Psychodynamic

Question 1

AO1 psychodynamic

Answer 1

• Psychoanalysis – The Personality theory and therapy associated with Sigmund Freud
• Unconscious – The part of the human mind that contains repressed ideas, memories, desires, and impulses that cannot be accessed by the conscious mind.
• Id – entirely unconscious, the Id is made up of selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification
• Ego – the ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the id and the superego
• Superego – the moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self – how we ought to be
• Psychosexual stages – Freud’s stage theory proposing that personality develops through a sequence of five stages which are driven by libido (need for pleasure and to express sexual energy), which can be shown through Freud’s research.

Question 2

AO3 (1) psychodynamic

Answer 2

• A strength of the Psychodynamic approach is that it has real world application
• For example, Freud brought a new form of therapy to the world called psychoanalysis by bringing the clients repressed emotions into their conscious mind so they can be dealt with
• This is a strength because it was the first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologically rather than physically and is the forerunner to many modern-day ‘talking therapies’ such as counselling.
• However, it can be argued that psychoanalysis is regarded as inappropriate, even harmful, for people experiencing more serious mental disorders like schizophrenia, showing that Freudian therapy cannot be applied to everyone
• Despite this, the psychodynamic approach helped in creating a new approach to treatment
• Thus increasing the validity of the psychodynamic approach

Question 3

AO3 (2) psychodynamic

Answer 3

• A limitation of the psychodynamic approach is that much of it is untestable
• For example, many of Freud’s concepts such as the Id and Oedipus complex are said to occur at an unconscious level, making them difficult to test, if not impossible, to test.
• This is a limitation as the philosopher of science, Karl Popper, argued that the psychodynamic approach does not meet the scientific criterion of falsification and it is not open to empirical testing and the possibility of being disproved suggesting that the approach lacks reliability.
• However, it can be argued that, it provides results through psychotherapy and psychoanalysis showing that although it may not be testable, it still provides positive results, therefore increasing the usefulness.
• Despite this, Freud’s theory was pseudoscientific rather than established fact
• Thus decreasing the internal validity of the approach

Question 4

AO3 (3) psychodynamic

Answer 4

• A strength of Freud’s theory is its ability to explain human behaviour
• For example, the Psychodynamic approach was a key force in psychology for the first half of the 20th century and has been used to explain a wide range of phenomena including personality development, abnormal behaviour, moral development and gender identity
• This is a strength as Freud’s theory had a huge influence on psychology and Western contemporary thought showing how influential it is. Additionally, the approach is significant in drawing attention to the connections between experiences in childhood, such as our relationship with our parents, and our later development.
• However, it can be argued that his ideas are subjective for example, his ideas were based on the subjective study of single individuals, such as Little Hans, which makes it difficult to make universal claims about human behaviour, in turn meaning that the approach lacks generalisability and real world application.
• Despite this, the psychodynamic approach has had a positive impact on psychology as well as literature, art and other human endeavours.
• Thus increasing the validity of the psychodynamic approach

Question 5

Assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 5

• Freud suggested our behaviour and feelings are powerfully affected by unconscious motives.
• Our behaviour and feelings as adults (including psychological problems) are rooted in our childhood experiences.
• Personality is composed of three parts, the ID, Ego and Superego which are in constant conflict with one another
• Personality develops in stages shaped as innate drives are modified by different conflicts at different times in childhood during psychosexual development.
• Psychic determinism: all behaviour has a cause/reason.

Question 6

Defence mechanisms definition

Answer 6

Unconscious strategies that involve a distortion of reality to protect our conscious mind from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety so we can cope with a situation (Repression, Denial and Displacement).

Question 7

Psychoanalysis definition

Answer 7

The Personality theory and therapy associated with Sigmund Freud

Question 8

Unconscious definition

Answer 8

The part of the human mind that contains repressed ideas, memories, desires and impulses that cannot be accessed by the conscious mind.

