The Psychodynamic Approach

Who developed the psychodynamic approach?

Sigmund Freud.

What 3 things does the psychodynamic approach focus on?

• Unconscious motivations

• Childhood experiences

• Inner conflicts influencing behaviour.

What are the 3 key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

1) The unconscious mind influences behaviour.

2) Personality has three parts – id, ego, superego.

3) Early childhood experiences shape adult behaviour.

What is the role of the unconscious mind?

Stores biological drives, instincts, and repressed memories

that influence behaviour.

What is the preconscious?

Thoughts and memories not currently in conscious awareness

but accessible if desired.

What is the conscious mind?

Part of the mind we are aware of – everyday thoughts and perceptions.

What are defence mechanisms?

Unconscious strategies that reduce anxiety by distorting reality.

What is repression?

Forcing distressing memories into the unconscious.

What is denial?

Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality.

What is displacement?

Transferring emotions from the true source onto a substitute target.

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

Id, ego, and superego.

What is the id?

The primitive, instinctive part of personality

that operates on the pleasure principle.

What is the ego?

The rational part that mediates between the id and superego;

operates on the reality principle.

What is the superego?

The moral part of personality representing internalised moral standards;

operates on the morality principle.

When does the id develop?

Present from birth.

When does the ego develop?

Around age 2.

When does the superego develop?

Around age 5.

What principle does the id operate on?

The pleasure principle.

What principle does the ego operate on?

The reality principle.

What principle does the superego operate on?

The morality principle.

What happens if the ego cannot mediate between the id and superego?

Anxiety occurs, leading to use of defence mechanisms.

What are Freud’s psychosexual stages?

Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital.

What is fixation in the psychosexual stages?

Unresolved conflict at a stage causing behaviours to be carried into adulthood.

What is the oral stage?

(0–1 years)

Pleasure from the mouth – sucking, biting;

fixation leads to smoking or nail-biting.

What is the anal stage?

(1–3 years)

Pleasure from withholding or expelling faeces;

fixation leads to cleanliness or messiness.

What is the phallic stage?

(3–6 years)

Focus on genitals;

development of the Oedipus/Electra complex.

What is the latency stage?

(6–12 years)

Conflicts repressed (pushed into subconscious)

focus on developing social and academic skills.

What is the genital stage?

(Puberty onwards)

Sexual desires become conscious,healthy adult relationships form.

Fixation - Difficulty forming intimate relationships/ sexual dysfuction

What is the Oedipus complex?

Boys develop feelings for their mother

and fear castration by their father; leads to identification with the father

What is the Electra complex?

Girls experience penis envy and blame their mother

resolve it by identifying with their mother.

How is the Oedipus/Electra complex resolved?

By identifying with the same-sex parent and internalising their morals, developing the superego.

What happens if a psychosexual conflict is unresolved?

The child becomes fixated and carries behaviours into adulthood.

What is one strength of the psychodynamic approach related to evidence?

Uses detailed case studies providing rich qualitative data (e.g., Little Hans).

What is one strength of the psychodynamic approach related to application?

Influenced modern therapies such as psychoanalysis and counselling.

What is one limitation related to scientific credibility?

Unfalsifiable concepts – cannot be empirically tested (e.g., the unconscious mind).

What is one limitation related to sample bias?

Based on unrepresentative case studies from middle-class Viennese individuals.

What is one limitation related to determinism?

Psychic determinism – behaviour is seen as caused entirely by unconscious drives and childhood experiences.

What is one limitation related to gender bias?

Freud’s theories (e.g., Electra complex) are androcentric and outdated.