approaches: psychodynamic approach

Question 1

What is the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

it highlights the importance of the unconscious mind, on human behaviour and experience

Question 2

What is the role of the unconscious?

Answer 2

It was Freud who suggested that most of our mind is unconscious and it drives much of our behaviour. It can contain repressed memories.

Question 3

What is the preconscious?

Answer 3

It contains thoughts and memories which we are not currently in conscious awareness but we can access them if we want to

Question 4

What is the Id (structure of the personality)?

Answer 4

It is the pleasure principle in which the unconscious drives along with instincts

Question 5

What is the Ego (structure of the personality)?

Answer 5

It is the reality principle which mediates between Id and superego by reducing conflict using defence mechanisms which develop at 2 years old.

Question 6

What is the Superego (structure of the personality)?

Answer 6

It is the morality principle which is formed at the end of the phallic stage at 5 years old. This tells us our sense of right and wrong, it represents the moral standards of the child’s same-sex parent. It also punishes the ego for wrongdoings through guilt.

Question 7

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 7

They are unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage conflict between the id and superego. they make sure that the ego is prevented from being overwhelmed by trauma.

Question 8

What is the defence mechanism
repression?

Answer 8

It is employed by the ego to stop disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious. For example, during the Oedipus complex aggressive thoughts about same-sex parents are repressed.

Question 9

What is the defence mechanism
denial?

Answer 9

It blocks external events from awareness and if a situation gets too stressful the person refuses to experience it. For example, smokers may refuse to admit smoking is bad for their health.

Question 10

What is the defence mechanism
projection?

Answer 10

It is an individual projecting their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings and motives to another person. For example, you may hate someone but your superego tells you that that is unacceptable so you solve the problem by believing that they hate you.

Question 11

What is the defence mechanism
displacement?

Answer 11

It is satisfying an impulse with a substitute object. For example, someone who is frustrated with their boss may go home and kick the dog.

Question 12

What is the defence mechanism
regression?

Answer 12

It is a movement back in psychological time when one is faced with stress. For example, a child may begin to suck their thumb or wet the bed when they need to go to hospital.

Question 13

What is the defence mechanism
sublimation?

Answer 13

It is satisfying an impulse with a substitute object that is socially acceptable. For example, sport is used to put our emotions into something constructive.

Question 14

What are the psychosexual stages?

Answer 14

Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital.

Question 15

What is the Phallic stage (the psychosexual stages)?

Answer 15

It is pleasure from the genitals (Oedipus or Electra complex). A phallic personality may be narcissistic, reckless and possibly homosexual.

Question 16

What is the psychosexual stages?

Answer 16

It is a way developed as suggested by Freud in which each stage is marked by a different conflict that must resolved to move to the next stage. An unresolved conflict will lead to a fixation. The stage in which a child is ‘stuck’ will carry certain behaviours associated with that stage.

Question 17

What is the Oedipus complex?

Answer 17

Boys will develop incestuous feelings towards their mother and a murderous hatred towards their father which they fear castration. They will repress these feelings and identify with his father adopting his gender and moral identity.

Question 18

What is the Electra complex?

Answer 18

Girls desire their father as the penis is the primary love object (penis envy) and hate their mother. They give up this desire and replace it with a desire for a baby identifying with their mother in the process.

Question 19

How is the explanatory power of the psychodynamic approach a strength?

Answer 19

This was a huge influence on psychology which was a dominant approach in the early 20th century. It is used to explain a wide range of things (personality, moral development & gender). It highlights the connection between childhood relationships with parents and later development.

Question 20

How is the case study method of the psychodynamic approach a weakness?

Answer 20

It relies on case-study evidence and while these are detailed they cannot be generalised. Furthermore, his interpretations were too subjective and lacked scientific rigour.

Question 21

How is the untestable concepts of the psychodynamic approach a weakness?

Answer 21

The approach is not falsifiable which means it cannot be empirically tested (according to Popper). Some may argue that it makes it a pseudoscience rather than a real science as it can not be tested.

Question 22

How is the practical application of the psychodynamic approach a strength?

Answer 22

It enabled therapy to be developed (psychotherapies). Furthermore, there are techniques to access the unconscious (dream analysis and hypnosis). Additionally, it aided in the development of modern psychotherapies some of which have had success. However, it has been criticised for being inappropriate and even harmful for people with severe disorders.

Question 23

How is the psychic determinism of the psychodynamic approach a weakness?

Answer 23

He believed that there were no such things as accidents and even ‘slips of the tongue’ were driven by unconscious forces. furthermore, he believed that all behaviour is determined by unconscious forces that are rooted in childhood and that free will is an illusion.