Question 9

The tripartite personality definition

Answer 9

Freud’s division of the mind in to three structures- the id, the ego and the superego

Question 10

Psychosexual stages definition

Answer 10

Freud’s stage theory proposing that personality develops through a sequence of five stages which are driven by libido (need for pleasure and to express sexual energy).

Question 11

The role of the unconscious information

Answer 11

Sigmund Freud believed in the existence of a part of the mind that was inaccessible to conscious thought. He referred to this as the unconscious mind. Freud believed most of our everyday actions and behaviours are not controlled consciously but are the product of the unconscious mind.

Freud believed the mind prevents traumatic memories from the unconscious from reaching conscious awareness which might cause anxiety and therefore the mind uses defence mechanism to prevent this.

Question 12

What are the three types of defence mechanisms?

Answer 12

repression
denial
displacement

Question 13

Repression info

Answer 13

This refers to the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts and impulses.

These repressed thoughts and feelings still influence behaviour without the individual being aware.

For example a child who is abused by a parent may have no recollection of these events but has trouble forming relationships.

Question 14

Denial info

Answer 14

Denial is the refusal to accept reality so as to avoid having to deal with any painful feelings that might be associated with that event.

The person acts as if the traumatic event had not happened something that those around them find to be quite bizarre.

For example, an alcoholic will often deny they have a drinking problem even after being arrested several times for being drunk and disorderly

Question 15

Displacement info

Answer 15

This involves the redirection of thoughts or feelings in situations where the person feels unable to express themselves in the presence of the person they should be directed towards.

Instead they may take this our on another individual or object, this gives their feelings a route for expression even though they are misapplied.

Question 16

What is the structure of personality?

Answer 16

Freud tripartite personality theory

Question 17

What are the structures of the personality?

Answer 17

id
ego
superego

Question 18

What is the id and what does it do?

Answer 18

The Id operates solely in the unconscious Freud describes this as an individual’s animal instincts.

It operates according to the pleasure principle and demands immediate gratification.

Question 19

What is the ego and what does it do?

Answer 19

The Ego is the mediator between the ID and the Super Ego.

The Ego forms compromise between the instinctive Id and moralistic demands of the Super Ego and operates on the reality principle

Question 20

What is the super ego what does it do?

Answer 20

The Superego is the morality principle which is formed around the age of 5.

It is the individual’s internalised state of right and wrong.

It is said to be formed by parental upbringing and punishes the ego for wrongdoing through the feeling of guilt.

Question 21

Info on Freud’s psychosexual stages

Answer 21

Freud stressed that the first five years of life are crucial to the formation of adult personality.

Personality developed through a sequence of five stages.

These are referred to as Psycho-sexual stages to emphasise that the most important driving force is sexual energy (libido.)

During the stages the id must be controlled in order to satisfy social demands; this sets up a conflict between frustrated wishes and social norms.

The ego and superego develop in order to exercise this control and direct the need for gratification into socially acceptable channels..

Gratification centres in different areas of the body at different stages of growth, making the conflict at each stage psychosexual.

Frustration (due to the individuals needs not being met), Overindulgence, or any combination of the two may lead to what psychoanalysts call fixation at a particular stage.

Freud claimed that, during development, becoming fixated on one of these stages would restrict full development result in displaying specific personality symptoms.

For example an ‘anally retentive’ personality is one such symptom – he proposed that when conflict occurs over potty training during the anal stage a person could become fixated on cleanliness and orderliness to an extreme.

Question 22

What are the psychosexual stages?

