Psychodynamic Approach

What are the three components of human personality?

id, superego and ego

What is the id?

pleasure principle

What is the only personality component present at birth?

the id

Name 3 facts about the id

- primitive part of our personality

- unconscious insatiable set of instincts

- entirely selfish and demands instant gratification of its needs

What is the ego?

reality principle

What does the ego do?

mediates between the impulses of the id and the demands of the superego

it manages this by employing a no. of defence mechanisms

What is the superego?

its our moral conscience, and is found as part of the conscious and unconscious mind

What does the superego do?

it works to inhibit the id

Name 3 facts about the superego

- formed at the end of the phallic stage, around the age of 5

- internalised sense of right and wrong

- based on morality principle, reps moral standards and punishes the ego for wrongdoing

What are the 5 stages of Freud's Psychosexual Development?

oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

Describe the oral stage

Focus of pleasure is the mouth, mother's breast is the object of desire

What are the consequences of the oral stage?

Oral fixation, involves smoking, biting nails etc.

When does the oral stage occur?

0-1 years

Describe the anal stage

Focus of pleasure is the anus. Child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces.

What are the 2 consequences of the anal stage?

anal retentive - perfectionist and obsessive

anal expulsive - thoughtless and messy

When does the anal stage occur?

1-3 years

Describe the phallic stage

Focus of pleasure is the genital area, child experiences the oedipus or electra complex

What are the consequences of the phallic stage?

Phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual

When does the phallic stage occur?

3-6 years

Describe the latency stage

Sexual instincts die down, and the superego develops further. The child acquires new social values from adults and same sex peers outside the family.

What are the consequences of the latency stage?

Earlier conflicts remain dormant

When does the latency stage occur?

6-puberty

Describe the genital stage

Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty

Where does the focus on pleasure come from in the genital stage?

Sexual activity with partner

What are the consequences of the genital stage?

difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

fixations occurred in earlier stages will manifest themselves

When does the genital stage occur?

puberty onwards

What are the three defence mechanisms?

denial, repression, displacement

What is repression?

forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind

What is denial?

Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality

What is displacement?

Transferring feeling from the source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target

How does the psychodynamic approach's influence on psychology act as a strength for the approach?

- despite being largely controversial, the psychodynamic approach has had a huge influence on psychology and western contemporary thought

- for example, in understanding the development of schizophrenia, psychodynamic theories suggest that childhood experiences, particularly harsh ones, can lead to in er turmoil and conflict between the id, ego and superego

- it also helped to explain the development of romantic relationships, which are influenced by unconscious desires and early childhood experiences

- although some of the concepts by Freud seem bizarre and lacking in scientific credibility, much of his work is still highly regarded in modern psychology

How does the lack of scientific rigour act as a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?

- freud' theory was based on the intensive study of single individuals in therapy

- freud's reliance on the case study method (e.g Little Hans) made it difficult to make universal claims about human behaviour as these individuals aren't representative of the entire pop.

- freud's interpretations were subjective as the data of Little Hans was collected by the father and interpreted to fit his existing theory

- thus, in comparison to the methodologies used by other approaches, it may be argued that freud's methods lack scientific rigour

How does a lack of falsification act as a limitation of the psychodynamic approach?

- the psychodynamic approach can be criticised as it doesn't meet the scientific criterion of falsification

- it can't be categorically proven or disproven due to concepts occurring at an unconscious level

- the id is a wholly unconscious force and our understanding of it is based on freud's interpretations and the fact they have never been disproved

- therefore, the psychodynamic approach is classed as a pseudoscience, which is damaging for discipline

How does limited applicability act as a limitation for the psychodynamic approach?

- alongside the theoretical basis, freud also developed a new form of therapy: psychoanalysis

- although some techniques used, such as dream analysis and exploring the conscious mind, are widely known today, psychoanalysis has been criticised for being inappropriate for tracking certain disorders

- for example, people with severe mental disorders may struggle to engage in self reflection required for this type of therapy, and research has found that psychoanalysis is less effective for such patients

- however it has shown success with less severe conditions like mild neuroses

- therefore, while freud's approach has made a lasting contribution to psychology through the development of therapy and the idea of the unconscious mind, its limited applicability reduces the overall usefulness of the psychodynamic approach