P1: Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
(14 cards)
Describe the Psychodynamic Assumption of ‘The Unconscious Mind’
(hints: the mind, 3 parts, ego defence)
‘The Mind:’
Psychodynamic Psychologists believe all thoughts and behaviour are caused by ‘the mind’ (different from the brain: our mind cannot be scientifically studied.)
The 3 parts of our mind:
Our ‘mind’ is split up into three parts: The conscious (the part of our mind that we are completely aware of), the pre-conscious (the part of our mind that we can become aware of if we try) and the unconscious (the part of our mind that we are completely unaware of, unconscious thoughts, feelings and desires are stored here).
Ego Defence Mechanisms:
Ego defence mechanisms are ways in which the mind protects itself from thoughts and feelings that may cause stress to the ego is they become conscious.
Three of the most common are:
- Displacement, transferring impulses from one thing to another (eg. when angry at someone, you may yell at someone else.)
- Projection, thoughts are pushed onto someone else (eg. An insecure person may bully someone else about that same insecurity.)
- Repression, pushing painful thoughts into the unconscious mind. (eg. a person may not remember a traumatic experience).
Describe the Psychodynamic Assumption of ‘The Tripartite Personality’
According to Psychodynamic Psychology, our personality is split into three parts.
The Ego:
- The rational part of our personality, governed by the reality principle.
- Aims to balance the demands of the id and the superego in a socially acceptable way.
- Mostly linked to the conscious mind.
- Develops around the age of two.
The Superego:
- The part of our personality seeking to perfect our behaviour, governed by the morality principle.
- Learned through identification with one’s parents (Oedipus and Electra Complexes).
- Mostly linked to the pre-conscious mind.
- Develops around the age of four.
The Id:
- The impulsive part of our personality, governed by the pleasure principle.
- Aims to gain immediate gratification at any cost.
- Completely unconscious.
- Is present at birth.
The id and superego are often in conflict, balance is important for a persons well-being. The ability of an individual’s ego to affectively balance these pressures in a socially acceptable way determines their behaviour.
Too much conflict between the three parts may lead to psychological issues.
Describe the Psychodynamic Assumption of ‘The Influence Of Childhood Experiences’
Psychodynamic psychologists believe that early childhood experiences shape adult personality through five psychosexual stages, each based on the focus of the child’s libido. In the Oral Stage (0–18 months), the mouth is the focus. Overindulgence can result in an oral receptive personality—overly dependent and gullible—while frustration may cause oral aggressive traits such as hostility and violence. The Anal Stage (18 months–3 years) focuses on potty training; too much pressure can create anal retentive traits (perfectionism, obsessiveness), while too little can lead to anal expulsive traits (disorganisation). In the Phallic Stage (3–5 years), the libido focuses on the genitals and children experience the Oedipus or Electra Complex, leading to identification with the same-sex parent and development of the superego. The Latency Stage (5–puberty) is a period of repressed sexual urges, focusing instead on social and cognitive development. In the Genital Stage (puberty onward), mature sexual interests develop, and unresolved fixations from earlier stages may emerge in adult behaviour.
Apply the assumptions of the Psychodynamic Approach to explain two human behaviours.
Firstly, the psychodynamic assumption of the unconscious mind could be used to explain Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This assumption could explain OCD as a form of ego defence mechanism (a way in which the mind protects itself from thoughts that may cause stress to the ego if they become conscious). An individual with OCD may experience intense anxiety due to harmful thoughts/feelings that have been repressed into the unconscious mind. The compulsive behaviours therefore may be a form of displacement: where the individual redirects their anxiety onto these ‘compulsive rituals’ (eg. checking if the door is locked excessively), therefore protecting the ego from these anxieties.
Secondly, another human behaviour that can be explained by the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach is violent/aggressive behaviour. The psychodynamic assumption of the influences of childhood experiences, in which our personality is said to be shaped during the ‘psychosexual stages’ of development, could be used to explain violent behaviour if an individual had an oral aggressive fixation; meaning that their libido was under-gratified during the oral stage of psychosexual development. Freud suggested that under-gratification during this stage would result in an individual growing to have an aggressive personality in later life.
