The Psychodynamic Approach

Psychodynamic approach

A perspective that describes the different forces that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience. Most are unconscious

Freud’s assumptions

Unconscious mind - Believes that the unconscious mind drives our behaviour

Instincts / drives - Motivate our behaviour (thanatos (death drive), libido)

States that there are 5 psychosexual stages of development

Early childhood experiences - Determine who we are as a person. Most of our psychological development is formed before the age of 6

Ego

Operates by the “reality principle”.

Develops between 18 months and 3 years

Tries to satisfy the id while doing so in an acceptable way for the superego

Uses defence mechanisms when it can’t fulfil the id’s demands

Id

Operates by the pleasure principle

Develops between birth and 18 months old

Entirely unconscious

Selfish and wants immediate gratification (food, sex)

Superego

Operates by the morality principle

Develops between 3 and 6 years

Stops us from doing wrong and being anti-social

Punishes wrongdoings from the id through anxiety and guilt.

Psychosexual stages

5 developmental stages that all children pass through.

At each stage there is a different conflict, the outcome of which determines future development.

The Unconscious

The part of the mind that we are unaware of but which directs much of our behaviour

Defence mechanisms

Unconscious strategies that the Ego uses to manage the conflict between the Id and the Superego.

Repression

Preventing unacceptable desires, emotions or traumatic memories from becoming conscious

Projection

Attributing your own unacceptable faults or wishes to someone else

Regression

Engaging in behaviour of an earlier stage of development

Denial

Refusal to believe that events or emotions being experienced are causing anxiety

Sublimation

Expressing unacceptable impulses into a socially acceptable substitute activity

Rationalisation

Finding excuses to justify actions which have unacceptable unconscious motives

Displacement

Diverting emotions from the original source towards a less dangerous one.

Oral stage

0-1 years old

Pleasure from their mouth (screaming, crying)

Can be fixated if too much or too little pleasure.

Oral personality - Compensating for lack of oral stimulation, smoking, drinking, biting nails, talks a lot

Anal stage

1-3 years

Pleasure from defecating

They have control of their faecal matter.

Can be fixated with too much or too little anal stimulation

Anal retentive - Perfectionist, obsessive, organised

Anal expulsive - Thoughtless, messy, disorganised

Phallic stage

3-6

Pleasure from genitals

Unconscious sexual feelings towards the parent of the opposite sex.

Castration complex - Terrified that dad will find out about the sexual feelings and castrate him

Oedipus complex

Boy develops sexual desire for his mother

Becomes jealous of father because of strong bond with his mother and begins to hate him

Boy fears that his father will find out about his feelings and will castrate him

State of conflict.

Resolution occurs when the boy identifies with his father, taking on his morals and attitudes

Electra complex

Girl realises she has no penis and blames her mother

Starts to sexually desire her father who does have a penis

Girl becomes jealous of her mother because she has possession of her father

Girl realises she can no longer have a penis or her father, so identifies with her mother

She substitutes her desire for a penis for a desire for a baby

S Case studies

W Little Hans

Freud was able to gather an extensive amount of information about Little Hans’ phobia of horses.

He could analyse observations made by Little Hans’ father and apply his theory to understanding the development of his phobia

Generated qualitative data.

Unscientific. Freud met Little Hans very infrequently. Answers came from his father through letters (correspondence). His father was a Freudian and there were leading questions.

Hans might’ve found the interviews disturbing

S Neuroimaging studies

McCrory

Found that childhood trauma was linked to changes in the structure and shape of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Association with developing emotional and behavioural problems as well as increased risk of psychiatric conditions in later life

Supports link between childhood experience and adult personality which is a key part of the psychodynamic approach

W Can’t be falsified

Difficult to test Freud’s theories using scientific methods as many concepts happen at an unconscious level.

Theories rely on interpretations of case studies and researchers may be accused of researcher bias. They favour interpretations of data that support their theories

2 different researchers can interpret the same data and reach different conclusions

Psychodynamic approach lacks objectivity and validity

W Case studies