Psychodynamic approach

The psychodynamic approach believes that behaviour is determined by what?

The unconscious mind

What is the iceberg analogy?

A way of showing that most of our behaviours are controlled by things beneath the surface

What is the tripartite personality made up of?

The Id, ego & superego

What is the Id?

The pleasure principle which is controlled by the driving force of wanting & desiring objects (i.e. instant gratification)

What is the superego?

The morality principle (conscience) & is based upon morals & judgements about what is right & wrong

When is the superego formed & what does it represent?

• Around age 5 following identification with the same-sex parent at the end of the phallic stage

• Represents the moral standards of the same-sex parent

What is the ego?

The reality principle which tries to balance between the demands of the Id & superego by using defence mechanisms

What are the three defence mechanisms used by the ego?

• Repression: forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind

• Denial: refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality

• Displacement: transferring feelings from the true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target

What are all 5 psychosexual stages of development in the correct sequence?

1. Oral (0-1yrs)

2. Anal (retentive/expulsive) (1-3yrs)

3. Phallic (3-6yrs)

4. Latency (6yrs-puberty)

5. Genital (puberty - death)

How to remember → Old Age Pensioners Like Grapes

What is the oral psychosexual stage & consequence of unresolved conflict?

• Focus of pleasure: the mouth → mother’s breast can be the object of desire

• Oral fixation: smoking, biting nails, sarcastic & critical

What is the anal psychosexual stage & consequence of unresolved conflict?

• Focus of pleasure: anus → child gains pleasure from withholding & expelling faeces

• Anal retentive: perfectionist & obsessive

• Anal expulsive: thoughtless & messy

What is the phallic psychosexual stage & consequence of unresolved conflict?

• Focus of pleasure: genital area

• Phallic personality: narcissistic & reckless

What is the latency psychosexual stage?

Earlier conflicts are repressed

What is the genital psychosexual stage & consequence of unresolved conflict?

• Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty

• Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

The phallic stage is important for the development of what?

Gender identity

What do boys experience during the phallic stage?

The Oedipus complex

Why do boys fear their father?

They experience castration anxiety

Castration anxiety makes boys spend more time with their father, what psychological event then happens?

They internalise the male gender identity

What do girls experience instead of the Oedipus complex?

The Electra complex

What do girls experience within the Electra complex that makes them eventually identify with their mothers?

Penis envy

Outline and evaluate the psychodynamic approach (16 marks)

Write your AO1 paragraph

• The psychodynamic approach proposes that behaviour is determined by the unconscious mind, illustrated by the iceberg analogy. The tripartite personality consists of the Id, ego & superego.

• Firstly, the Id is the pleasure principle, which seeks instant gratification & is controlled by the driving force of wanting & desiring objects. Secondly, the ego is the reality principle (represents the moral standards of the same-sex parent), which tries the balance the demands of the Id & superego using defence mechanisms (repression, denial & displacement). Finally, the superego is the morality principle & as the conscience & is based upon judgements about what is right & wrong.

• Freud developed the psychosexual stages of development: oral (0-1yrs), anal retentive & expulsive (1-3yrs), phallic (3-6yrs), latency (6yrs-puberty) & genital (puberty-death). Fixation can occur at any stage, which influences adult personality & behaviour (e.g. smoking from oral fixation or being overly generous from anal expulsive).

• The phallic stage is important for gender identity development. Freud proposed boys experience the Oedipus complex - they develop sexual feelings for their mother, but fear their father due to castration anxiety, leading them to identify with him & internalise the male gender identity. Girls experience the Electra complex - they develop sexual feelings for their father but experience penis envy, leading them to identify with their mother & internalise the female gender identity.

• Finally, psychoanalysis has been developed to access the unconscious mind using dream analysis & free association (the patient talks through issues affecting them).

Outline and evaluate the psychodynamic approach (16 marks)

Write your strength AO3 PEEL (role of the unconscious)

• Point: One strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it is the only approach to consider the role of the unconscious.

• Evidence: For example, by considering the importance of defence mechanisms & the tripartite personality, it considers the conflicts an individual faces & how it tries to overcome these problems.

• Explain: This is more advantageous than the SLT which only considers conscious mediating cognitive factors (attention, retention, motor reproduction & motivation).

• Link: Therefore, assuming the unconscious mind exists is a more valid explanation of human behaviour than other psychological perspectives.

Outline and evaluate the psychodynamic approach (16 marks)

Write your limitation AO3 PEEL (unfalsifiable)

• Point: One limitation of the psychodynamic approach is that the unconscious mind is unfalsifiable.

• Evidence: For example, we can neither prove nor disprove its existence, meaning Karl Popper would propose this approach is a pseudoscience.

• Explain: This is problematic as according to behaviourists, psychology should be studied in a purely objective manner with only that which can be seen & measured to be of value.

• Link: As such, the psychodynamic approach questions the extent to which psychology is a science, meaning we must be cautious of the conclusions drawn.

Outline and evaluate the psychodynamic approach (16 marks)

Write your limitation AO3 PEEL (Little Hans)

• Point: One limitation of the psychodynamic approach is it is criticised for its use of the case study method.

• Evidence: For example, Freud never directly conversed with Little Hans, instead communication was via correspondence with Hans’ father who wrote to Freud about Hans’ dreams & behaviours.

• Explain: Freud tried to derive nomothetic theories from an idiographic approach, making it difficult to generalise findings from a single individual. Additionally, the qualitative nature of the data makes analysis subjective & prone to researcher bias.

• Link: Overall, this does not possess the same scientific rigour associated with other approaches (e.g. biological & behaviourist approach) & is prone to the self-fulfilling prophecy.