Psychodynamic Approach Overall

Question 1

What are the 6 AO1 points you must know for the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

-role of the unconscious
-structure of personality
-psychosexual stages of development
-defence mechanisms
-Oedipus complex
-influence of childhood and early experience

Question 2

What is the role of the unconscious in the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 2

Freud proposed that the unconscious mind contains repressed memories, instincts, and desires that influence behaviour without our conscious awareness.

Question 3

What are the three parts of the personality in Freud’s theory?

Answer 3

The id (pleasure principle), ego (reality principle), and superego (morality principle). The ego mediates between the impulsive id and the moralistic superego.

Question 4

What are Freud’s psychosexual stages of development?

Answer 4

Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages. Unresolved conflicts at any stage can lead to fixation and influence adult personality traits.

Question 5

What are defence mechanisms in the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 5

Unconscious strategies used by the ego to manage anxiety, including repression (blocking memories), denial (refusing to accept reality), and displacement (shifting emotions to a substitute target).

Question 6

What is the Oedipus complex?

Answer 6

A conflict in the phallic stage where boys develop unconscious sexual feelings for their mother and jealousy toward their father. Resolution is key for healthy gender identity.

Question 7

Why are early childhood experiences important in the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 7

Freud believed early relationships, especially with parents, strongly shape adult personality and can lead to psychological issues if conflicts are unresolved.