psychodynamic - freud, erikson, adler

Question 1

what perspective did Freud support?

Answer 1

psychodynamic: emphasis on the unconscious mind and childhood experiences

Question 2

what is the three part model?

Answer 2

the id, the ego and the superego

Question 3

explain the id

Answer 3

present from birth, driven by primal, survival instincts. driven by pleasure and instant gratification

Question 4

explain the ego

Answer 4

controls the id’s impulses, makes them acceptable. operates on the reality principle: attempting to satisfy the id’s desires in realistic and socially acceptable ways. weighs the costs and benefits of an action before acting

Question 5

explain the superego

Answer 5

has a strong sense of right and wrong, tries to have perfect behaviour. suppresses the id’s unacceptable urges, tries to make the ego act upon idealistic standards, rather than on realistic principles

Question 6

summarise the id ego and superego

Answer 6

id is what we NEED
ego is what we WANT
superego is what we SHOULD (want, do, etc.)

Question 7

what does an imbalance in the id ego and superego cause?

Answer 7

personality issues - overly dominant id = impulsive, uncontrollable, overly dominant superego = judgmental, feelings of excessive guilt

Question 8

what are the five psychosexual stages?

Answer 8

• oral (0-2), mouth
• anal (3-4), anus
• phallic (4-6), genitals
• latency (6-12), none
• genital (12+), genitals

Question 9

three strengths and three weaknesses of the psychosexual theory

Answer 9

strengths:
- stage based development
- explains defence mechanisms (fixating on a conflict)
- emphasises the importance of early childhood experiences
weaknesses:
- outdated
- overly focused on sex
- wasn’t properly tested, cannot be proved

Question 10

what are defence mechanisms?

Answer 10

unconscious psychological strategies, used to protect a person from anxiety/uncomfortable thoughts/feelings. they help reduce stress by distorting/denying reality

Question 11

what is another name for defence mechanisms?

Answer 11

ego defences

Question 12

name the seven defence mechanisms

Answer 12

denial, displacement, rationalisation, repression, projection, reaction formation, sublimation

Question 13

what is denial?

Answer 13

reusing to recognise something that is obvious to others

Question 14

what is displacement?

Answer 14

transferring a response to someone or something less threatening

Question 15

what is rationalisation?

Answer 15

making up excuses or explanations

Question 16

what is repression?

Answer 16

blocking or pushing upsetting thoughts into the unconscious mind

Question 17

what is projection?

Answer 17

attributing your own unacceptable thoughts and behaviours to others

Question 18

what is reaction formation?

Answer 18

substituting thoughts and behaviours for the direct opposite of the unaccepted ones

Question 19

what is sublimation?

Answer 19

redirecting unacceptable impulses into a socially acceptable behaviours

Question 20

strengths and weaknesses of defence mechanisms

Answer 20

strengths:
- they can be helpful: are good at protecting the ego from stress
- can provide a healthy outlet for feelings and thoughts
weaknesses:
- do not resolve the issue, can stop a person from facing reality
- can be overused, can have an unhealthy impact on individuals and relationships

Question 21

how do eriksons views differ from freud’s?

Answer 21

similarities:
- social development forms in stages
- a conflict at each stage
differences:
- focus on SOCIAL (not sexual) experience across the ENTIRE lifespan

Question 22

how did individual psychology (adler) differ from the theories of psychosexual and psychosocial?

Answer 22

similarities:
- like erikson, believed that individuals are influenced by their social context
- like freud and erikson, believed childhood experiences have negative or positive outcomes
differences:
- theory is more holistic
- is not stage based

Question 23

key aspects of individual psychology?

Answer 23

inferiority and superiority complexes, birth order theory

Question 24

what is inferiority complex?

Answer 24

when a person has feelings of inadequacy or inferiority, whether real or imagined

Question 25

what is a superiority complex?

Answer 25

an individuals need to prove that they are better than others, to make up for their feelings of inferiority

Question 26

what does birth order theory suggest?

Answer 26

that birth order, including the differences in parental expectations and sibling dynamics, can affect development and character

Question 27

first borns

Answer 27

- get more attention and time from parents - are often described as leaders, high-achieving, structured and organised, responsible and mature

Question 28

middle borns

Answer 28

- tend to become the peacemaker, mediate conflicts between older and younger siblings - tend to be overshadowed by elder siblings, may seek social attention outside of the family - are often described as independent, peacemakers, people pleasers, jealous

Question 29

last borns

Answer 29

- often seen as spoiled and pampered - often described as outgoing, fun-loving, charming, risk-taking, self-centered

Question 30

only children

Answer 30

- never have to share their parents' attention and resources - similar to firstborns - often described as mature, diligent, perfectionist, imaginative, self-reliant, sensitive

Question 31

what does birth order influence?

Answer 31

- relationships and roles in relationships - communication - expectations

Question 32

what influences birth order?

Answer 32

- family dynamics - gender of siblings - age gaps - blended families - parenting styles

Question 33

strengths and weaknesses of individual psychology

Answer 33

strengths: - focuses on outside influences, not only personal experiences - recognises family dynamics have different outcomes weaknesses: - oversimplification - heavily focused on western culture - cannot be scientifically tested

Question 34

what are the conflict fixations from each psychosexual stage?

Answer 34

oral: smoking, chewing gum, drinking, overeating anal: retentive = neat, expulsive = messy phallic: oedipus/electra complex latency: focusing on friends and studying genital: maturity, focused more on the opposite gender - genital is where all the failures start to show up