Psychodynamic Approach

Question 1

What does the unconscious consist of?

Answer 1

Biological drives and repressed memories from our childhood.

Question 2

What does Freud argue the driving force of behaviour is?

Answer 2

The unconcious

Question 3

What does the unconscious protect us from?

Answer 3

The unconscious also protects us from fear, conflict and trauma that are too painful for the conscious mind to deal with

Question 4

What does Freud say is buried (repressed) in the unconscious?

Answer 4

Fear, conflict and trauma

Question 5

What is rooted in our childhood experiences?

Answer 5

Our behaviour and feelings as adults (including psychological problems) are rooted in our childhood experiences.

Question 6

What does the preconcious contain?

Answer 6

The preconscious contains thoughts and feelings that a person is not currently aware of, but which can easily be brought to consciousness

Question 7

Where does the preconcious exist?

Answer 7

It exists just below the level of consciousness, before the unconscious mind- become aware during dreams or slips of the tongue

Question 8

What does the psychodynamic approach assume about ‘slips of the tongue’?

Answer 8

All behaviour has a cause (usually unconscious), even slips of the tongue-parapraxes.
Slips of the tongue reveal our deep unconscious desires
Therefore, all behaviour is determined.

Question 9

What does Freud believe about dreams?

Answer 9

According to Freud, ’dreams serve as a royal road to the unconscious’. They represent a form of wish fulfillment. Freud believed that studying dreams provides insight into the unconscious activities of the mind. Dreams are formed through two mental processes: unconscious forces that construct a wish expressed by the dream, and censorship that distorts the expression of the wish.

Question 10

Describe the ‘tip of the iceberg’?

Answer 10

THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
CONCIOUS (thoughts and perceptions- what we are aware of)
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
PRECONSCIOUS (memory stored knowledge just below surface of awareness). UNCONCIOUS (biological urges + repressed memories, unaware of it influences behaviour and personality- instincts, fears and selfish motives)

Question 11

What is the psyche?

Answer 11

The personality- it is a tripartite system.

Question 12

What is the Id?

Answer 12

-primitive part of our personality- pleasure principle- which is the idea that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences.
-unconscious drives
-present from birth
-selfish- demands immediate gratification
-our behaviour and feelings as adults (including psychological problems) are rooted in our childhood experiences

Question 13

What is the ego?

Question 14

Background of Freud

Answer 14

-Born in Austria, died in London
-University of Vienna
-Studied the brain and the nervous system
-Influenced by Brucke and Bruer (Anna O)

Question 15

Assumption 1: What is the conscious mind?

Answer 15

The conscious mind is what we are aware of and is only a very small part of what influences our behaviour- 1/7th

Question 16

Assumption 2: What is our behaviour affected by?

Answer 16

Our behaviour and feelings are powerfully affected by unconscious motives.
The unconscious consists of biological drives and repressed memories from our childhood. The unconscious, Freud argues, is the driving force of our behaviour.
The unconscious also protects us from fear, conflict and trauma that are too painful for the conscious mind to deal with.
Freud states that the above is buried (repressed) in the unconscious.

Question 18

Assumption 3: Where are our behaviours and feelings as adults rooted in?

Answer 18

Rooted in our childhood experience

Question 19

Assumption 4: What is the preconscious?

Answer 19

The preconcious contains thoughts and feelings that a person is not currently aware of, but which can easily be brought to consciousness.
It exists just below the level of consciousness, before the unconscious mind- become aware during dreams or slips of the tongues.
Slips of the tongue reveal our deep unconscious desires (parapraxes).
Therefore, all behaviour is determined (shaped by our unconscious).

Question 20

Assumption 5: What does Freud believe about dreams?

Answer 20

According to Freud, ‘dreams serve as a roya road to the unconscious’. They represent a form of wish fulfilment. Freud believed that studying dreams provides insight into the unconscious activities of the mind. Dras are formed thought twk mental processes: unconscious forces that construct a wish expressed by the dream, and censorship that distorts the expression of the wish.

Question 21

What kind of system is the psyche?

Answer 21

Tripartite system (3 parts)

Question 22

What is the id?

Answer 22

Primitive part of our personality- pleasure principle- which is the idea that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences.
Present form birth.
Selfish- demands immediate gratification.
Our behaviour and feelings as adults (including psychological problems) are rooted in our childhood experiences.

Question 23

What is the ego?

Answer 23

The ego develops to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision-making component of personality.
The ego operates according to the reality principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society.
The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave.
Develops around the age of 2.
It works in the reality principle- the attempt to accommodate the demands of the environment in a realistic way.
Reduce tension between the id and superego by using defence mechanisms.

