origins of psych and psychodynamic approach

Question 1

What’s Wundt’s Role in the development of psychology

Answer 1

*set up the first laboratory designated to scientific study of psych enquiry under controlled conditions- acc measurements and replications
*published one of the first books on psychology establishing it as an independent branch of science
*controlled environments
*used scientific methods to study present experiences such as the structure of sensation and perception using introspection

• focus was on trying to understand psychological processes of perception etc and structuralism rather than philosophical or biological processes
• recognised that higher mental processes were difficult to study using his procedures and this encouraged others to look for more appropriate methods and techniques, paving the way for approaches such as scanning
• introspection still used today in areas such as therapy and studying emotional states demonstrating its value as one way mental processes can be investigated

Question 2

Describe introspection

Answer 2

*focuses on PRESENT experiences
*conscious experience is systematically analysed
*focus on object whilst listening to a stimulus- look inwards noticing own present sensations, feelings, and images.

• people were trained to do this analysis to make the data objective rather than subjective

Question 3

What is the analysis broken up into?

Answer 3

*analysis broken up into components of thoughts, images and sensation

Question 4

What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 4

*behavior is due to unconscious motives
*focus on past experiences- relationship with parents and childhood conflicts.

Question 5

What is the feature one of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 5

*conscious- part of the mind we are aware of
*pre- conscious- includes thoughts and ideas that we might become aware of during dreams or Freudian slips
*unconscious- contains bio drives, instincts. threatening/disturbing memories that have been repressed and forgotten but continue to drive behavior.

Question 6

What does the unconscious mind contain

Answer 6

bio drives, instincts. threatening/disturbing memories that have been repressed and forgotten but continue to drive behavior.

Question 7

Feature two: structure of personality

Answer 7

*Id- unconscious part of mind, present since birth, expects immediate self gratification.
*if too overpowering for ego- selfish personality

*Ego- rational and conscious part of mind
*forms from 18m to 3yrs
*balances demands using defense mechanisms

*Superego- forms between 3-6 yrs, arises thru identification of same sex parent, internalised sense of right and wrong based on parental values.

*if too overpowering can produce an anxious personality, feelings of guilt

Question 8

How is superego formed

Answer 8

*arises thru identification of same sex parent, internalised sense of right and wrong based on parental values.

Question 9

How is personality described

Answer 9

*tripartite

Question 10

What is meant by the term defense mechanisms

Answer 10

*unconscious strategies that ego uses to manage conflict between id and superego.
*for example- repression forcing a distressing mem out of the conscious mind

Question 11

Are defense mechanism conscious or unconscious?

Answer 11

unconscious

Question 12

What are the problems with defense mechanisms?

Answer 12

*can distort persons reality- make it dif to identify whats real and not real
*overuse can affect behavior, not long term solution

Question 13

What are the types of defense mechanisms

Answer 13

*Repression- forcing distressing memory out of the conscious mind to unconscious
*Denial-refusing to acknowledge unpleasant aspect of reality
*Displacement- transfer of feelings from true source of distressing emotions onto less threatening sub target

Question 14

In psychosexual stages what happens if the child doesn’t resolve conflict from previous stage

Answer 14

They become fixated, leads to certain behaviours in adulthood

Question 15

What age is the oral stage

Answer 15

0-1 years old

Question 16

What is the oral stage

Answer 16

*gratification for id is gained from the mouth- such as sucking thumb

Question 17

What happens if child doesn’t resolve conflict at oral stage

Answer 17

oral fixation:
smoking, biting nails, sarcasm, critical in future

Question 18

What age is the anal stage

Answer 18

1-3 years

Question 19

What IS the anal stage

Answer 19

*gratification for the id is gained from anus- expulsion/witholding of faeces

Question 20

What happens if child doesnt resolve conflict at anal stage

Answer 20

*anal retentive personality- perfectionist, obsessive
*anal expulsive- thoughtless and messy

Question 21

What age is the phallic stage

Answer 21

3-5 years

Question 22

What IS the phallic stage

Answer 22

*gratification for id is gained from exploration of own genitals

Question 23

How will child be able to resolve conflict in the phallic stage

Answer 23

*identify with same sex parent
*take on their values, attitudes, behaviours

Question 24

What happens if the child doesnt resolve conflict in phallic stage

Answer 24

*phallic personality- narcissitic, reckless, problems with authority

Question 25

What age is latency

Answer 25

6-12 years old

Question 26

What is latency

Answer 26

earlier conflicts are repressed

Question 27

What age is the genital stage

Answer 27

12 years old

Question 28

What IS the genital stage

Answer 28

*sexual desires become conscious *puberty

Question 29

What happens if child doesnt resolve conflict in genital stage

Answer 29

*difficulty in forming heterosexual relationships

Question 30

Evaluate the psychodynamic approach

Answer 30

Limitations: P- doesn't use scientific methods and so doesn't use scientific enquiry to investigate human behaviour E- key concepts of the unconscious like ID, ego, superego ar4e abstract concepts- cant be objectively and empircally tested and falsified. E- this decreases the overall INTERNAL validity of psychodynamic approach and human behavior L- this lowers psychology's scientific status P- psychic determinism E- features suggest that individual is controlled by external and internal factors and behavior is governed by early childhood experiences for eg fixations occurring at specific stages INEVITABLY cause behavior, such as oral fixations resulting in smoking. E-neglects the role of free will and choice that indi have, lead to ppl feeling like they have no control over behavior. L- limiting appropriateness of psychodynamic approach LOA: However, some would argue that determinism is a STRENGTH as if a cause for behaviour can be established, then treatments can be developed. STRENGTHS: *P- practical applications E- principle of theory that behavior is caused by conflict in the unconscious mind has led to treatment of psychoanalysis E- that can be used to treat abnormalities in real world. by IDENTIFYING and resolving unconscious conflicts. L- therefore making it an an important part of applied psychology. Contradict- However use of this treatment is relatively lower in real world compared to other therapies like CBT and drug therapy, when treating more serious mental illness like schizo, where patients may struggle to IDENTIFY whats real and what isnt, so they may struggle to articulate thoughts in a way needed for psychoanalysis.

Question 31

Outline a psychodynamic explanation for the development of the superego- 3m

Answer 31

* occurs at the Phallic stage of psychosexual development * arises through identification with same-sex parent * and internalisation of his / her moral standards * part of the tripartite personality

Question 32

Evaluate Wundts role into the emergence of psych as a a science

Answer 32

P- one strength is that he can be praised from moving psychology away from its psychological roots. E- this is as he used controlled lab experiments and standardised procedures to investigate the emotions, feelins and sensations such as using the sam stimulus every time- ticking metronome and giving the participants the same standardised instructions E-this made his experiments replicable and thefefore increases his replicability and increased psychs status and its emergence as a science Limitation: P- Hoever despite being his methods of introspection being replicable it wasnt considered reaible. E- this is cause introspection focusez on the subjective experiences on each individual, causing a variaty of results, therefore making itr diff to estbalish consistent general principles. E- Behaviourist psychologists like Watson, believed psych should only study behaviour that could be observed and measured scientifically. Leading to the use of more emprirical and objective methods such as carefully controlled lab experiments, to study human bhevaiour- increased psychs scientific status following the contributions of Wundt