psychodynamic approach

who is Sigmund Freud?

• the psychodynamic approach is one of the earliest approaches in psychology, Freud is the main figure

• he was trained as a neurologist and mostly treated hysteria, he applied findings from abnormal patients to normal development

key assumptions

• unconscious processes, of which we are unaware, determine our behaviour

• personality has 3 parts: the id, ego and superego

• early childhood experiences determine adult behaviour

what is the importance of the unconscious mind?

• the psychodynamic theory says we have an 'unconscious mind' which influences our behaviour

• psychic determinism is where our conscious mind is unaware of what thoughts and emotions occur in the unconscious but these thoughts and emotions have an effect on our conscious mind

what did he suggest the mind was made up of?

conscious, preconscious, unconscious

conscious

• the small amount of mental activity we're aware of

• eg thoughts, perceptions

• tip of the iceberg

preconscious

• things we could become aware of if we wanted or tried

• eg memories, stored thoughts

• become aware through dreams or slips of the tongue

• hidden under the surface

unconscious

• things were unaware of and can't become aware

• eg instincts, deeply buried moments

• a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that influences our behaviour, hidden under the surface

how can we access the unconscious mind?

• although were unaware of that happens in our unconscious, we can access it through dream analysis

• repressed ideas in the unconscious are more likely to appear in dreams than when awake, the latent content of dreams

• the manifest content is the dream as it appears to the dreamer, dream symbols used to disguise unacceptable ideas

free association

• the individual is encouraged to relax and say anything that comes to mind so the therapist can interpret and explain

• the idea is that the ego will be able to carry out its normal role of keeping check of the threatening unconscious impulses, and the conflict can be brought to consciousness through Freudian slips

what was Freud’s 3 part personality?

• he described personality as tripartite, behaviour is seen to be the result of a compromise between the 3 parts of the psyche

• the 3 parts are the id, the ego and the superego

the id

• the 'selfish beast' and primitive part of the personality contained in the unconscious part of the mind

• uses the 'primary process' to satisfy its needs

• operates according to the pleasure principle, demands instant gratification

the superego

• the conscience and ego ideal, opposes the desires of the id, enforces moral restrictions and is the 'relentless policeman'

• internalised sense of right and wrong, punishes ego through guilt

• develops later in childhood (age 5) through identification with one or other parent

the ego

• executive of the personality, operates according to the 'reality principle'

• uses its cognitive abilities to manage and control the id and balance its ideas against the restrictions of reality and the superego

• defends itself from the id/superego struggles via defence mechanisms

how do the parts of personality determine behaviour?

• ego balance= healthy psyche

• superego dominant= neurotic

• id dominant= psychotic

• no superego= psychopathic

why is there id and superego balance?

• the ego needs to balance the demands of the id and superego, failure may cause conflict and psychological disorders

• intra psychic conflict: conflict between the components of the psyche can lead to anxiety

• the ego tries to avoid anxiety and uses ego defence mechanisms to maintain a balance with the id and superego

why are defence mechanisms used?

• ego uses unconscious strategies to protect it from id/superego conflict

• excessive use of defence mechanisms will over time result in the ego becoming increasingly detached from reality and in time cause psychological disorders

repression

forcing a distressing memory from the conscious mind eg forgetting the most traumatic parts of a situation

denial

refusing to believe something as its too painful to acknowledge the reality eg continuing to turn up to work when you've been fired

displacement

transferring feelings from the true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target eg slamming the door after an argument

what is the importance of early childhood experiences?

