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WJEC Psychology > Component 1 - Psychodynamic approach > Flashcards

Component 1 - Psychodynamic approach Flashcards

1
Q

What does the psychodynamic approach say about childhood experiences?

A

They shape adult personality through psychosexual stages. Fixation at a stage can affect later behaviour.

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2
Q

What causes fixation in a psychosexual stage?

A

Frustration (needs not met) or Overindulgence (needs too well met).

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3
Q

What are the 5 psychosexual stages (in order)?

A

Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital. (Old Aged People Like Grapes)

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4
Q

What is the oral stage and its outcomes if fixated?

A

Mouth focus (sucking/biting);
Frustration = pessimism/sarcasm
Overindulgence = gullible/neediness

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5
Q

What is the anal stage and fixation outcomes?

A

Focus on toilet training;
Frustration = stubborn, tidy
Overindulgence = messy, reckless

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6
Q

What is the phallic stage and its outcomes if fixated?

A

Focus on genitals (Oedipus complex);
Fixation = vanity, relationship/sexual issues

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7
Q

What happens during the latency stage?

A

Sexual urges are dormant; focus on learning and social development. No fixations occur.

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8
Q

What is the genital stage?

A

Focus on heterosexual relationships. Healthy development = well-adjusted adult personality.

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9
Q

What is Freud’s iceberg model of the mind?

A

Most of the mind is unconscious and hidden, influencing behaviour without awareness.

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10
Q

What are the three levels of consciousness?

A

Conscious (aware), Preconscious (just under awareness), Unconscious (deep hidden drives).

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11
Q

What are ego defence mechanisms?

A

Mental strategies to cope with anxiety caused by internal conflict (e.g., repression, displacement, projection).

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12
Q

Give an example of a defence mechanism.

A

Repression = burying trauma;
Displacement = yelling at dog after bad day;
Projection = blaming others for your feelings.

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13
Q

What are the three parts of the tripartite personality?

A

Id (impulse), Ego (rational), Superego (morals).

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14
Q

What principle does each personality part follow?

A

Id = Pleasure, Ego = Reality, Superego = Morality.

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15
Q

When does each part of personality develop?

A

Id = at birth, Ego = age 2, Superego = age 4.

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16
Q

What is Condensation in dreamwork?

A

Many thoughts are condensed into a single dream image, where one image represents several ideas.

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17
Q

What does Displacement mean in dreamwork?

A

The emotional significance of an object is transferred to a different, safer object to avoid “censorship.”

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18
Q

What is Representation in dreamwork?

A

A thought or idea is transformed into visual images in a dream.

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19
Q

What is Symbolism in dreams?

A

A symbol replaces a real person, object, or action in a dream (e.g., a snake for a penis).

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20
Q

What is Secondary Elaboration in dreamwork?

A

The unconscious mind takes different images and creates a logical story to disguise the latent content.

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21
Q

What is Freud’s view on Dreams as Wish Fulfilment?

A

Freud believed all dreams fulfill repressed wishes that cannot be satisfied in waking life.

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22
Q

How does Symbolism work in dream analysis?

A

Dreams express repressed thoughts in symbolic form (manifest content hides latent content), and symbols are unique to the dreamer’s life.

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23
Q

What is the role of the Therapist in dream analysis?

A

The therapist decodes manifest content into latent content, offering multiple interpretations based on the patient’s experiences.

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24
Q

What research supports Freud’s ideas on dreams?

A

Solms (2000) found that rational brain areas are inactive during REM, while emotional and memory areas are active, supporting Freud’s idea of dreams being driven by the unconscious.

