6. psychodynamic approach

what is the psychodynamic approach

sigmund freud

a perspective that describes the different forces (dynamics), most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience

what is the role of the unconscious

• the unconscious = a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that has a significant influence on our behaviour and personality

• it contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed, but can be accessed through dreams or through ‘slip of the tongue’ (parapraxes)

what is the preconscious

• it is under the surface or our conscious mind

• contains thoughts and memories which are not currently in conscious awareness but we can access if desired

how is personality structured

freud described personality as tripartite, composed of three parts

1. ID

2. ego

3. superego

ID

• primitive part of our personality

• operates on the pleasure principle - it gets what it wans

• it is a seething mass of unconscious drives and instincts

• only the ID is present at birth

• throughout life, it is entirely selfish and demands instant gratification of its needs

ego

• works on the reality principle

• the mediator between the ID and superego and aims to reduce conflict between their demands

• it manages this by employing defence mechanisms

• it develops at around 2

superego

• formed at the end of the phallic stage, around 5

• it is our internalised sense of right and wrong

• based on morality principle, it represents the moral standards of the childs same gender parent and punishes the ego for wrongdoing through guilt

psychosexual stages

• freud claimed child development occurs in five stages, where each stage (not latency) is marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve to progress successfully to the next stage

• any psychosexual conflict that is unresolved leads to fixation where the child becomes stuck and carries certain behaviours and ocnflicts associated with that stage through adult life

the psychosexual stages

1. oral

2. anal

3. phallic

4. latency

5. genital

oral

• 0-1 years

• focus of pleasure is the mouth, mothers breast can be the object of desire

CONSEQUENCE

• oral fixation - smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical

anal

• 1-3 years

• focus of pleasure is the anus, child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces

CONSEQUENCES

• anal retentive - perfectionist, obsessive

• anal expulsive - thoughtless, messy

phallic

• 3-6 years

• focus of pleasure is the genital area

CONSEQUENCE

• phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless

latency

• earlier conflicts are repressed g

genital

• sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty

CONSEQUENCE

• difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

defence mechanisms

• defence mechanisms = unconscious and ensure the ego is able to prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary threats or traumas

• often involve some form of distortion of reality and as a long term solution they are regarded as psychologically unhealthy and undesirable

examples of defence mechanisms

1. repression - forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind

2. denial - refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality

3. displacement - transferring feelings from true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target

evaluation

1. explanatory power

2. real world application (& counterpoint)

3. untestable concepts

4. psychic determinism

explanatory power

• his theory explains a wide range of human behaviour and has had a huge influence on psychology and contemporary thought

• been used to explain a wide range of phenomena including personality development, origins of psychological disorders, moral development and gender identity. it also is significant in drawing attention to the connection between experiences in childhood, such as our relationship with our parents and later development

• suggests it remains significant despite its controversies

real world applicaiton

• introduced the idea of psychotherapy as opposed to physical treatments

• freud developed psychoanalysis, the first phsychological treatment for mental disorders where techniques like dream analysis aimed to uncover the conscious mind. it is the forerunner to many modern day talking therapies such as counselling that have since been established

• shows it has had a lasting impact on mental health treatment

counterpoint

• psychoanalysis is not suitable for all mental disorders

• it can be harmful for those with severe disorders (eg schizophrenia) due to its focus on insight and self reflection as some disorders involve distorted reality, making psychoanalysis ineffective

• suggests it has limited applicability

untestable concepts

• many psychodynamic ideas are not testable

• karl popper argued freuds concepts such as the oedipus complex are unfalsifiable as they operate at an unconscious level - not open to empirical testing and thus the possibility of being disproved. his ideas were based on the subjective study of single individuals eg little hans which makes it difficult to make universal claims about human behaviour

• suggests his theory was pseudoscienific rather than established fact

psychic determinsim

• approach suggests all behaviour is determined by unconscious forces

• freud argued that childhood conflicts determine adult behaviourm leaving no room for free will - an extreme view as it suggests no behaviour is accidental

• theory may ignore the role of conscious decision making

extra: the oedipus complex

freud claimed in the phallic stage little boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother, and a murderous hatred for their rival in love - their father

extra: the electra complex

freud also suggested that girls of the same age experience penis envy where they desire their father, as the penis is the primary love object, and hate their mother