Approaches: psychodynamics

Question 1

Summarise the psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

• psychodynamic approach states that unconscious forces in our mind, determine our thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
• behaviour as adults is strongly influenced by childhood exps.
• abnormal behaviour is the result of mental conflict.
• mind can be divided into 3 levels of consciousness, which can be illustrated by the iceberg analogy -> unconscious mind, which is hidden below the surface, has the most influence on our personality.

Question 2

what is the super-ego

Answer 2

• formed around age of 5.
• our internalised sense of right + wrong.
• represents moral standards of the child’s same-sex parent.
• punishes the ego for wrongdoing (through guilt).

Question 3

what is the ego

Answer 3

• develops around age of 2 years old.
• works on reality principle and is the mediator between ID and super ego.
• makes person aware of others’ feelings and can’t always have their own way.
• role is to reduce conflict between demands of ID and super ego.
• Manages this by employing a number of defence mechanisms.

Question 4

what is the ID

Answer 4

• primitive part of our personality.
• operates on pleasure principle (gets what it wants).
• ID is a mass of unconscious drive and instincts.
• only the ID is present at birth.

Question 5

list the psychosexual stages

Answer 5

• the oral stage (birth - 18 months)
• the anal stage (18 months - 3 years)
• the phallic stage (around 3-5 years old)
• the latency stage (age 5 to puberty approximately)
• the genital stage (puberty-adulthood)

Question 6

what is the oral stage

Answer 6

• (birth - 18 months)
• mouth is the main focus of pleasure during this stage.
• child enjoys tasting + sucking.
• mother’s breast is the object of desire.
• successful completion demonstrated by eating independently.
• unsuccessful = oral fixation -> sarcastic, critical, sensitive to rejection -> overseats + drinks, bites nails, may smoke.

Question 7

what is the anal stage

Answer 7

• 18 months - 3 years
• defamation is the main source of pleasure.
• successful completion marked by potty training.
• failure -> anally retentive, very tidy, stubborn, perfectionist, obsessive.
• anally expulsive -> thoughtless, messy.

Question 8

what is the phallic stage

Answer 8

• around 3-5 years old
• form of pleasure is in the genital area.
• oedipus complex -> boy wants mother as the ‘primary love object’ and wants father out of the way.
• electra complex -> vice versa.
• unsuccessful -> phallic personality, narcissistic, reckless, possibly gay.

Question 9

what is the latency state

Answer 9

• age 5 to puberty approximately.
• earlier conflicts are repressed.
• sex urges are sublimated into sports and other hobbies.
• focus on developing same sex friendships.
• no particular requirements for successful completion.
• lull before the storm of puberty!

Question 10

what is the genital stage

Answer 10

• puberty - adulthood.
• focus on genitals but not to the same extent as the phallic stage.
• task is to develop healthy adult relationships.
• this should happen if earlier stages happen successfully.
• consequences of unresolved conflict: difficulty forming heterosexual relationships.

Question 11

(+) Explain how the psychodynamic approach has explanatory approach

Answer 11

• Freud has had a huge influence on psych:
• personality disorders
• abnormalities
• moral developments

Question 12

(-) explain how psychodynamics relies on case studies too much

Answer 12

• can we make universal claims about human nature based on studies about individuals with psychological abnormalities.
• highly subjective.
• lacks scientific rigour.

Question 13

(-) explain how psychodynamics includes untestable concepts (Karl Popper)

Answer 13

• Karl Popper argues this approach does not meet the scientific criterion of falsification as it is not open to empirical testing.
• the unconscious is hard to test.
• a pseudoscience?

Question 14

(+) explain how psychodynamics has practical application

Answer 14

• psychoanalysis -> range of techs used to access the unconscious.
  -> dream analysis and hypnosis.
  -> useful therapeutic tool for neuroses.
• however unable to treat more severe mental health disorders such as schizophrenia.

Question 15

(+) explain how there is proof of the unconscious

Answer 15

• Freudian slips
• Parapraxis -> an error that is believed to express unconscious wishes, attitudes, or impulses.

Question 16

(-) Explain how psychodynamics displays gender bias

Answer 16

• alpha bias.
• Females have failed to be masculine and we can never think the 2 sexes are equal in position/worth.
• Horney criticised this approach.
• Dismissing women and their sexuality is problematic as psycho-analysis is influential today and many females are treated by it.
• with this bias it is inappropriate for the approach to be applied to both sexes.

Question 17

what are the defence mechanisms

Answer 17

• we use these everyday -> they are unconscious -> but if we overuse these -> can lead to mental abnormalities/psychosis:
• denial
• repression
• displacement

Question 18

what is denial

Answer 18

• completely reject the thought or feeling and completely refuse to acknowledge some aspect of reality.
• unwanted reality is ignored and blocked from conscious awareness.

Question 19

what is repression

Answer 19

• forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind.
• ego stops unwanted and painful thoughts from becoming conscious.

Question 20

what is displacement

Answer 20

• transfer feelings from the real sources of the distressing emotion onto a substitute target.
  -> negative impulse is redirected.