The Psychodynamic Approach

Psychodynamic App (1)

Psychodynamic approach = the role of the unconscious, the structure of personality, that is Id, Ego and Superego, defence mechanisms including repression, denial and displacement.

 

Sigmund Freud suggests that the part of our mind that we know about and are ware of - the conscious mind - is merely the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

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

Psychodynamic App (2)

The unconscious also contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed and dealt with in other ways (denial and displacement) Such memories can be accessed during dreams of through ‘slips of the tongue’ what Freud refers to as parapraxes.

Just under the surface of our conscious minds is the pre conscious which contains thoughts and memories not currently in conscious awareness but we can access if desired.

The structure of personality (1)

The Id:

 

Is the primitive part of our personality. It operates on the pleasure principle - the Id gets what it wants.

 

It is a seething mass of unconscious drives and instincts. Only the Id is present at brith (Freud described babies as being ‘bundles of Id’).

Throughout life the Id is entirely selfish and demands instant gratification of its needs. Some examples of this is aggression in heated situations, and the temptation to quit when things get difficult.

The structure of personality (2)

The ego develops around the age of 2 years and works on the reality principle.

It is the mediator between the Id and the superego (once that has developed) and aims to reduce the conflict between the two. Ego adapts to the environment and manages reality.

 

• Conscious rational decision making is the goal

 

It manages this by employing a number of defence mechanisms = as a form of protection

• Repression (forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind)

• Denial (refusing to acknowledge sone aspect of reality)

Displacement (transferring feelings from the true source of a distressing emotion onto a substitute target)

The structure of personality (3)

The superego is formed at the end of the phallic stage = around the age of 5, development occurs as the child resolves the Oedipus complex by internalising parental and societal values. 

 

It is our internalised sense of right and wrong. Based on the morality principle it represents the moral standards of the father (for a boy) and the mother (for a girl) and punishes the Ego for wrongdoing (through guilt)

Defence Mechanisms (1)

The ego has a difficult job of balancing the conflicting demands of the Id and the Superego but it does have help in the form of defence mechanisms.

 

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

However defence mechanisms often involve some form of distortion of reality and as a losing term solution, they are regarded as psychologically unhealthy and undesirable.

Psychosexual Stages (1)

Oral = 0-1

• Focus on pleasure is the mouth

• Mothers breast can be the object of desire

Consequence = oral fixation (smoking, biting nails, sarcasm and critical)

 

Anal = 1-3

• Potty training

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

• The way parents engage in toilet behaviour will effect your perception for the rest of your life

 

Anal retentive = perfectionist, obsessive

Anal expulsive = thoughtless, messy

Psychosexual Stages (2)

Phallic = 3-6

• Focus of pleasure is genital area

 

Consequence = Phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless.

 

Latency = period of reduced sexuality, earlier conflicts are repressed

 

Genital = 

• Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty

Consequence = difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Psychosexual Stages (3)

Each stage (except latency) is marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve to progress succesfully to the next stage = Oedipus complex.

 

Any psychosexual conflict that is unresolved leads to fixation where the child becomes ‘stuck’ and carries certain behaviours and conflicts through to adult life.

Psychosexual conflicts are resolved by finding a way to satisfy the need in a healthy way for example a baby’s satisfies their oral fixation by experiencing pleasure while feeding.

A03 - Real world application

One strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it introduced the idea of psychotherapy (as opposed to physical treatments).

 

Freud brought the world a new form of therapy - psychoanalysis. This was the first attempt to treat mental health conditions psychologically rather than physically.

 

The new therapy employed a range of techniques designed to access the unconscious, such as dream analysis. Psychoanalysis claims to help clients by bringing their repressed emotions into their conscious mind so they can be dealt with.

Psychoanalysis is the forerunner to many modern day ‘talking therapies’ such as counselling. This shows the value of the psychodynamic approach in creating a new approach to treatment.

A03 - psychoanalysis is a gender biased approach

Freud’s view of women and female sexuality were less developed than his views on male sexuality.

 

Despite the fact that his theories were focused on sexual development, Freud seemed content to remain ignorant of female sexuality and how it may differ from male sexuality.

 

This less psychoanalysts such as Karen Horney (Feminist), who broke away from Freudian theory, to criticise his work, particularly his views on women and their development.

 

• He ignored the Electra complex

Dismissing women and their sexuality In such a way is problematic, not only because Freud treated many female patients, but also because his theories are still so influential today.

Psychoanalysis is a culture biased approach

Sue and sue (2008) argue that psychoanalysis has little relevance for people form non-western cultures.

Psychoanalysts believe that mental illnesses are the result of traumatic memories being ‘locked’ in the unconscious, and that freeing them through therapy gives the individual the chance to deal with them in the supportive therapeutic environment.