What was the aim of Bowlby’s Study: 44 Juvenile Thieves?
Researching the effects of maternal deprivation at a young age on delinquency.
Describe the Methodology of Bowlby’s Study: 44 Juvenile Thieves?
This study was a series of case studies from a child guidance clinic where Bowlby worked as a psychiatrist.
An opportunity sample of 88 children was selected from the clinic. The focus of the study was on 44 children - 31 boys and 13 girls between the ages of 5 and 17yrs old - who had been labelled as thieves and were graded in terms of the seriousness of their stealing (eg. Grade IV thieves - 22 of the children - had been stealing for a long time while Grade I thieves - 4 of the children - had only committed one crime.) The thieves were also found to be of average intelligence.
A control group was also used, consisting of 44 other children (who were similar in age, sex and IQ as the thieves) who also attended the clinic.
Describe the Procedure of Bowlby’s Study: 44 Juvenile Thieves?
- On arrival to the clinic each child was given mental tests by a psychologist to assess their intelligence and emotional attitude.
- Asocial worker then interviewed the mothers of the children and recorded details about the child’s early psychiatric history.
- After a two hour examination, the team reviewed secondary data (such as school reports), and then discussed their conclusions, then made separate reports to Bowlby.
- Bowlby then conducted an initial interview with the child and the mother.
- Many of the children continued to meet with Bowlby weekly over a six-month period to establish a detailed case study to be recorded for the findings.
- After establishing a detailed case study, Bowlby then provided each of the children with a ‘diagnosis.’
What were the Findings of Bowlby’s Study: 44 Juvenile Thieves?
- Bowlby and his team categorised the the thieves into ‘personality types A-F.’
A: Emotionally ‘normal’ - 2 children.
B: Depressed - 9
C: Circular (or bipolar’ - 2
D: Hyperthemic (or ADHD) - 13
E: Affectionless - 14
F: Schizoid (Schizophrenic) - 4 - 14 of the thieves were diagnosed as ‘Affectionless’ compared to 0 of the controls.
- 12 of the ‘Affectionless’ thieves also had experienced maternal deprivation (such as Nansi F. an 8 year old who’s mother had to work, leaving her home with her grandmother.)
- The research found that 17 of the thieves had experienced early maternal deprivation and so had 2 of the control group, therefore it would be more accurate to conclude that maternal deprivation leads to emotional instability rather than delinquency.
Evaluate the Methodology of Bowlby’s Study: 44 Juvenile Thieves?
Explain how the assumptions of the Psychodynamic approach can be linked to Dream Analysis therapy.
The psychodynamic assumption of the unconscious mind is central to dream analysis therapy. According to Freud, much of our behaviour is driven by unconscious thoughts, desires, and conflicts—often repressed because they are too distressing or socially unacceptable to be faced consciously. Dream analysis is based on the idea that during sleep, the unconscious mind becomes more accessible, allowing hidden thoughts and feelings to surface in the form of dreams. Through techniques like exploring manifest content (what is remembered from the dream) and interpreting the latent content (the hidden psychological meaning), therapists aim to uncover unresolved conflicts and repressed emotions. This process helps individuals gain insight into their unconscious mind, which can lead to emotional healing and behavioural change. Thus, the therapy directly applies the concept of the unconscious as a source of psychological issues that can be revealed and resolved through dream interpretation.
Describe the components of ‘Dream Analysis Therapy.’
(acronym: clowns dance rapidly symbolising unconscious emotions)
The client recalls their dream to the therapist. The therapist will then work with the client to reverse the process of dreamwork and transform the manifest content back into latent content, using context from the clients life. Dreamwork is how to mind transforms the latent content (underlying meaning of the dream) to the manifest content (how to latent content is presented in the dream).
There are five main processes in dreamwork.
* Condensation: the mind condenses the complexity of latent content down to brief pieces of manifest content.
* Displacement: when the emotional significance of the latent content is separated from the content itself and attached to something different.
* Representation: thought is represented by a visual image.
* Symbolism: symbol represents an action, person or idea.
