Psychodynamic Perspective

Question 1

What are the assumptions of the psycodynamic perspective?

Answer 1

The main assumption of the psychodynamic approach is that all human behaviour comes from a part of the mind that individuals have no direct awareness of; the unconscious mind. The perspective believes that childhood is a critical periodin the development of our behaviour and personality and that our behaviour is a result of an interaction between unconscious, innate drives and early experiences. Personality differences or abnormal behaviour can be traced back to the way the childhood conflicts between desire and experience we handled.

Question 2

what are the concepts of the psychodynamic perspective

Answer 2

1. Many important influences on behaviour come from a part of the mind individuals have no direct awareness orknowledge of, the unconscious
2. Childhood is a critical period in development of our behaviour and personality
3. Our behaviour is a result of an interaction between unconscious innate drives (i.e. desire of pleasure) andearly experiences (extent to which our early desires were gratified) – these conflicts remain with the adult andexert pressure through unconsciously motivated behaviour

Question 3

what is the ID

Answer 3

pleasure principle, unconscious urges and desires
-opperates in unconcious mind

Question 4

what is the Ego

Answer 4

self reality principle
-concious mind- reality principle

Question 5

what is the superego

Answer 5

go ideal, moral guardian
-moral component of personality

Question 6

what are the psychosexual stages of developement?

Answer 6

Oral (0-18 months) - pleasure gained through sucking and biting
Anal (18-36 months) - pleasure gained from controlling bowel movements
Phallic Stage (3-6 years) - Oedipus and Electra complexes, pleasure from phallus
Latency Period (6-puberty) - Standstill (cognitive and social development)
Genital (puberty-adulthood) - Direct libido outwards towards the opposite sex

Question 7

How does freud link to psychoynamic

Answer 7

(Little Hans) - Psychodynamic because of the way in which Freud’s theory of psychosexual development(especially the Oedipus complex) is drawn upon to explain little Hans’ phobias and fantasies. Freud looks at the Oedipus Complex and outlines when Hans shows signs of going through it, such as the Phallic Stage when he becomes obsessed with his penis and shows signs of fancying his mother

Question 8

How does handcock link to psyhodynamic perspective

Answer 8

(language of psychopaths) - Hancock’s study is not in itself psychodynamic, but it makes repeated references to concepts that draw upon psychodynamic ideas throughout the course of the paper; namely ego development, use of a Rorschach test, psychological ‘distancing’, basic and thrill-seeking drives and language used being, in all likelihood beyond conscious control. Again, these ideas could be drawn out and explicitly related to the psychodynamic perspective.

Question 9

What are the strengths of the psychodynamic perspective.

Answer 9

-Useful ;can suggest causes of mental health disorders and suggests reasons for behaviours
-Can look at development of behaviour over time
-Highlights importance of childhood experiences
-Qualitative data collected
-Case studies - in depth and detailed data

Another strength of the psychodynamic perspective is that it takes both nature and nurture into account when trying toexplain behaviours and acknowledges both the role of biology and the role of the environment in shaping our adultbehaviour. Freud’s study of Little Hans takes into account both innate biological drives in driving the Oedipus complexand relationships with his parents when trying to explain Hans’ fear of horses. This is a strength because byacknowledging both nature and nurture as influences of behaviour, it takes an interactionist viewpoint. This means thatany practical applications developed are more likely to be successful as a number of casual variables are taken intoaccoun

Question 10

What are the weaknesses of the psychodynamic perspective?

Answer 10

one weakness of the psychodynamic perspective is that it is very subjective so is not scientific as it relies on many tools to investigate a person’s behaviour and feelings that could be interpreted very differently by different psychologists. Freud’s study showed Hans’ giraffe dream was interpreted in a particular way to support the Oedipus complex. The horse phobia was also interpreted in a certain way to support repressed fear of dad. There could be different ways that these could have been interpreted if a different psychologist had been used. This is a strength because this level of subjectivity makes the perspective unscientific. This, in turn, means that it lacks credibility and the findings may be of limited usefulness. Another weakness of the psychodynamic perspective is that it is also very deterministic as it suggests that the underlying determinant of behaviour is the unconscious mind. Freud’s study of Little Hans’ showed that his horse phobia was seen to be due to him having displaced his fear of his father onto horses as a defence mechanism. This isa weakness as it is suggesting that individuals don’t have free will in their behaviour as it is determined by their unconscious mind, therefore they could be seen to have an ‘excuse’ for some behaviours