Psychodynamic approach

Question 1

What is the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

A perspective that describes the different forces, most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience.

Question 2

What is the tripartite system(Freud)?

Answer 2

-ID
-Ego
-Superego:

Question 3

What is the ID

Answer 3

-primitive part of our personality
-operates on the pleasure principle (gratification of its needs)
-present at birth
-Unconscious desires

Question 4

What is the Ego?

Answer 4

-reality principle
-mediator between the other 2 parts
-develops around 2yrs of age
-develops defence mechanisms to reduce conflict between ID and Superego

Question 5

What is the Superego?

Answer 5

-develops around age 5 (phallic stage)
-our internalised sense of right or wrong
-based on the mortality principle
-punishes the ego for wrongdoing (guilt)

Question 6

What are the psychosexual stages?

Answer 6

-oral stage: 0-1, pleasure of the mouth & focus on breast(consequence of unresolved conflict = oral fixation-smoking)

-anal stage 1-3, focus on pleasure of anus (anal retentive/anal expulsive)

-phallic stage: 3-6 focus on genital area (phallic personality- narcissitc)

-latency stage- earlier conflicts repressed

-genital stage- sexual desires become conscious(difficulty forming heterosexual relationships)

Question 7

What happens if the child does not pass a certain psychosexual stages?

Answer 7

-Any psychosexual stage which is not passed leads to fixation where the child becomes stuck and carries certain behaviours from there on.

Question 8

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 8

-Unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the id and the superego to stop it from becoming overwhelmed
-repression
-denial
-displacement

Question 9

What are the strengths of psychodynamic approach?

Answer 9

-real-world application: new form of psychotherapy; psychoanalysis which involved new techniques such as dream analysis which aims to bring repressed emotions into the conscious mind. Psychoanalysis was a forerunner to many modern therapies such as counselling. This shows how the psychodynamic approach to creating new treatment.
However, psychoanalysis is not suitable and perhaps harmful for more serious conditions such as SZ because of paranoia and disorganized thinking. This means cannot cope with psychoanalysis.

-Explanatory power: useful in 20th century and explains wide range of phenomena such as psychological disorder, moral development and gender identity despite appearing quite bizarre. Also influential in looking at childhood experiences to explain later development in adulthood. This means that whilst the psychodynamic approach is not entirely credible, it has had a positive effect on the development of psychology.

Question 10

What are the weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 10

-Untestable concepts: Karl Popper argued that psychodynamic approach does not meet scientific criterion for falsification and is not open to empirical testing. Many of freud’s concepts e.g. Oedipus are on a unconscious level making it difficult to study and test. Furthermore, studies of Little Hans are on individuals so cannot be generalised. Therefore pyschodynamic approach was more pseudoscientific.

-psychic determinism: ignores free will as the slip of the tongue is driven by unconscious forces. This removes free will as nothing occurs by “accident” to Freud.