Y13 Approaches

Psychodynamic, Humanistic and Comparison

What is the conscious mind?

Part of our mind that we know and are aware of (tip of the iceberg)

What is the preconscious mind?

Contains thoughts and memories that aren’t in our conscious but can be accessed if desired

What is the unconscious mind?

Storehouse of biological drives (libido) and instincts that influence our behaviour and personality, repressed trauma and disturbing memories which can be accessed during dreams.

What is the Id?

Innate pleasure principle demands instant gratification, built on unconscious drives and instincts. (key for survival)

What is the Ego?

Reality principle and mediator between Id and Superego, acting as the rational, decision-making aspect. Balances instinctual drives and reality, using defence mechanisms (displacement, repression and denial). Develops around 2 y/o.

What is the Superego?

Developed 5y/o (end of phallic stage) which is our internalised sense of right and wrong. Based on the morality principle and punishes the wrongdoings of the ego through guilt.

What is displacement?

Transfer your feelings onto something or someone else- someone who was bullied becomes a bully, passing on the anger.

What is repression?

Pushing bad experiences or negative emotions to the back of your mind so you forget about it- no reconciliation of past trauma.

What is denial?

Involves blocking external events from awareness. - Refusing to acknowledge your relationship has ended or if someone has died.

What is the oral stage?

• 0-1 years

• focus is pleasure and gratification of mouth, if weaned too early or late fixation- e.g. biting and sucking

• Adulthood consequence= smoking, biting nails, chewing pens or orally passive (gullible) / aggressive (sarcastic)

What is the anal stage?

• 1-3 years

• Focus of pleasure is the anus. Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling fasces.

• Consequence= If child is overly keen during potty training, they will be thoughtless and messy. Anal retentive- anxious about using the potty.

What is the phallic stage?

• 3-6 years

• Pleasure moves from the anus to the genitals. Differs dependent on the sex. Boys- Oedipus complex. Girls- Electra complex.

• Fixation at the phallic stage can lead to a jealous and anxious adult- potentially homosexuals

What is the latency stage?

Sexual energy is displaced throughout the body. Child focuses on being a child and represses any of the stages conflicts

Consequences= N/A

What is the genital stage ?

Libido is again focused in the genitals. The child becomes an adult with the onset of puberty.

Consequence= N/A

What is the Oedipus complex?

• Boys will start to have unconscious feelings for his mother and feel jealous of the father as he is stopping the boy.

• Son begins to hate the father but scared the father will find out and castrate him.

• Son starts to feel guilty about his feelings towards his mother and son begins to act like the father in the hope that the gather will not be angry with someone who is like him.

• At this point identification with the father takes place.

What is the Electra complex?

Freud paid relatively little attention to explaining girl’s personality development.

• Girls realise they had no penis and they must have been castrated (by the mother).

• Girls hate their mother for this and for “having“ their father.

• Girls can develop penis envy, and think that having their father as a lover will give them their own penis, but also fear losing the mothers love.

• Girls identify with the mothers to prevent losing this love.