Psychodynamic Approach

what are the four parts of the psychodynamic approach?

role of the unconscious, structure of personality, psychosexual stages, defence mechanisms

what is the unconscious ?

the part of the mind that we are unaware but drives most of our behaviour

what does the unconscious also contain?

threatening/ disturbing memories that have been repressed

how can repressed drives be accessed

through parapraxes

what does Freud describe personality as?

'tripartite' composed of 3 parts

what are the 3 parts of personality

id, ego, superego

what does the id operate on?

the pleasure principle

what part of personality is present at birth

the id

explain the demands of the id

entirely selfish and demands instant gratification of its needs

what does the ego work on?

reality principle

When does the ego develop?

around the age of 2

what does the ego do

mediates between the impulses of the id and the demands of the superego

how does the ego perform this?

by employing a number of defence mechanisms

when is the superego formed

end of the phallic stage, around age of 5

what is superego based on

morality principle

what is the superego

internalized sense of right or wrong

what are the psychosexual stages

oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, latency stage, genital stage

what did freud claim about psychosexual stages

that child development occurs in 5 stages

what is each psychosexual stage marked by?

a different conflict that they must overcome

what does being stuck a stage lead to

fixation

what does fixation led to

carrying certain behaviours associated with the stage through to adult life

3 strengths of the psychodynamic theory

large explanatory power, connects childhood experiences, practical application; psychoanalysis

3 weakness of the psychodynamic theory

reductionist; no free will, case study reliability, untestable concepts

what produces defence mechanisms

the ego

why does the ego produce defence mechanisms?

to balance out needs of ID and superego

what are the three defence mechanisms?

repression, displacement, denial

What is repression?

burying an unpleasant thought or desire in the unconscious

What is displacement?

emotions are directed away from their source towards other things

what is denial?

thought is ignored

use the Oedipus concept to explain any one behavior

boys have to overcome the oedipus complex by identifying with him, means adopting his behaviour values and morals so the boy becomes like his father, however does not explain why boys from a single parent develop a healthy gender identity

Explain why some psychologists regard Freud's investigations into the unconscious mind as unscientific

not open to empirical testing, based on childhood experiences, not able to control, poor replicability

Outline one similarity between the theories of Freud and Erikson

both accepted the tripartite theory of personality and the mind

Outline one difference between the theories of Freud and Erikson.

Erikson was more interested in the development of the ego; put more emphasis on social factors than Freud whose main concern was the unconscious effects of the sex instinct

explain why psychodynamic psychologists have often been criticised for neglecting the rules of the scientific approach.

too bias and subjective, no verifiable evidence, small sample

Describe the structure of the personality according to the psychodynamic approach.

personality is made up of 3 parts; the id, ego and superego.

limitations of psychodynamic approach

not testable, lack of scientific rigor and falsifiability

Outline a psychodynamic explanation for the development of the superego

identification with same sex parent, internalisation of their moral standards