Psychodynamic

Question 1

Who created the Psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

Sigmund Freud

Question 2

What theory did Freud create?

Answer 2

Theory of the Unconscious

Question 3

What is the Theory of the Unconscious?

Answer 3

• we have unconscious wishes & desires that we are not aware of
• but these desires influence our decision making & motivations
• we repress these unconscious thoughts from consciousness

Question 4

According to Freud, what 3 components make up our personality (psyche)?

Answer 4

1. ID
2. EGO
3. SUPEREGO

Question 5

What is the ‘ID’? WHen is the ID formed?

Answer 5

• pleasure principle - represents our desires & wishes, especially our biological & sexual urges
• birth -> 18 months

Question 6

What is the function of the ‘EGO’? When does it form?

Answer 6

• represents the reality principle, which is part of our personality that makes decisions based on demands of ‘ID’ & restrictions from ‘SUPEREGO’
• releases the defence mechanisms
• formed from 18 mnths -> 3 yrs

Question 7

What is the function of the ‘SUPEREGO’? When does it form?

Answer 7

• represents moral principles & ideas of what we ought to be like
• learnt from our upbringing & go against our ‘ID’s desires
• formed from 3-6 years old

Question 8

In a healthy psyche, which component is in charge?

Answer 8

EGO

Question 9

What did Freud believe most of the influences on behaviour come from?

Answer 9

unconscious mind

Question 10

What did Freud argue about how the Psychosexual stages affect behaviour?

Answer 10

conflicts that arise during the psychosexual can affect later behaviour

Question 11

What are the 5 stages of psychosexual development?

Answer 11

1. oral stage
2. anal stage
3. phallic stage
4. latency stage
5. genital stage

Question 12

At what age, does the oral stage take place?

Answer 12

0-2 years old

Question 13

At what age does the anal stage take place?

Answer 13

2-3 years old

Question 14

At what age, does the phallic stage take place?

Answer 14

3-6 years old

Question 15

At what age, does the latent stage take place?

Answer 15

6 years old - puberty

Question 16

At what age, does the genital stage take place?

Answer 16

puberty-death

Question 17

What is the source of libido & pleasure during the oral stage?
What does the child enjoy doing?

Answer 17

Mouth - enjoys sucking, biting & feeding

Question 18

What is the source of libido & pleasure during the anal stage?
What does the child enjoy doing?

Answer 18

Anus - enjoys expelling or withdrawing faeces

Question 19

What is the source of libido & pleasure during the phallic stage?
What does the child enjoy doing?

Answer 19

penis & clitoris - enjoys masturbation
- Oedipus complex occurs

Question 20

What is the source of libido & pleasure during the Latency stage? What does the child enjoy doing?

Answer 20

no source as sex drives are repressed

Question 21

What is the source of libido & pleasure during the Genital stage?
What does the person enjoy doing?

Answer 21

Genitals - masturbation & sexual intercourse within heterosexual relationships

Question 22

What 2 conflicts might arise during the oral stage?

Answer 22

• forceful feeding
• early weaning

Question 23

What might be result of unresolved conflicts from the oral stage?

Answer 23

smoking, nail-biting

Question 24

What conflict might arise during the anal stage?

Answer 24

• toilet training: too harsh or too lax

Question 25

What might be the unresolved conflicts from the anal stage?

Answer 25

be anal-retentive - obsessive, tidy & passive aggressive or be anal-expulsive - disorganised, reckless, defiant

Question 26

What is the Oedipus complex?

Answer 26

during the phallic stage, infant boys must overcome an unconscious sexual desire for their mother by identifying with their father

Question 27

What conflicts may arise as the result of the Oedipus conflict?

Answer 27

unusual relationship with mother or father

Question 28

What may be the unresolved conflicts for men & women as the result of the Oedipus complex?

Answer 28

men - anxiety about sex, fear of castratio, vanity women - feelings of inferiority & penis envy

Question 29

What conflicts may take place at the Latency stage?

Answer 29

interacting with same sex peers

Question 30

What may be the unresolved conflicts as the result of this stage?

Answer 30

no unresolved conflicts due to repression of sexual drives

Question 31

What conflicts/fixations may arise during the genital stage?

Answer 31

establishment of intimate relationships with opposite sex

Question 32

What may be the unresolved conflicts from the genital stage?

Answer 32

no unresolved conflicts - fixation of intimate relationships should happen & indicates a secure adult

Question 33

What can help control conflict caused by events during the psychosexual stages?

Answer 33

defence mechanisms

Question 34

What are the 3 defence mechanisms?

Answer 34

1. repression 2. denial 3. displacement

Question 35

What is repression?

Answer 35

forgetting an unpleasant memory or strong emotion associated with it

Question 36

What is denial?

Answer 36

refusal to admit an unpleasant fact

Question 37

What is displacement?

Answer 37

shifting an emotion directed at one person towards another object/partner

Question 38

What are 4 strengths of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 38

acknowledges the: - significance of psychological factors within abnormal behaviour - importance of childhood in explaining behaviour - importance of the unconscious in influencing behaviour 4. Freud's theories have been highly influential on our modern day understanding of psychology

Question 39

Why is psychological factors a strength fo the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 39

Freud was the first to emphasise the importance of psychological factors causing abnormal behaviour

Question 40

Why is importance of childhood a strength of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 40

most psychologists accept that childhood is important in determining adult behaviour

Question 41

Why is importance of unconscious a strength of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 41

many people agree that the unconscious does affect behaviour

Question 42

Why is influential theory a strength of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 42

Freud remains best known psychologist & his ideas have been represented in various media & his terminology adopted in everyday language

Question 43

Why is problems validating theory a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 43

impossible to scientifically test model

Question 44

Why is poor methodology a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 44

dominant use of case studies - more subject to researcher bias - difficult to generalise to wider population

Question 45

Why is over-emphasis on sexual factors a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 45

Freud fails recognise other important factors eg. social relationships, instead of just sexual factors - reductionist

Question 46

Why is blame of parents a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 46

good for individual but damaging for parent

Question 47

Why is andocentric a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 47

sees men as 'normal' & women as wanting to be men eg. penis envy

Question 48

Why is the psychoanalytic theory culturally biased?

Answer 48

- Freud's patients were all Viennese middle-class people - his therapy was called the 'talking cure' & thus is only suitable for cultures where personal discussion of problems is encouraged - can't be generalised

Question 49

Why is the psychodynamic approach not directly observable?

Answer 49

- it is difficult to measure concepts such as the unconscious - little objective evidence to support the approach - any evidence is not