Question 24

What is the superego?

Answer 24

Incorporates values and morals of society which are learned from one’s parents and others.
It develops around the age of 5- end of the phallic stage of psychosexual development.
Internalised sense of right and wrong.
The superegos function is to control the id’s impulses. especially this of which society forbids, such as sex and aggression.
It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection.
The superego consists of two systems: the conscience and the ideal self. The conscious can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, is the ego gives in to the ids demands, the superego may make the person feel bad through guilt.
Morality principle- moral standards of the same-sec parents- punishes ego for wrong doing via guilt.

Question 25

Psychosexual stages

Answer 25

• Freud (1905) proposed that psychological development in childhood takes place in a series of fixed psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. • These are called psychosexual stages because each stage represents the fixation of libido (roughly translated as sexual drives or instincts) on a different area of the body. • As a person grows physically certain areas of their body become important as sources of potential frustration (erogenous zones), pleasure or both. • Freud believed that life was built round tension and pleasure. Freud also believed that all tension was due to the build-up of libido (sexual energy) and that all pleasure came from its discharge. • In describing human personality development as psychosexual Freud meant to convey that what develops is the way in which sexual energy accumulates and is discharged as we mature biologically. (NB Freud used the term 'sexual' in a very general way to mean all pleasurable actions and thoughts). • Freud stressed that the first five years of life are crucial to the formation of adult personality. The id must be controlled in order to satisfy social demands; this sets up a conflict between frustrated wishes and social norms. • The ego and superego develop in order to exercise this control and direct the need for gratification into socially acceptable channels. • Gratification centres in different areas of the body at different stages of growth, making the conflict at each stage psychosexual.

Question 26

What are the 5 psychosexual stages?

Answer 26

-Oral -Anal -Phallic -Latency -Genital

Question 27

Oral stage

Answer 27

- 0-1 years - Mouth, sucking, swallowing - Mother's breast is object of desire Consequence of unresolved conflict: Nail biting, smoking, sarcastic, critical

Question 28

Anal stage

Answer 28

-1-3 years (ego is developed) - Anus, faeces (withholding/ expelling) Consequences of unresolved conflict: Anally retentive, perfectionist, obsessive, anally expulsive- messy, thoughtless

Question 29

Phallic stage

Answer 29

- 3-5 years (superego develops at the end) -genital area -oedipus or electra complex Consequences of unresolved conflict: Phallic personally- narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual

Question 30

Latency stage

Answer 30

- 5-puberty -Earlier conflicts are repressed -Focuses on making friends and hobbies NO CONFLICT

Question 31

Genital stage

Answer 31

Sexual desires become conscious alongside puberty Consequence of unresolved conflict: Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 32

Defence mechanisms

Answer 32

Parts of the unconscious mind (the id and superego) are in constant conflict with the conscious part of the mind (the ego). This conflict creates anxiety, which could be dealt with by the ego’s use of defence mechanisms. When unconscious conflicts between the id and the superego cannot be resolved by the ego, they create anxiety. To reduce this anxiety, we use defence mechanisms such as repression. Defence mechanisms are psychological strategies that are unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings. According to Freudian theory, defence mechanisms involve a distortion of reality so that we are better able to cope with a situation. Repression, denial and displacement- these are named on the spec.

Question 33

Defence mechanism: Repression

Answer 33

• This was the first defence mechanism that Freud discovered, and arguably the most important. Repression is an unconscious mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious. • Thoughts that are often repressed are those that would result in feelings of guilt from the superego. • For example, in the Oedipus complex, aggressive thoughts about the same sex parents are repressed. • This is not a very successful defence in the long term since it involves forcing disturbing wishes, ideas or memories into the unconscious, where, although hidden, they will create anxiety.

Question 34

Defence mechanism: Denial

Answer 34

• Denial involves blocking external events from awareness. • If some situation is just too much to handle, the person just refuses to experience it. • As you might imagine, this is a primitive and dangerous defence - no one disregards reality and gets away with it for long! • It can operate by itself or, more commonly, in combination with other, more subtle mechanisms that support it. • For example, smokers may refuse to admit to themselves that smoking is bad for their health.

Question 35

Defence mechanism: Displacement

Answer 35

• Displacement is the redirection of an impulse (usually aggression) onto a powerless substitute target. • The target can be a person or an object that can serve as a symbolic substitute. Someone who feels uncomfortable with their sexual desire for a real person may substitute a fetish. • Someone who is frustrated by his or her superiors may go home and kick the dog or hurt a family member