Answer 22

Oral
Anal
phallic
Latency
Genital

Question 23

Explain the oral stage

Answer 23

Ages 0-1

Focus of libido/activities include mouth, tongue biting and chewing

Development is weaning off + ego develops

Consequence of fixation in adult personality is smoking, over eating

Question 24

Explain the anal stage

Answer 24

Ages 1-3

Focus of libido/activities include anal bowel and bladder control

Development is toilet training

Consequence of fixation in adult personality is orderliness/messiness

Question 25

Explain the phallic stage

Answer 25

Ages 3-6 Focus of libido/activities is genital masturbation Development is Oedipus and Electra complex + super ego is formed Consequence of fixation and adult personality is deviancy, sexual dysfunction

Question 26

Explain the latency stage

Answer 26

Ages 6-10 Focus of libido/activities is repression of sexual urges Development is social development + super ego develops further Consequence of fixation on adult personality is none

Question 27

Explain the genital stage

Answer 27

Ages 12+ Focus of libido/activities is genitals Development is sexual maturity + development of intimate and sexual relationships Consequence of fixation on adult personality is if all stages completed then sexual maturity and positive mental health is achieved

Question 28

Explain the Oedipus complex

Answer 28

Freud proposed that during the phallic stage of personality development, boys experience the Oedipus complex. At around age 3 or 4, the young boy begins to desire his mother as she has been his main source of pleasure and he therefore wants her complete attention. This means he sees his father as a rival, experiences jealousy of his mother’s desire for the father and wishes he was dead. This then creates anxiety and the repressed fear that his father will castrate him. This fear and anxiety alongside jealousy creates conflict and the only way the child can cope with and resolve this is through the development of a defense mechanism known as “identification with the aggressor.” The boy looks for ways to be similar to the father and identifies his father’s attitudes and behaviour forming his gender identity. It is at this point that also the superego is formed as the child learns their morality from their identification with the father and his values and attitudes.

Question 29

Explain the electra complex

Answer 29

In the development of Freud’s theory, Carl Jung proposed the Electra complex. During the phallic stage, a little girl also starts off by desiring her mother but then envies her father who has her mother’s attention. She begins to thus admire and desire her father and realises that she does not have a penis so cannot be like him. This leads to the development of penis envy and the desire to be a boy. Freud claimed that little girls blame their mothers for their 'castrated state.' This is resolved by the girl repressing her desire for her father and substituting the wish for a penis with the wish for a baby, which creates great tension. However, these feelings are repressed in order to remove the tension, and instead a little girl identifies with her mother and internalises her mother’s gender identity, so that it becomes her own. She will also develop her superego through this identification and internalisation of her mother’s values.

Question 30

Explain the case study of little hans

Answer 30

Freud supported his concept of the Oedipus complex with his case study of Little Hans. Freud did not directly work with Hans but through correspondence with Han’s father. At the age of three Hans developed an active interest in his ‘widdler’ (penis). Throughout this time this was the main theme of Hans’ fantasies and dreams. When Hans was five years old he developed a phobia of horses. He was afraid to go out of the house because of his phobia. Hans’ father wrote to Freud “He is afraid a horse will bite him in the street and this fear seems somehow connected with him being frightened by a large penis” Hans said that he was especially afraid of white horses with black around the mouth who were wearing blinkers. Hans' father interpreted this as a reference to his moustache and spectacles. Freud believed that the horse was a symbol for his father, and the black bits were a moustache. The father and child had often played at 'horses' together. During the game the father would take the role of horse, the son that of the rider. The father also recorded an exchange with Hans where the boy said ‘Daddy don’t trot away from me! Towards the end of Hans' phobia of horses he experienced several fantasies. During one of which Hans imagined that a plumber had come and first removed his bottom and widdler and then gave him another one of each, but larger. Freud interpreted this as Hans’ desire now to be like his father and the beginning of his “identification with the aggressor” Hans did recover from his phobia after his father (at Freud's suggestion) assured him that he had no intention of cutting off his penis.

Question 31

Explain the conclusion for the case study of little hans

Answer 31

Freud interpreted that the horses in the phobia were symbolic of the father, and that Hans feared that the horse (father) would bite (castrate) him as punishment for the desires towards his mother (castration anxiety). Freud suggested that Hans’ phobia was a form of displacement in which his fear of his father and the fear of castration was displaced onto horses during the Oedipus complex.