• theory states events in childhood have a great influence on our adult lives and personality, events that occur in childhood can remain in the unconscious, and cause problems as adults

• Freud proposed children go through the same 5 stages of development, each has a 'pleasure zone' and 'primary activity' and requires resolution of a particular conflict/task

5 psychosexual stages of development

• oral stage: 0 to 1 years, the mouth

• anal stage: 1 to 3 years, the anus

• phallic stage: 3 to 6 years, penis or clitoris

• latent stage: 6 to 11 years, little or no sexual motivation

• genital stage: 12+ years, penis or vagina

oral stage

• 0 to 1 years

• pleasure focus is the mouth, sucking, swallowing etc

• mothers breast is the object of desire

• ego develops

anal stage

• 1 to 3 years

• pleasure focus is the mouth

• child gains pleasure from withholding or expelling faeces

phallic stage

• 3 to 6 years

• pleasure focus is genital area (penis or clitoris)= masturbation

• superego develops

latent stage

• 6 to 11 years

• earlier conflicts are repressed, little or no sexual motivation

genital stage

• 12+ years

• pleasure focus is penis or vagina

• sexual desires become conscious (sexual intercourse)

fixation

• failure to navigate a stages particular conflict/task results in getting stuck at the stage of development

• determines adult character, personality and behaviour, traces of the stage remain in adult behaviour

• may occur due to trauma, pleasant or unpleasant experiences, change in environment etc

what are the fixations at each stage?

• oral: eg from forceful feeding, deprivation, early weeing = oral activities eg smoking, dependency, aggression

• anal: eg from too harsh or lax toilet training = obsessiveness, tidiness, meanness, untidiness, generosity

• phallic: eg from abnormal family set up, abnormal relationship with parent = vanity, self obsession, sexual anxiety, inadequacy, inferiority, envy

oedipus complex

• conflict all young boys experience in phallic stage, develop a passionate desire for their mother and want to possess her for themselves

• see their father as a rival and wish him dead, afraid their father will discover their desire and punish them by removing their prize possession: castration anxiety

• recognise father as more powerful as them as he has a bigger penis, father believed to have reprimanded child for playing with himself

electra complex

• conflict all young girls experience, develop a passionate desire for their father

• resent mother as they realise they don't have a penis and blame her, long for a penis (penis envy)

• substitute desire for a penis with desire for a baby, want their father to provide them with a son so lust after father

identification

• towards end of phallic stage, children resolve their conflicts by identifying with same sex parent

• identification develops a superego by adopting that parents morals, gender identity and roles

Little Hans (1908) case study

• 5 year old boy with horse phobia, so bad he didn't want to leave the house in fear of seeing horses, improved to only horses with black harnesses (resembles fathers moustache)

• Fred wanted to find cause of phobia and help treat it

• fear of horse biting him represents fear of castration, interest in his and others penis' from age 3 so linked phobia to oedipus complex (horse represents his father)

• conflict resolved by fantasising about himself with big penis married to his mother, overcome castration anxiety and identify with his father

strength- introduced psychotherapy

• Freud's psychoanalysis was the first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologically not physically

• psychoanalysis claims to help clients deal with everyday problems by providing access to their unconscious, employing techniques eg dream analysis

• therefore, psychoanalysis is the forerunner to many modern day talking therapies eg counselling

counterpoint- introduced psychotherapy

• although psychoanalysis is claimed successful for clients with mild neuroses, its inappropriate/harmful for more serious disorders eg schizophrenia

• therefore Freudian therapy and theory may not apply to mental disorders where client has lost touch with reality

strength- explanatory power

• Freuds theory is controversial and bizarre but has had a huge influence on Western contemporary thought

• its been used to explain a wide range of behaviours (moral, mental disorders) and drew attention to the influence of early childhood on adult personality

• suggests overall the approach has had a positive influence on psychology and modern day thinking

limitation- includes unstable concepts

• Kari Popper (philosopher of science) argued the approach doesn't meet the scientific criterion of falsification, in the sense it can't be disproved

• many of Freud's concepts eg the id or oedipus complex occur at an unconscious level making them difficult, if not impossible, to test

• means Freud's ideas lack scientific rigour, the theory is pseudoscience rather than real science

limitation- psychic determinism

• the approach suggests much of our behaviour id determined by unconscious conflicts, Freud believed there was no such thing as an 'accident'

• however, few psychologists would accept this view as it leaves no room for free will beyond early childhood

• suggests freud's views were too extreme as most people do have a sense of control over their behaviour