
Q
What did Freud believe about everday actions, PA?
A
- behaviours are not controlled conciously
- but are the product of the unconscious mind which reveals itself in slips of the tongue known as Freudiam slips, in creativity and neurotic symptoms
- mind prevents traumatic thoughts, feelings and mems reaching conscious mind to avoid causation of anxiety
4
Q
What occurs during psychoanalysis, PA?
A
- therapist aka psychoanalyst tries to access unconscious mind of their patients
- via free association and dream interpretation
5
Q
What is free association, PA?
A
- expressing everything within your conscious without censoring anything in an attempt to access unconscious processes
- allowing patients to discuss thoughts, dreams, feelings etc. regardless of coherency
6
Q
What is dream interpretation, PA?
A
- interpretation of dreams to determine their underlying meanings
- based on the notion that your unconscious mind protects you from your repressed desires by expressing those desires in dreams and hiding them away from your conscious mind
7
Q
What is the structure of personality, PA?
A
- has a tripartite structure
- the Id, Ego and the Superego
8
Q
How is personality shaped, PA?
A
- experience and conflicts in childhood shape the development of the 3 parts of personality (id etc.)
- which affects how a person behaves
9
Q
When is the Id formed and where is it, PA?
A
- between birth and 18 months of age
- in the unconscious mind
10
Q
What does the Id do, PA?
A
- focuses on the self (selfish)
- is irrational and emotional
- deals with feelings and needs and seeks pleasure
- operates on the pleasure principle
11
Q
When is the Ego formed and where is it, PA?
A
- formed from around 18 months until 3 yrs
- in the conscious and preconscious mind
12
Q
What does the Ego do, PA?
A
- rational
- obtains a balance between the id and supergo
- operates on the reality principle
13
Q
When is the Superego formed and where is it, PA?
A
- between 3 and 6 yrs
- in all 3 areas of the mind mind
14
Q
What does the Superego do, PA?
A
- acts as a conscience or moral guide
- based on parental and societal values
- operates on the morality principle
15
Q
What are defence mechanisms, PA?
A
- help the ego manage the conflict between the id and superego
- provide compromise solutions (usually unconscious) to deal with unresolvable conflict
- also provide way to reduce anxiety, which weakens the ego’s influence
16
Q
What are the 3 defence mechanisms, PA?
A
- repression
- denial
- displacement
17
Q
What is repression, PA?
A
- unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts
- but these repressed thoughts continue to influence behaviour
- e.g. person abused in youth may not remember it but may struggle forming adult relationships
18
Q
What is denial, PA?
A
- refusal to accept reality
- done to avoid having to deal with any painful feelings that may be associated with a traumatic situation
- e.g. alcoholics denying that they have a drinking problem
19
Q
What is displacement, PA?
A
- redirecting emotions from the actual target to a substitute
- occurs when the focus of a strong emotion is expressed on an alt person/object
- e.g. student kicks locker after being given detention
20
Q
What are psychosexual stages, PA?
A
- Freud believed personality developed through 5 stages
- referred to as psychosexual to emphasise that the main driving force in development is the need to express sexual energy (libido)
- at each stage this energy is expressed in different ways through differents body parts
21
Q
What is there at each psychosexual stage, PA?
A
- unconscious conflict
- which needs to be resolved before next stage is reached
22
Q
What is thought about parents impact on the psychosexual stages, PA?
A
- parents played an important role through the progression of the stages
- if child is allowed too little or too much gratification at any of the stages fixation may occur
- whereby child’s later adult personality would show permanent signs reflecting the stage at which fixation occured
23
Q
What are the psychosexual stages, PA?
A
- oral
- anal
- phallic
- latent
- genital
24
Q
The oral stage: age, description, consequence of resolution + consequence if unresolved, PA?
A
- 0-1 yrs
- focus of pleasure is mouth and mothers breast is focus of desire
resolved = trusting and able to give/receive affection
unresolved = oral fixation: smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical + overly dependant
25
The anal stage: age, description, consequence of resolution + consequence if unresolved, PA?
- 1-3 yrs
- focus of pleasure is anus and child focuses on withholding and expelling faeces
resolved = can deal with authority figures
unresolved = anal retentive personality: perfectionist+obsessive, anal expulsive personality: thoughtless+messy
26
The phallic stage: age, description, consequence of resolution + consequence if unresolved, PA?
- 3-5 yrs
- focus of pleasure is genitals and child experiences Oedipus/Electra complex
resolved = adopts the behaviours/traits of the same sex
unresolved = narcissistic, reckless + maybe homosexual
27
The latent stage: age + description, PA?
- 6-12 yrs
- previous conflicts are resolved/repressed
- early years are largely forgotten
28
The genital stage: age, description, consequence of resolution + consequence if unresolved, PA?
- 12+ yrs
- sexual desires become conscious with onset of puberty
resolved = individual is a well adjusted adult
unresolved = difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
29
What is the Oedipus complex, PA?
- during phallic stage
- boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother
- and hatred for their rival in love, father
- boys repress feelings for their mother due to castration anxiety
- and identify with their father
- they then internalise fathers gender role and moral values, his superego
30
What is the Electra complex, PA?
