Psychodynamic approach

What theory is the psychodynamic approach based on?

Freud's psychoanalytic theory

What is the motivating force behind human behaviour in the psychodynamic approach?

The unconscious

What does the unconscious contain?

Innate drives

What does the unconscious work to protect?

The conscious mind from trauma

How do unconscious drives produce our behaviours?

They interact with our personality structure

What are the 3 interacting elements of the personality?

1. Id; 2. Ego; 3. Superego

Id – when does it develop?

Birth to 18 months

Id – conscious or unconscious?

Largely unconscious

What does the id contain?

The libido

What principle does the id operate on?

The pleasure principle

What does the id conflict with?

Reality and the superego

Ego – when does it develop?

18 months to 3 years (early childhood)

Ego – conscious or unconscious?

Both conscious and unconscious

What does the ego regulate?

Our interaction with the world

What is the role of the ego?

Balances demands and resolves conflict with the id

What principle does the ego operate on?

The reality principle

Superego – when does it develop?

3 to 6 years (later childhood)

Superego – conscious or unconscious?

Largely unconscious

What principle does the superego operate on?

The morality principle

What is the superego described as?

An internal moral authority

What does the superego internalise as morals?

Society's rules

What does the superego internalise as guilt?

Punishments

What does the superego conflict with?

The id

Order of development of the personality structure

Id (birth–18 months) → Ego (18 months–3 years) → Superego (3–6 years)

Match the principle: pleasure, reality, morality

Pleasure = id; Reality = ego; Morality = superego