* Secondary elaboration: the unconscious collects all the images within the dream and fits them together to create a logical story, further disguising the latent content.
Evaluate the Effectiveness of Dream Analysis Therapy.
+ Evidence supporting the idea of dreams as wish fulfilment. Solms (2000) used PET scans to highlight areas of the brain active during sleep. Results showed that the rational part of our brain (the ego) is inactive, whereas centers concerned with memory are active. Supports effectiveness as dreams are proven to be linked to unconscious areas of the brain, supporting Freud’s theory.
- It is based on subjective interpretations of manifest content. Freud did not support the idea of ‘dream dictionaries’ as interpretations need to be made in context with the clients situation. It is difficult to scientifically demonstrate what a dream is symbolising, therefore interpretations are subjective and unreliable.
+ Effective in helping people understand their emotional problems. Falk and Hill (1995), compared 22 separated or divorced women in an eight week dream analysis therapy program to 12 women (a control group who were ‘waitlisted’). Comparisons showed significant improvement in self-esteem and emotional insight compared to the control group. Supports effectiveness of dream analysis as it can improve psychological wellbeing.
Evaluate the Ethics of Dream Analysis Therapy.
- Client-therapist relationship could be argued as unethical. Potential power-imbalance created by the idea that the client is completely reliant on the therapist to provide the client insight into their unconscious mind and their psychological wellbeing. This could cause psychological harm to client.
+ Non-invasive and allows clients to explore unconscious thoughts in a safe and controlled environment. Unlike biological treatments (such as forms of psychosurgery), dream analysis does not involve physical intervention, reducing the risk of side effects. When conducted by a trained therapist, it also typically follows ethical guidelines such as informed consent, confidentiality, and respect for the client’s autonomy, helping to protect the client’s psychological well-being during therapy. - Potential risk of ‘false-memory’ plantation. In the study Mazzoni et al. (1999), participants were told that their parents had reported a childhood event (e.g., being lost in a shopping mall), even though it never actually happened. Over time, some participants came to believe the false event had truly occurred, even recalling details of the event. This study demonstrated how suggestion can lead to the creation of false memories, linking to the potential dangers of therapists suggesting unconscious events to a client. Could cause psychological harm if false-memories implant themselves.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach.
(Essay Plan Structure) (hint: mud)
Paragraph 1: One strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it can be described as both Nomothetic (findings are generalisable) and Idiographic (focused on individuality): making the approach Multi-Method. For example, the psychodynamic approach can be seen as Nomothetic through Bowlby’s which concluded that children who experience maternal deprivation in childhood are likely to experience emotional disturbance and become delinquent: these findings can therefore be generalised to children as a whole. Secondly, the approach can also be seen as idiographic through various assumptions, such as the theory of the unconscious mind, suggesting that every individual will have their own repressed trauma, for example. This is a strength as it allows us to create general laws, aiding societies understanding of behaviours, whilst still recognising individual differences: therefore allowing us to understand behaviours without imposed ethical issues.
Paragraph 2: One weakness of the psychodynamic approach however is that it is unscientific, meaning that its theories lack empirical evidence to support them. For example, Freud proposed the idea that every person’s mind is split into three parts: the unconscious, the pre-conscious and the conscious, which led to the development of the assumption of the unconscious mind. However, there is no empirical evidence that the unconscious mind actually exists and is based solely on theory. This is therefore a weakness as this undermines the overall goals of psychology as a science: to test, understand and predict behaviours.
Paragraph 3: Another aspect of the psychodynamic approach is that it is deterministic, meaning that it suggests all behaviours are pre-determined by external factors, which can serve as both a strength and a weakness. For example, the assumption of childhood experience highlights the ideas of determinism as it suggests a persons personality is entirely shaped during childhood (eg. under gratification during the anal stage of psychosexual development would lead to a controlling/overly tidy personality.) This could be seen as a strength as it allows us to identify factors which lead to certain behaviours, therefore making them easier to control. However, it could also be argued to be damaging as this may lead to prejudices towards certain groups of people (eg. people who experienced maternal deprivation at a young age could be labelled as ‘delinquent’ due to Bowlby’s study of 44 Juvenile thieves).
