psychodynamic Flashcards
(23 cards)
Psychodynamic definition
Refers to any theory that emphasises change and development in the individual, particularly those theories where ‘drive’ is a central concept in development.
Main assumptions of psychodynamic approach
Unconscious activity is the key determinate of how we behave.
We possess innate ‘drives’ (or ‘instincts’) that ‘energize’ our minds to motivate behaviour as we develop through our lives.
Our [three-part] personality – the psyche – is comprised of the ID, ego and superego.
Childhood experiences have significant importance in determining our personality when we reach adulthood.
what were the main points of freuds theory of psychoanalysis
The role of the unconscious
The structure of personality
Defence mechanisms
Psychosexual stages
The role of the unconscious
Unconscious= That part of the human mind that contains repressed ideas and memories, as well as primitive desires and impulses that have never been allowed to enter the conscious mind.
The structure of personality
The id
The ego
The superego
The id
Present at birth
Operated according to the pleasure principle
Concerned with instant gratification as it contains the libido, the biological energy created by the reproductive instincts.
The ego
Develops at around 2 years
The reality principle
The ego mediates between the impulsive demands of the id and the reality of the external world
Uses defence mechanisms to reduce tensions
The superego
Develops at around 3-5 years (end of phallic stage)
Morality principle
Internalised right and wrong
Divided into the conscience and the ego-ideal.
Conscience= the internalisation of societal rules. It determines which behaviours are permissible and causes feelings of guilt when rules are broken.
Ego-ideal= what a person strives towards, and is most probably determined by parental standards of good behaviour.
Defence mechanisms
Unconscious strategies that protect our conscious mind from anxiety. Defence mechanisms involve a distortion of reality in some way, so that we are better able to cope with a situation.
eg: repression, denial, displacement
Repression
refers to the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts and impulses.
Repressed thoughts and impulses continue to influence behaviour without the individual being aware of the reasons behind their behaviour.
Denial
Refusal to accept reality so as to avoid having to deal with any painful feelings that might be associated with that event.
Displacement
Involves the redirecting of thoughts or feelings in situations where the person feels unable to express them in the presence of the person they should be directed towards.
Psychosexual stages
Freud believed that personality developed through a sequence of five stages.
Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latent
Genital
how do fixations occur
unresolved conflict/getting interrupted during stage
Oral stage
Age: 0-2 years
Focus of pleasure: mouth- mothers breast
Major development: weaning
Fixation : Oral fixation- smoking, nail biting, over-eating= aggressive, sarcastic, critical, hostile
Anal stage
Age: 1-3
Focus of pleasure: Anus- expelling or witholding faces
Major development: toilet training
Fixation: anally retentive= perfectionist, obsessive or anally expulsive= messy, thoughtless
Phallic stage
Age: 3-5 years
Focus of pleasure: Genital area
Major development: Opedius complex (male child wants to be w mother and identifies w father)
Fixation: Phallic personality- narcissistic, wreckless, maybe homosexual
Latency stage
Age: 6-12/puberty
Focus of pleasure: repression of earlier conflicts, mastery of world around them
Major development: developing defence mechanisms
Fixation: N/A
Genital stage
Age: puberty onwards
Focus of pleasure: culmination of psychosexual developments and fixing of sexual energy in the genitals. Sexual desires are conscious
Major development: reaching full sexual maturity
Fixation: N/A
Eval: psychodynamic approach
lim: lack of empiricism
lim: bias
str: comprehensive
psychodynamic lim: lack of empericism
Concepts are difficult to study empirically
Unconscious cannot be observed, the psychosexual stages are inaccessible, no cause and effect for behaviour
Limitations from scientific perspective
psychodynamic lim: biased
Gender-biased approach
- Freuds views of women and female sexuality were less well developed than his views on male sexuality.
-seemed content to remain ignorant of female sexuality and how it may differ from male sexuality.
=Dismissing women and their sexuality in such a way is problematic, not only because Freud treated many female patients, but also because his theories are still so influential today.
Culture-biased approach
- Sue and Sue argue that psychoanalysis has little relevance for people from non-Western cultures
-They claim that many cultural groups do not value insight into mental disorders and therapy in the same way that Western cultures do
eg: In China, a depressed/anxious person avoids thoughts that cause them distress rather than discussing them openly
= Contrasts w the Western belief that open discussion and insight are always helpful in therapy
psychodynamic str: comprehensive theory
Psychoanalysis is a comprehensive theory
As well as is therapeutic applications, psychoanalysis can be used to explain many oner aspects of human behaviour outside of psychology.
Eg: psychoanalysis has been used as a form of literary criticism. Works of literature such as Hamlet, have repressed messaged hidden in the text
=we can interpret these works using psychoanalytic concepts, delving into the mind of the author and enricing our understanding of their psychological state
