the psychodynamic approach

Question 1

key assumptions (5)

Answer 1

• unconscious forces in our mind determine our thoughts, feelings and behaviours
• our behaviour as adults is strongly influenced by our childhood experiences #
• abnormal behaviours is the result of mental conflict
• the mind can be divided into 3 levels of consciousness
• the unconscious mind, which is hidden below the surface, has the most influence on our personality

Question 2

what is the structure of the psychodynamic personality ?

Answer 2

3 parts to our personality (tripartite model of mind )
- the way they develop affects the person we become

Question 3

Id - age it forms ?

Answer 3

birth to 18 months

Question 4

id- also known as ?

Answer 4

the pleasure principle

Question 5

id - the role ?

Answer 5

to seek pleasure

Question 6

id- brief description ?

Answer 6

it is the child like , selfish and hedonistic part of your personality, which focuses on the self

Question 7

ego - age it forms ?

Answer 7

18 months - 3 years

Question 8

ego - also known as ?

Answer 8

the reality principle

Question 9

ego - role ?

Answer 9

delay the id’s drive for pleasure + keeps the balance of the influence between id and super ego

Question 10

why should neither the id or super ego become dominant in a personality ?

Answer 10

because it can adversely affect behaviour and mental health of the individual so the role of the ego is to prevent this from happening

Question 11

what is located in the ego ?

Answer 11

defence mechanisms

Question 12

super ego - age it forms ?

Answer 12

3 years to 6 years old

Question 13

super ego - also known as ?

Answer 13

morality principle

Question 14

super ego - role ?

Answer 14

to act as an individuals conscience

Question 15

super ego - brief description ?

Answer 15

• opposite of id
• feels guilt + holds someone back from behaving a certain way it is thought to be wrong
• helps personality form a moral code

Question 16

what are defence mechanisms ?

Answer 16

defence mechanisms are methods we use unconsciously to reduce anxiety .

Question 17

what are the 3 defence mechanisms ?

Answer 17

• repression
• denial
• displacement

Question 18

description of repression ?

Answer 18

• an unpleasant memory is pushed into the unconscious mind where it is not accessible to the conscious mind so it cannot cause anxiety but still affects behaviour in the unconscious mind.

Question 19

what is the repressions effect on behaviour ?

Answer 19

• there is no recall of the event or situation

Question 20

description of denial ?

Answer 20

• refusal to accept the reality of an unpleasant situation
• reduces anxiety caused by that situation

Question 21

what is denials effect on behaviour ?

Answer 21

someone may believe that the situation is not negative and therefore it should not cause anxiety
- this is not positive thinking but merely a resistance to accept reality

Question 22

displacements effect on behaviour ?

Answer 22

someone may exhibit very strong emotion but focus it into an uninvolved person or object

Question 23

what kind of analogy is associated with the role of the unconscious ?

Answer 23

the ice berg analogy

Question 24

what is the iceberg analogy ?

Answer 24

Freud said that the conscious mind is merely the tip of the ice berg

Question 25

what is the role of the conscious ?

Answer 25

the part of our mind we can access

Question 26

what is the role of the pre-conscious ?

Answer 26

just below the surface of our conscious

Question 27

what is the role of the unconscious ?

Answer 27

it drives instincts that influence our behavior and personality

Question 28

how many psychosexual stages are there ?

Answer 28

5

Question 29

what happens in each stage (apart from latency ) ?

Answer 29

each stage has a conflict that must be resolved to successfully progress to the next stage

Question 30

what happens if any psychosexual stage is unresolved ?

Answer 30

it leads to fixation

Question 31

what does fixation mean ?

Answer 31

fixation means that the child becomes 'stuck' and carries certain behavior through to adult life

Question 32

what did Freud believe ?

Answer 32

Freus also thought that humans progress through 'psychosexual stages ', during the development of the psyche.

Question 33

first psychosexual stage ?

Answer 33

oral

Question 34

at what age does the oral stage occur ?

Answer 34

0-1 years

Question 35

brief description of oral stage ?