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25
What does Hopfield et al. (1983) research suggest?
Neural networks condense memories, which supports Freud’s idea of condensation in dreams.
26
What is a major methodological limitation of dream research?
Lab-based studies may lack ecological validity because they don’t reflect real-life sleep and dream experiences.
27
How does Sleep Deprivation affect dream research?
Disrupting sleep, especially REM, can interfere with biological functions, confounding results.
28
What is a key issue with Subjective Interpretation in dream analysis?
Dream analysis relies on the therapist’s subjective interpretation, which may lead to biased conclusions.
29
What is the ethical issue of Power Imbalance in dream analysis?
Therapists have authority over clients, which can lead to dependency, especially in vulnerable clients like those with depression.
30
What is False Memory Syndrome (FMS) in psychoanalysis?
Patients may develop false memories of traumatic events, sometimes suggested by the therapist, causing distress.
31
How can Emotional Harm occur during dream analysis?
Uncovering repressed memories may cause more distress than the current issues, so therapists must warn clients of potential emotional risks.
32
What type of study was Bowlby's research?
A series of case studies, not a true experiment.
33
How many participants were in Bowlby’s study?
88 children — 44 thieves and 44 in the control group.
34
What were the similarities between the thieves and control group?
Similar in age, gender, and IQ. All were emotionally disturbed.
35
What defined the "thieves" group?
Children who had stolen, some repeatedly.
36
What age range were the children in the sample?
Aged between 5 and 17 years old.
37
What was the most common IQ range among the thieves?
85–114 (average range).
38
Who else was involved in the study apart from the children?
The mothers of all children — interviewed for case histories.
39
What type of sampling was used?
Opportunity sampling – children already at the clinic.
40
What did the psychologist do?
Gave IQ tests (Binet Scale) and assessed emotional attitudes.
41
What did the social worker do?
Interviewed the mother to collect early psychiatric history.
42
What did Bowlby do?
Interviewed both child and mother, then diagnosed.
43
How long did therapy sessions last for some participants?
Weekly for 6 months or more.
44
What 6 personality types did Bowlby identify?
Normal Depressed Circular Hyperthymic Affectionless Schizoid
45
What is an affectionless personality?
A lack of normal affection, guilt, or responsibility.
46
How many thieves were classed as affectionless?
14 out of 44.
47
How many affectionless thieves experienced early separation?
12 out of 14.
48
How many non-affectionless thieves had separation?
Only 3 out of 30.
49
How many control group children had prolonged separation?
Only 2.
50
How many thieves in total experienced early separation?
17 out of 44.
51
What other negative parenting traits were found in the thieves group?
Mothers were often anxious, irritable, or domineering; some fathers openly hated the children.
52
Why didn’t these other traits fully explain stealing?
Because they were also found in the control group.
53
What was Bowlby’s main conclusion?
Early harmful experiences, especially mother-child separation, can lead to delinquency.
54
What psychological theory did Bowlby follow?
The psychoanalytic (psychodynamic) approach.
55
What does separation damage according to Bowlby?
The development of the superego (conscience), affecting the child's sense of right and wrong.
56
What treatment recommendation did Bowlby make?
Early diagnosis and therapy, though slow and difficult.
57
What did Bowlby say was better than treatment?
Prevention — avoid long separations wherever possible.
58
Why can’t causal conclusions be drawn from Bowlby’s 44 Thieves study?
Because the study only shows a correlation between separation and emotional problems; other factors (e.g., family conflict) may have caused both.
59
What alternative explanation is there for the link between separation and emotional problems?
Emotional issues may have led to separation (e.g., difficult children placed in care).
60
Why might Bowlby’s data be biased?
It was based on his own interpretations and beliefs about early experience, and on parents’ possibly inaccurate recollections.
61
What is a key limitation of using retrospective interviews with parents in Bowlby’s study?
Their memories may be inaccurate and biased towards presenting events more positively.
62
Why is the sample in Bowlby’s study not generalisable?
All participants were emotionally disturbed, so findings may not apply to all children or delinquents.
63
What did Rutter and Sonuga-Barke (2010) find about emotional care and development?
Children adopted after 6 months (Romanian orphans) had more delays than those adopted earlier or UK-born children, showing the importance of early emotional care.
64
How does Rutter’s research challenge Bowlby’s conclusions?
It shows separation alone doesn’t cause damage if good substitute care is provided.