- during phallic stage
- girls experience penis envy and desire their father
- girls believe they have been castrated and blame their mother
- over time, desire for their father is given up
- replaced with a desire for a baby
- in turn, identify with their mother and internalise her gender role and moral values, her superego
31
Psychodynamic +ve:
- its concepts have intuitive appeal
- ideas like defence mechanisms (e.g. denial, repression, displacement) are widely understood and seem to reflect real human behaviour
- most people can relate to the idea of repressing painful memories or denying uncomfortable truths, which makes the theory feel relevant and realistic
- makes the approach more relatable and gives it face validity, as it explains behaviour in a way that matches everyday experiences
= practical applications, led to development of psychoanalysis
= which is therapy treatment of anxiety disorders
= laid the foundation for psychotherapy in modern psychiatry
- supported by case studies such as Little Hans.
- Freud used this case to show how unconscious conflicts, like the Oedipus complex, could cause phobias
- Hans was scared of horses, and Freud interpreted this as a displaced fear of his father, showing repression and the influence of the unconscious mind
- supports Freud’s ideas about the role of childhood and unconscious drives in shaping behaviour
- but Oedipus complex could only be inferred from behaviour or reports thoughts/experiences (-)
- subjective interpretation is open to investigator bias so PA lacks scientific vigour (-) = among the first to explain how experiences in early childhood influence adult personality
= idea is now common to many other psychological theories, such as Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis and the double bind explanation of schizophrenia
32
Psychodynamic -ve:
- cs of Little Hans supports Oedipus complex proposed by Freud (+)
- but Oedipus complex could only be inferred from behaviour or reports thoughts/experiences
- subjective interpretation is open to investigator bias so PA lacks scientific vigour
= key concepts like unconscious mind and defence mechanisms lack falsifiability
= unconscious processes so difficult to test
- concepts based on small samples due to reliance of the case study method
- poses problems of generalisability
33
What are the key assumptions of the Humanist Approach (Maslow's hierarchy of needs)?
- psych should study whole person (holistic) as everyone is unique
- ppl have free will to make their own decisions in their lives
- scientific method is too objective as methods fail to acknowledge subjective experiences of the individual
34
What does Maslow's hierarchy of needs consist of, HA?
- persons most basic physiological needs at bottom of the pyramid
- most advanced needs at the top
- ppl motivated to achieve progression through the levels
- each level must be fulfilled in order to progress to the next
35
What did Maslow believe about basic needs, HA?
- the more basic the need
- the more powerfully it is experienced
- and more difficult it is to ignore
36
What are the levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, from bottom to top, HA?
- physiological needs
- safety needs
- belongingness and love needs
- esteem needs
- self actualization
37
What is self actualization,HA?
- concerns physiological growth, fulfilment and satisfaction in life
- final stage in Maslow's hierarchy
- occurs when a person reaches their full potential
- and is the best version of themselves
38
What did Maslow find about those who attained self actualisation, HA?
- shared certain characteristics
- tended to be creative, accepting of other people + had an accurate perception of the world around them
39
When did Maslow believe people met self actualisation, HA?
- in the form of peak experiences
- moments of extreme inspiration and ecstasy
- in which they felt able to leave behind all doubts, fear and inhibitions
40
What did Rogers claim, HA?
- ppl have 2 basic needs
- feelings of self worth + positive regard from others
(focus on the self)
41
When do feelings of self worth develop, HA?
- in childhood as a result of the child's interactions with parents
- further interactions with significant others in adulthood (friends, spouses, etc.) also have an influence
42
What is meant by a state of congruence, HA?
- when there is a similarity between a persons perceived self, how they view themselves
- and their ideal self, how they would like to be
43
What is meant by a state of incongruence, HA?
- if there is a difference between the perceived self, how they view themselves
- and their ideal self, how they would like to be
44
How likely is it to be in a complete state of congruence, HA?
- rare for a complete state of congruence to exist
- most people experience some degree of incongruence
- but most people see themselves in ways that are largely consistent with their ideal self
45
What are conditions of worth, HA?
- constraints an individual believes are put upon them by significant others that they deem necessary to gain positive regard
- psychological issues are thought to arise as a direct result of conditions of worth
46
What did Rogers believe about counselling psychology, HA?
- aim of Rogers’ counselling psychology is to increase congruence between the client’s self-image and ideal self and increasing their feelings of self-worth
- helps the client to self-actualise and fulfil their potential
- therapists should provide clients with unconditional positive regard
- to help resolve their conditions of worth
- and guide them towards self actualisation
- rather than acting in a directive way, human psychologists, view themselves as guides to help people understand themselves + find ways to enable their potential
47
Humanist Approach +ve:
- belief in free will
48
Humanist Approach -ve:
- humanists believe in free will
- but science believes that all behaviour is caused by something (is determined)
- determinism in science allows for general laws and predictability of behaviour
- so their is limited application of the humanistic approach
= lacks scientific rigour
= suggests that we should study the whole person because each individual is unique
= but science relies on reductionism i.e. reducing behaviour into its simplest components so that they can be studied objectively
- propose concepts such as self-actualisation where definitions lack operationalisation
- no objective measure of whether someone has self actualised leading to a lack of empirical evidence to support its claims
= many of the ideas that are central to humanistic psychology like personal
growth more readily associated with individualist cultures in the Western world like US
= collectivist cultures (e.g. in China) which emphasise the needs of the community may not identify so easily with the ideals and values of humanistic psychology
= so it is possible that this approach is the product of the cultural context within which it was developed
- some critics argue that the humanistic approach presents an overly idealised
and unrealistic view of human nature
- ppl are not as inherently good or
growth orientated as this approach suggests
- this approach ignores the capacity for pessimism and self-destruction
