psychodynamic approach Flashcards
Why is it a weakness that freud lacks scientific value?
many of freuds ideas are considered non falsifiable
theories may be able to reflect evidence but cant observe the unconscious mind directly
it cant be tested scientifically to prove them wrong
karl popper argued tha a theory is not scientific if it is not falsifiable
What is a weakness of the psychodynamic approach?
- overemphasis on childhood
it can be argued that freuds approach overemphasises childhood experience as the source of abnormality
What are the practical applications of the psychodynamic approach?
psychoanalysis is a therapy which aims to bring unconscious conflict into the conscious mind so it can be resolved
this can be done through dream analysis or word association
its effective for patients with depression or anxiety suggesting that unconscious conflict may lead to neurotic mental healthy issues
What is case study evidence for the psychodynamic approach?
Supporting evidence from little hans suggest that freuds ideas about unconscious conflict could have validity
they potentially did experience mental distress due to factors pur forth by feud
williams found evidence to support the existence of ego defence mechanisms such as repression - adults can forget traumatic sexual abuse
What are the negatives of defence mechanisms ?
Lack of testability / falsifiability since defence mechanisms are uncosnscious processes they cant be studied directly
defence mechanisms can only be inferred from behaviour or from reported thoughts or experiences.
What are the positives of defence mechanisms?
It has intuitive appeal- this means that most people are happy to accept the posibility that they exist (based on subjective, anecdotal evidence)
Myers found evidence that people with low trait anxiety scores and high trait defensiveness are repressors. These repressors didnt report any worrying health symptoms to professionals when given a questionnare.
Brenwin and andrew conducted a meta analysis and found that between 20-60% of sexual abuse survivors had periods of their lives when they could not remember the abuse.
What is repression?
forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind
What is displacement?
Transferring feelings from a true source of distressing emotions onto a substitute target
What is denial?
refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
What is the role of defence mechanisms ?
help the ego manage the conflict between the id and the superego
provide compromise solutions (usually unconscious) to deal with unresolvable conflict
provide a strategy to reduce anxiety (which weakens the ego’s influence)
what are the 3 defence mechanisms ?
denial
displacement
repression
What is the superego?
Formed between3-6 years
It operates on themorality principleit acts as the conscience or moral guide, it contains our moral values.
part of the unconscious mind
the superego is ourinternalised same sex parent ,for girls morality comes from their mum and for boys it comes from their dad.
The superego ensures that the ego doesnt use unacceptable means to satisfy demands of the id
What is the ego ?
It is formed between 18 months - 3 years
It works on thereality principleit is rational and balances the id and superego; considering the risks and possible outcomes of our behaviour then making decisions
consciouspart of the mind
it balances conflict between the demands of the id and the superego.
it seeks to satisfy the id in socially acceptable ways
What is the id?
Formed frombirth - 18 months
the id is the unconscious part of the mind
it works on the pleasure principle this is the instinctive seeking of pleasure and avoiding pain it is hedonistic
The id deals with selfish irrational and emotional needs and feelings
what are the 3 parts of personality
Freud viewed the adult personality as having 3 basic components : the id ego and superego
