The Pyschodynamic Approach

what is the key assumption?

Behaviour is result of different conscious and unconscious forces within the mind. Big emphasis on childhood experience.

what is the role of the unconscious?

• Massive storehouse of biological drives and instincts that have a big effect on behaviour and personality

• Contains threatening and harmful memories/experiences that have been repressed or forgotten

• Preconscious – includes thoughts and ideas which we may become aware of during dreams/slips of the tounge

what is the structure of the personality?

Conscious at the top

Preconscious and ego

Super ego

ID

unconscious

what is the ID?

• Primitive part of the personality

• Filled with unconscious drives and instinct

• Operates on pleasure principle

• present from birth

what is the ego?

• Decision-making component of personality

• Mediator between ID and superego

• operates on reality principles

• Develops around two years

what is the super ego?

• Internalised sense of right and wrong

• Punishes the ego through feelings of guilt

• operates on morality principle

• develops 3-5 yrs during phallic stage

what are psychosexual stages?

Freud believed that child development occurred in five stages, a child must resolve the conflict experiences in each stage to progress successfully to the next

describe the first stage and the consequence if the conflict is not resolved

Oral Stage 0-1 yrs

• Focus of pleasure is the mouth

• object of desire is mother’s breast

Consequence

• Oral fixation – smoking, biting nails and sarcasm

describe the second stage and the consequence if the conflict is not resolved

Anal 1-3 years

• focus of pleasure- anus

• Child gains pleasure from not holding in faeces

Consequence

• anal retentive – perfectionist and obsessive

• anal expulsive – thoughtless and messy

describe the third stage and the consequence if the conflict is not resolved

Phallic Stage- 3-5 years

• Focus of pleasure – genitals

• Child experiences the Oedipus/ Electra

Consequence

• Phallic personality – narcissistic, reckless and homosexual

describe the fourth stage

Latency 6-12 yrs

• earlier conflicts are repressed

describe the last stage and the consequence if the conflict is not resolved

Genital 12+ yrs

• sexual desires become conscious along the onset of puberty

Consequences

• difficulty forming hetero relationships

Describe the role of defence mechanisms

• Ensure the ego is able to prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary threat or trauma

• help the ego manage conflict between ID and super ego

are defence mechanisms long-term and why?

No they are considered psychologically unhealthy and undesirable because they distort reality

what is repression?

Forcing a distressing memory out of conscious

what is denial?

Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality

what is displacement?

Transferring feelings from the true source of distressing emotion onto sub target