psychodynamic approach

Question 1

what is the driving force behind behaviour + personality?

Answer 1

the unconscious

Question 2

in our unconscious, what drives behaviour?

Answer 2

traumatic (repressed) memories

Question 3

what is the role of the unconscious?

Answer 3

protects the conscious self from anxiety/fear/trauma/conflict

Question 4

name 2 ways of accessing the unconscious mind

Answer 4

dream interpretation
hypnosis
rorschach test
free association

Question 5

true or false? the structure of personality is a tripartite model.

Answer 5

true

Question 6

what is the id motivated by?

Answer 6

unconscious drives + instincts

Question 7

what does the id operate on?

Answer 7

pleasure principle - it gets what it wants

Question 8

where is the id stored?

Answer 8

the unconscious

Question 9

what is the role of the ego?

Answer 9

mediates between other parts of personality to reduce demands of id + superego (uses defence mechanisms to manage the conflict)

Question 10

what does the ego operate on?

Answer 10

reality principle - it is rational

Question 11

where is the ego stored?

Answer 11

the conscious

Question 12

what is the role of the superego?

Answer 12

a conscience/moral guide - punishes the ego for wrong-doing through guilt

Question 13

what does the superego operate on?

Answer 13

morality principle - represents moral standards of same-sex parent + society

Question 14

where is the superego stored?

Answer 14

the unconscious

Question 15

what is denial? - give an example of this

Answer 15

refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality - e.g. smokers may refuse to admit that smoking is bad for their health

Question 16

what is displacement? - give an example of this

Answer 16

transferring feelings from the true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target - e.g. someone who is annoyed at their boss may go home + kick the dog

Question 17

what is repression? - give an example of this

Answer 17

forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind - e.g. during the Oedipus complex, aggressive thoughts about the same-sex parent are repressed

Question 18

what age is the oral stage?

Answer 18

0-1 years

Question 19

what is the focus of pleasure during the oral stage?

Answer 19

mouth (e.g. milk bottle/mother’s breast)

Question 20

what is the fixation for the oral stage?

Answer 20

oral fixation (e.g. smoking, being critical, nail-biting)

Question 21

what age is the anal stage?

Answer 21

1-3 years

Question 22

what is the focus of pleasure during the anal stage?

Answer 22

anus (pleasure from bowel movements)

Question 23

what are the fixations for the anal stage?

Answer 23

anal retentive (perfectionist, obsessive)
anal expulsive (thoughtless, messy)

Question 24

what age is the phallic stage?

Answer 24

3-6 years

Question 25

what is the focus of pleasure during the phallic stage?

Answer 25

genital area

Question 26

what is the fixation for the phallic stage?

Answer 26

phallic personality (narcissistic, reckless)

Question 27

what age is the latent stage?

Answer 27

7-11 years

Question 28

what happens during the latent stage?

Answer 28

earlier conflicts are repressed

Question 29

what age is the genital stage?

Answer 29

from puberty onwards

Question 30

what happens during the genital stage?

Answer 30

sexual desires become present alongside the onset of puberty

Question 31

what is a consequence of the genital stage?

Answer 31

difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 32

give a strength of this approach - why is this a strength?

Answer 32

~ real world application - introduced the idea of psychotherapy ~ psychoanalysis is the forerunner to many modern talking therapies (e.g. counselling) that have been established

Question 33

what is a counterpoint to the strength?

Answer 33

Freudian therapy may not apply to all disorders - e.g. psychoanalysis is regarded as harmful for people experiencing more serious mental disorders

Question 34

give a limitation of this approach - why is this a limitation?

Answer 34

~ untestable concepts - many of Freud's concepts occur at an unconscious level, making them difficult/impossible to test ~ his ideas were based on subjective study (e.g. Little Hans) making it difficult to make universal claims about behaviour ~ it's not open to empirical testing, doesn't meet the scientific criteria of falsification, and isn't open to the possibility of being disproved

Question 35

why is 'psychic determinism' a limitation?

Answer 35

it is an extreme view that dismisses any influence of free will

Question 36

true or false? this approach involves gender bias

Answer 36

true - sees women as inferior (e.g. penis envy)

Question 37

give another strength of this approach (within issues + debates)

Answer 37

takes both nature + nurture into account