65
What ethical issue is raised about confidentiality in Bowlby’s study?
Participants’ names and personal histories were published, making them identifiable.
66
What was the problem with consent in Bowlby’s research?
Data was collected during treatment, not for research, and participants likely didn’t give informed consent.
67
Why were ethical concerns in Bowlby’s study not addressed at the time?
Ethical guidelines were not established until after WWII, so standards were different.
68
What legal change in 2015 allowed more flexibility in childcare responsibilities?
Shared parental leave — parents can split 52 weeks as they choose.
69
What did industrialisation in the 19th and 20th centuries lead to regarding childcare?
More women in the workforce, sparking debates about stay-at-home vs working mothers.
70
What is the average annual cost of full-time nursery care (2014)?
£9,850 per year.
71
How does the UK government support working parents with childcare?
Offers tax relief schemes on childcare costs.
72
Why is breastfeeding used to justify mothers as primary caregivers?
It provides health benefits, emotional bonding, and is frequent — making the mother’s presence essential.
73
According to Freud, why is the mother-infant bond important?
It satisfies early libidinal needs; becomes the template for all future relationships.
74
What is Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis?
Early separation from the mother leads to long-term emotional damage (e.g., affectionless psychopathy).
75
What is monotropy in Bowlby's theory?
The idea that one special emotional bond (usually with the mother) is crucial for survival.
76
What biological argument supports women as primary caregivers?
The hormone oestrogen promotes caring and emotional sensitivity.
77
What social argument supports women as primary caregivers?
Gender stereotypes suggest men are less emotionally sensitive and nurturing.
78
What did Harlow (1959) discover about bonding in monkeys?
Monkeys preferred comfort over food — showing emotional bonds aren't just about feeding.
79
What did Schaffer & Emerson (1964) find about attachment?
Strongest attachments were with caregivers who were responsive, not necessarily who fed them.
80
Why might Freud's views on mothers be outdated?
They reflected early 20th-century gender norms; he did also acknowledge the father's importance.
81
What did Freud say in 1930 about fathers?
“No need in childhood is as strong as the need for a father’s protection.”
82
Did Bowlby mean only mothers in his maternal deprivation hypothesis?
No — he included consistent caregivers or mother substitutes.
83
What did Bowlby’s 1956 study on TB children show?
Some children separated early still developed normally — suggesting resilience and early attachment matter.
84
What did Gettler et al. (2011) find about fatherhood?
Fathers' testosterone drops after birth to help them become more sensitive caregivers.
85
What does modern research suggest about male caregiving?
Men can form strong attachments; stereotypes about emotion are outdated.
86
What does the psychodynamic approach say about nature and nurture?
It combines both—innate drives (nature) like the id, and childhood experiences (nurture) through psychosexual stages.
87
What drives did Freud believe controlled the id?
Eros (life instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct).
88
Why is the psychodynamic approach seen as useful in psychology?
It led to psychoanalysis, helped link mental illness to childhood and unconscious conflict, and influenced therapy.
89
What is psychoanalysis?
A therapy developed by Freud to uncover unconscious conflicts and treat psychological problems.
90
How does the psychodynamic approach reflect the complexity of behaviour?
It is holistic—it considers multiple interacting factors like unconscious drives, childhood, and personality structure.
91
What is symptom substitution and how does psychoanalysis address it?
It’s when symptoms return because the root cause wasn’t treated; psychoanalysis aims to uncover the real cause.
92
How is the psychodynamic approach reductionist?
It simplifies behaviour to childhood and the unconscious, ignoring biology, genetics, and social factors.
93
Give an example of psychodynamic oversimplification in history.
The “refrigerator mother” theory blamed cold parenting for autism, ignoring biological causes.
94
Why is the psychodynamic approach considered deterministic?
It says our behaviour is shaped by unconscious drives and childhood, leaving no room for free will.
95
What’s the issue with determinism in this approach?
It could be used to avoid responsibility: “It’s not my fault—I’m just made this way.”
96
What does it mean to say Freud’s theory is unfalsifiable?
It can’t be proven wrong—claims like “you’re repressing it” make it impossible to disprove.
97
Who criticised the psychodynamic approach for being unscientific, and why?
Karl Popper—he argued it lacks falsifiability, which is needed for a scientific theory.

WJEC Psychology (7 decks)

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