Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What are 3 assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

• Behaviour is influenced by unconscious forces
• The imporagncd of early childhood experiences
• A focus on the whole person

Question 2

What is Freud’s theory of the mind?

Answer 2

He compared the mind to an iceberg. The top which sits above the water represents the conscious mind, the part we access, whereas the part below the water represents the pre conscious and unconscious

Question 3

What is free association?

Answer 3

A process where the unconscious can be accessed

Question 4

What does the human personality consist of?

Answer 4

• Id
• Ego
• Superego

Question 5

What is the id?

Answer 5

Present from birth, it is completely unconscious and is the pleasure principle, it seeks satisfaction

Question 6

What is the ego?

Answer 6

Develops at about 2 years to meet the demands of the id in a socially acceptable way, it is conscious and is the reality principle

Question 7

What is the superego?

Answer 7

Develops at about 5 years, during the phallic stage, it’s is unconscious and is the morality principle, has a sense of right and wrong

Question 8

What does a well adjusted person develop?

Answer 8

A strong ego so that she or he can cope with this internal, unconscious conflict through the use of ego defence mechanism which help to keep the conflict locked in the unconscious

Question 9

What happens if a persons ego is weak?

Answer 9

They would not be able to manage the internal conflict which could possibly lead to psychological disorders

Question 10

What are the 3 defence mechanisms?

Answer 10

• Repression
• Denial
• Displacement

Question 11

What is repression?

Answer 11

Pushing memories into the unconscious so they appear forgotten

Question 12

What is denial?

Answer 12

Refusing or rejecting reality

Question 13

What is displacement?

Answer 13

Feelings are redirected to an alternative safer place

Question 14

What are the 5 psychosexual stages?

Answer 14

• Oral
• Anal
• Phallic
• Latency
• Genitals

Question 15

What happens in the oral stage?

Answer 15

Mouth satisfaction gained from putting things in the mouth so feeding is important

Question 16

What are personality traits from the oral stage?

Answer 16

• Under gratified: smoking, aggressive, eating when stressed
• Over gratified: gullible, dependant on others

Question 17

What happens in the anal stage?

Answer 17

Anus pleasure gained from bowel movements, conflict arises when parents demand that the child is toilet trained

Question 18

What are personality traits from the anal stage?

Answer 18

• Under gratified: difficulty expressing emotions, obsessed with cleanliness
• Over gratified: messy, disorganised, lack of respect

Question 19

What happens during the phallic stage?

Answer 19

Child has unconscious sexual desires for the opposite sex parent and fears punishment from the same sex parent for the desires, this causes conflict

Question 20

What are personality traits from the phallic stage?

Answer 20

The individual may have problems with sex and their sexual identity in the future. Freud believe unresolved conflict could lead to homosexuality

Question 21

What happens in the latency stage?

Answer 21

This is a time of consolidation and rest. During this stage the conflicts and issues of the previous stages are repressed with the consequences that children are unable to remember

Question 22

What happens in the genitals stage?

Answer 22

The individual becomes interested in the opposite sex

Question 23

What are the personality traits of the genitals stage?

Answer 23

If fixtations have formed in the first five years they begin to emerge and exert their influence on personality

Question 24

What was Little Hans?

Answer 24

He had a phobia of horses, Freud believed that the boy had displaced fear of his father on horses as he was expiring the oedipus complex

Question 25

What are 3 evaluation points?

Answer 25

• Less scientific than other approaches
• Highlights links between childhood experiences and adult characteristics
• Uses case studies