psychodynamic approach

the psychodynamic approach

freud
psychodynamic approach consists of 3 parts of the mind

conscious mind

part of our mind that we are aware of.

unconscious mind

the part of our mind that we are not aware of but that directs a lot of out behaviour.

pre conscious mind

contains thoughts and memories that are not currently in the conscious mind.

structure of personality consists of 3 parts

id, ego and super-ego

the id

primitive part of our personality - operates based on the pleasure principle. entirely unconscious - forms from birth.

the ego

mediator between two other parts - works on the reality principle. mostly conscious - develops from age 1-3.

the super-ego

internalised sense of right and wrong - based on the morality principle. represents the ideal self. mostly unconscious - develops around 5 years old.

defence mechanisms

unconscious tactics ego uses to manage conflict between id and super-ego.

repression

forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind.

denial

refusal to accept a certain aspect of reality.

displacement

transferring emotions from the source of distressing emotion to a less threatening substitute.

psychosexual stages

each stage is marked by a conflict the child must resolve to move on, if they don’t, they become stuck on one stage. there a 5 stages, oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital.

1. 0-1 years old - oral stage

pleasure focus is on the mouth. fixation consequence - smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical.

2. 1-3 years old - anal stage

pleasure focus is from the anus. fixation consequence - anal retentive - perfectionist/ obsessive. anal expulsive - messy, thoughtless.

3. 3-5 years old - phallic stage

pleasure focus is from the genital area. fixation consequences - narcissistic, impulsivity.

4. latency stage

earlier conflicts become repressed, no consequences in adulthood

5. genital stage

sexual desires become conscious as puberty hits. fixation, difficulties forming heterosexual relationships, particularly difficulties with penetration

old age pensioners love guinness (acronym for stages)

oral, anal, phallic, latency and genetic

strengths of psychodynamic approach - real world application

strengths of psychodynamic approach - huge contribution/influence to/on psychology

used to explain many things like mental illness, personality etc. also connected childhood experiences to later development.

limitations of psychodynamic approach - impossible to investigate unconscious processes

not open to empirical testing and therefore can’t be falsified.

limitations of psychodynamic approach - possible harm

psychoanalysis can be harmful for people experiencing severe disorders like sz or bipolar disorder.

limitations of psychodynamic approach - alpha bias

castration effect exaggerated differences between boys and girls

castration effect

occurs in phallic stage, boy desires mother for himself & recognises his father as a rival. fears he’ll castrate him if he discovers his feelings