psychodynamic Flashcards
(24 cards)
Main assumption of the psychodynamic approach
Our behaviour derived from our unconscious motives and desires and is emphasised by change and development during our childhood and repressed memories
What is the unconscious
It derives from our evolutionary biological instincts and it’s the driving/motivating force for our behaviour and personality
What is the underlying unconscious drive
A Sexual drive which can be effected by conflict during psychosexual development
What negative things does the unconscious contain
Threatening and disturbing memories which might have been repressed
What is Freud’s personality structure
The tripartite personality
-ID
-Ego
-Superego
The ID is
-Entirely unconscious
-Follows the ‘pleasure principle’ to gratify an unconscious desire for pleasure
-We are born with it
The Ego is
-Its conscious
-It follows the ‘reality principle’ where it seeks to gratify the id but only if it’s deemed as sensible and rational
-It develops around 18 months to 3 years
-It helps mediate conflict between ID and superego with the use of defence mechanisms
The superego is
-An unconscious process
-It follows the ‘morality principle’ which seeks to gratify the ID only when it’s morally right to do so
-It causes feelings of guilt
-This develops at about age 5 (phallic stage)
-Its developed by children identifying with same sex parents and internalising what’s right if wrong
What are psychosexual phases
Freud argues that healthy completion of the psychosexual stages leads to a healthy personality but any abnormalities causes fixations.
During each stage we focus on an erogonous zone and an over gratification or deprivation of that zone leads to the fixation
What are the 5 psychosexual stages
Oral stage 0-1 yr
Anal stage 1-3 yr
Phallic stage 3-5 yr
Latency 6-puberty
Genital stage puberty+
Oral fixation
0-1
Focuses on pleasure in the mouth eg.breast feeding
Smoking,nail biting,sarcastic
Anal stage
1-3
Anus is the key focus of the energy and pleasure is gained from defecation
Anal retentive-perfectionist,obsessive
Anal expulsive-thoughtless messy
Phallic stage
3-5
The genitals are the key focus for this with boys passing through the Oedipus complex and the girls, the Electra complex
Latency is
6-puberty
Earlier conflicts are repressed
Genital stage is
Puberty+
Secual desires become conscious
Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
What are defence mechanisms
When a situation causes high anxiety, they’re triggered
They’re unconscious and are triggered in order to distort reality and reduce anxiety
What are three defence mechanisms
Repression
Displacement
Denial
Repression
Harmful memories are ‘pushed out’ of the conscious and recollected in the unconscious
Eg.repressed memories of child abuse = difficulty forming relationships
Displacement
An unacceptable level of hatred is unconsciously passed onto a more acceptable target
Eg.having an argument w a friend and then arguing with parents when u get home
Denial
When you unconsciously deny that the problem doesn’t exist
Eg. Refusing to acknowledge the lack of preparedness for exams
Determinism
-No such thing as a mistake as all things you say/do is driven by your unconscious
-Accidentlt saying your ex boyfriends name to your new partner
-Freudian slip
-Rejects free will
Practical application
-psychotherapy
-Hypnosis/dream analysis
-Psychoanalysis helps link the physical symptoms and the psychological state of mind
-Claimed success for those suffering with mild neuroses
Gender bias
-Negative view of female development
-Only explain the sexual/moral development focused on men and he was pessimistic about female development
-No castration anxiety so can’t identify with a same sex parent, leading to an underdeveloped superego
Methodological issues -case studies
-Little Hans
-Lots of his theory is based on intensive study of individuals
-Highly subjective
