a01 psychodynamic approach

What are the assumptions of psychodynamic approach in terms of the unconscious and what it contains

• unconscious is larger than conscious and influences our behaviour

• Unconscious contains harmful or threatening memories that have been repressed and that there is no conscious access to - these memories influence our mental health

What are the assumptions of psychodynamic approach in terms of the the 3 parts

There ar 3 parts to our personalities - ID , Ego , Superego

What is an assumption of psychodynamic approach in terms of ou development

We develop through psychosexual stages whee damage can occur, influencing our unconscious

Assumption - what does our mind use and why

Ou mind uses unconscious defence mechanisms to prevent us from being overwhelmed by things that have happened

Assumption - to do with childhood?

What happens in our childhood is impotent and can affect us through the unconscious for the rest of our life.

Who was the first psychodynamic theoririst? And what did he do?

Sigmund FREUD

Developed a new way of thinking about psychological illness and from this a new way of treating these illnesses

What is psychodynamic approach

The interaction and movement of different sections of your personality

What dos Freud refe to when talking about psychodynamic approach

‘ a play of forces in the mind’ that can wok against each other

What did sigmund freud suggest about the conscious mind? How does he describe unconscious?

The conscious mind is merely the tip of the iceberg

Most of our mind is made up of unconscious - a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that has. Significant influences on our behaviour and personality

What does the unconscience contain? (About Memories)

Threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed or dealt with in other ways

These memories can be accessed during dreams or through ‘slips of the tongue’

What is under the surface of the conscious mind

The preconsious mind is right underneath

It contains throughts and memories not currently in conscious awareness

What do p.d theorists focus on in terms of human behaviour

They explain human behaviour with a focus on the role that early childhood experiences instincts and drives and the unconscious mind have on how we feel and act as adults.

What influences our thoughts and behaviours and give example

The unconscious mind

E.g if something bad happens in early years e.g a hors stepping on your foot - you might not remember it as u get our but u might have a fear of hoses and other large animals you cant explain

What did Freud believe about the unconscious material being brought into conscious awareness

The unconscious material can be brought into conscious awareness through analysing our dreams and using techniques like free association and in the neurotic symptoms we sometimes show like long term anxiety

What did Freud describe personality as

Tripartite

What are the different principles the 3 parts are

ID = pleasure principle

EGO = reality principle

SUPEREGO = phallic stage

What part of our personality is the ID

The primitive part of our personality is the ID

Describe the ID

The id operates on pleasure principle

It gets what it wants

Seething mass of unconscious drives and instincts

When is the ID present

The ID is present at birth

Describe the ID throughout life

Throughout life, the ID is entirely selfish and demands instant gratification of its needs

When does the ego develop

The EGo develops around age of 2 years

What principle dos the EGO work on

Reality principle

Describe the ego

It is the mediator between ID and SUPEREGO

Aims to reduce the conflict between the two

Manages this by employing a number of defence mechanisms

When is the superego formed

At end of phallic stage around age of 5

Describe the role of the superego and what principle its based on

What does it represent

It is our internalised sense of right and wrong

Based on the morality principle

Represents the moral standards of a child’s same gender parent and punishes the ego for wrongdoing (through guilt)

What does superego split into

Conscience (societal rules)

Ego ideal

What did Freud believe happened when the ID threatened to overwhelm the ego or the superego?

What happens to the repressed anxiety?

When the id threatened to overwhelm the ego or the superego, Freud believed the ego uses defence mechanisms to protect the person feeling anxious.

The repressed anxiety creates other issues that affect how the patient is feeling

What are defence mecnahsnism employed by the EGO

These are unconscious and ensure the EGO is able to prevent us from being overwhelmed by temporary psychological threats or traumas

What do defence mechanism involve (bad thing)

Defence mechanisms involve some form of distortion of reality and as long term solution they are regarded as psychologically unhealthy and undesirable

What are the 3 examples of defence mechanisms

Repression - burying of thoughts and feelings in our unconscious so they don’t disturb us

Denial - *the refusal to accept reality

Displacement - the feelings you have a re directed onto an innocent person or an object

What are the psychosexual stage and at what age do we reach these stages

ORAL STAGE (0-18 MONTHS)

ANAL STAGE (18MONTHS - 3 YEARS)

PHALLIC STAGE (3-6 YEARS)

LATENT STAGE (6-11 YEARS)

GENITAL STAGE ( 12+ YEARS)

What is oral stage and what are the issues with this stage

Where children are fixated on exploring the world by putting things in their mouths

Issues occurring during this stage lead to an oral fixation like smoking,nail biting and dependency

Describe the anal stage and what are the issues with this stage?

Anal stage

• where children becomes obsessed with going toilet and toilet training

• Issues = occurring here leads to an anal fixation like messiness, tidiness,generosity and obsessiveness

What else develops during the anal stage

The ego to control the id

Describe the phallic stage and what the issues are

Children become obsessed with their genitals and their gender

Issues = phallic fixation like vanity, elf centred news and anxiety

What else occurs at the phallic stage

Oedipus complex

Electra complex

Describe the latent stage

Where the person is no longer really a child but its not yet an adult

Child begins to act in a moral way - learn rules the society.

Describe the genital stage

Where the person develops a normal adult personality and sexuality,

What is the Oedipus complex

A child starts to hate parent of opposite sex and develops sexual feelings for the parent of same sex unconsciously

Mainly in the context of little boys where they develop feelings for their mother and hate their father

But it was expanded for boys and girls

As a result the boys experience castration anxiety - scared father will find out and punish them by removing their penis

Girls experience penis envy

To cope with the anxiety - the child identifies with father slowly and sexual instincts for mother represses

They gain superego and male sexual responsibilities from their father.

What is electra complex

Proposed by carl jung

A girl starts to compete with mother for fathers affection

Equivalent of Oedipus complex

Girl envies mother = penis envy

Realises she doesn’t have a penis and blames mother for castration

Develops feelings for father + gets fixated on him ignoring her mother

Later - child gets attached to the mother again + identifies with the female gender roles.