Psychodynamic approach

Question 1

Psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

theory of psychoanalysis, developed by freud, believed behaviour is influenced by the interactions between three parts of the mind

Question 2

3 parts of the mind behaviour influenced

Answer 2

conscious - everything currently thinking
preconscious - everything not currently thinking but can easily access
unconscious - outside conscious awareness

Question 3

Key assumption of psychodynamic approach

Answer 3

most behaviour caused by unconscious mind

Question 4

Iceberg model

Answer 4

conscious level - superego and ego
preconscious level - superego and ego
unconscious level - superego and id

Question 5

personality tripartite structure

Answer 5

id - responsible for impulses and the urge for instant gratification, impulses of id responsible for most of our behaviour
superego - wants to follow rules and morals
ego - meditates between the id and superego, decides what to do, must defend against uncomfortable feels in the unconscious mind - must use defence mechanisms

Question 6

3 defence mechanisms

Answer 6

displacement
repression
denial

Question 7

displacement

Answer 7

ego redirects the ids impulse towards something else

Question 8

repression

Answer 8

ego pushes the ids impulse back into the unconsious mind

Question 9

denial

Answer 9

ego gives into the id, but the refuses to believe it has done so

Question 10

what are impulses in the unconscious mind shaped by

Answer 10

uncomfortable, repressed childhood experiences

Freud modelled how childhood experiences affect behaviour using the 5 psychosexual stages

Question 11

5 psychosexual stages

Answer 11

oral (birth-18 months)
anal (18months-3years)
phallic (3-6years)
latent (6-12years)
genital (12years-rest of life)

Question 12

1.Oral stage

Answer 12

birth-18months
id focused on mouth, main impulse to eat

Question 13

2.Anal stage

Answer 13

18months-3years
id focused on anus, main impulse to poo

nervous about the toilet = anally retentive
keen to use the toilet = anally expulsive

Question 14

3. Phallic stage

Answer 14

3-6years
boys and girls focused on the penis

Oedipus complex - boys sexually attracted to their mother, get jealous of their father
- boys also experience castration anxiety

Electra complex - girls get sexually attracted to their father and dont trust their mother
- girls experience penis envy

Question 15

4.Latent stage

Answer 15

6-12years
id impulse spread out evenly across the body

Question 16

5.Genital stage

Answer 16

12years-rest of life
id focusing on reproductive organs

Question 17

what happens if child experiences psychological trauma during any of stage 1,2,3

Answer 17

will be repressed in unconscious mind, causing psychosexual fixations

Question 18

3 fixations

Answer 18

oral fixation
anally retentive fixation/ anally expulsive
phallic fixation

Question 19

oral fixation

Answer 19

cause adult to be overly dependent
habits of smoking, biting nails

Question 20

anally retentive fixation

Answer 20

adult organised and careful with their money

Question 21

anally expulsive fixation

Answer 21

adult to be overly emotional

Question 22

phallic fixation

Answer 22

adult to be jealous or anxious

Question 23

Strengths of psychodynamic approach

Answer 23

• Historical importance: Freud one of the first psychologists to identify childhood experiences as a cause of psychological disorders, an idea which we still use in therapy
• Strikes a balance between being idiographic and nomothetic, uses case studies to focus on individual experiences and proposes general theories about behaviour, such as the tripartite structure of personality

Case study: Little Hans, 5year old scared of horses, through analysing Hans behaviour and dreams, Freud concluded that Hans in phallic stage, also suggested Hans going through Oedipus complex (sexually attracted to mother, jealous of father). Fear of father redirected at horses, example of displacement

Question 24

Limitations of psychodynamic approach

Answer 24

• Isnt very scientific:
  not based on empirical evidence, so Freuds theories about the unconscious mind arent falsifiable
  the research relies on case studies, results lack population validity
  Case studies: Little Hans experiences may not generalise to other children, study uses self-report method, so doesnt involve any objective or empirical evidence. Especially problematic when a small child self-reporting their own dreams. Also case study doesnt test cause and effect.
• Freuds research involves androcentric bias, and based on outdates gender stereotypes
  For instance Freud proposed that females experience penis envy, assumes that females always want the same things as males