Answer 35

- mouth is the main focus of pleasure during this stage - child enjoys tasting and sucking - mothers breast is the object of desire

Question 36

successful completion of the oral stage is demonstrated by... ?

Answer 36

weaning

Question 37

consequences of unresolved conflict in oral stage ?

Answer 37

oral fixation - sarcastic, critical , sensitive to rejection , over eats , bites nails , smokes, drinks

Question 38

what is the second psychosexual stage ?

Answer 38

anal

Question 39

at what age does the anal stage occur ?

Answer 39

1-3 years

Question 40

brief description of anal stage ?

Answer 40

- defecation is the main source of pleasure

Question 41

successful completion of anal stage is marked by ?

Answer 41

potty training

Question 42

consequences of unresolved conflict in the anal stage ?

Answer 42

- anally retentive tidy , stubborn , perfectionist - anally expulsive thoughtless messy

Question 43

what is the third psychosexual stage ?

Answer 43

phallic stage

Question 44

at what age does the phallic stage occur ?

Answer 44

3-5 years

Question 45

brief description of phallic stage ?

Answer 45

- main pleasure is the genital area

Question 46

what is meant as the oedipus complex in the phallic stage ?

Answer 46

- boys experience intense sexual feelings for their mother

Question 47

the oedipus complex causes castration anxiety, what is meant by that ?

Answer 47

boys are worried that their father will castrate them as he may see them as a rival

Question 48

how is the oedipus complex conflict resolved in the phallic stage ?

Answer 48

- boys identify with their father to reduce anxiety - this is known as identification + resolves the conflict

Question 49

what is meant by the electra complex in the phallic stage ?

Answer 49

girls experience intense feelings for their father so the mother is seen as a rival

Question 50

what does it mean when girls develop penis envy due to the electra complex ?

Answer 50

girls believe their mother has removed their penis so they develop penis envy

Question 51

how is the electra complex conflict resolved ?

Answer 51

girls identify with their mothers to reduce anxiety - known as identification

Question 52

what is the consequence of unresolved conflict in the phallic stage ?

Answer 52

a phallic personality - narsacistic , reckless , possibly homosexual

Question 53

what is the fourth psychosexual stage ?

Answer 53

latency

Question 54

what is the latency stage also known as ?

Answer 54

the dormant stage

Question 55

at what age does the latency stage occur ?

Answer 55

6 - puberty

Question 56

brief description of the latency stage ?

Answer 56

- earlier conflicts are repressed to the unconscious - sexual urges are sublimated into sports and other hobbies - focus developing same sex friendships - no particular requirement for successful completion

Question 57

what is the 5th psychosexual stage ?

Answer 57

genital stage

Question 58

at what age does the genital stage occur ?

Answer 58

puberty to adulthood

Question 59

what is the main focus of the genital stage ?

Answer 59

focus on genitals but not to the extent as phallic stage does

Question 60

what is the task in the genital stage that requires completion ? and when should this happen ?

Answer 60

task is to develop healthy adult relationships - this should happen if earlier stages have been negotiated successfully

Question 61

what is the consequence of unresolved conflict in the genital stage ?

Answer 61

difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 62

what case study did Freud believe supported his theory of psychosexual stages ?

Answer 62

Little Hans

Question 63

especially which stage did little hans support ?

Answer 63

oedipus complex in the phallic stage

Question 64

evaluation little Hans - how many times did Freud met the boy ?

Answer 64

Freud only met the boy once in a therapeutic setting and the information was forwarded by his father , so the source may be potentially biased

Question 65

Evaluation little Hans - analysis

Answer 65

the analysis was seen as immoral and simply inaccurate

Question 66

evaluation of little Hans - Hans had seen a horse collapse in the street when he had been out walking one day when he was young

Answer 66

- this could have shocked him and thus classically conditioned him so this could have been the source of the phobia - disproving Freud's analysis

Question 67

Evaluation Little Hans - his ideas about psychosexual stages were already published

Answer 67

- Little Hans' father had previously read Freud's theories prior to his analysis of little Hans and so possibly it could form a biased perspective - he could have been looking for evidence to support his ideas rather than looking through unbiased eyes