Psychodynamic Approach

What are the 5 key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

Our behaviour and feelings are affected by unconscious motives, behaviour and feelings as adults are rooted in childhood experiences, personality is composed of three parts including the id the ego and the superego which are in constant conflict with each other, personality develops through innate drives being modified by different conflicts in childhood during psychosexual development, psychic determinism

What is psychic determinism?

all behaviour has a cause and reason

What are fixations? (2)

unresolved conflicts during psychosexual stages of development remaining in the unconscious, influencing adult personality and behaviour

Explain how the unconscious mind is the main driving force behind human behaviour and personality? (2)

memories thoughts and desires in the unconscious influence our thoughts, feelings and actions, the unconscious protects the conscious from anxiety and trauma by repression

What are defence mechanisms? (2)

unconscious strategies used by the ego to reduce anxiety due to the conflict between the id and the superego, providing compromise solutions that do not resolve underlying conflict

What are the types of defence mechanisms? (3)

displacement, denial, repression

What is repression? (2)

threatening or unacceptable thoughts, memories or impulses are pushed into the unconscious mind, memories cannot be consciously recalled but influence behaviour

What is denial? (2)

When an individual refuses to accept reality, as acknowledging it would cause too much anxiety

What is displacement? (2)

redirecting emotional impulses from their source towards a safer substitute target, as directing it to the original source would be unacceptable or threatening

What is Freud’s tripartite personality theory? (3)

personality of three interacting parts, in constant conflict, behaviour is a result of ego balancing the demands of the super ego, id and external world

When and where is the id present? (2)

from birth, only in unconscious mind

What is the function of the id? (4)

driven by instinctive biological drivers, sexual (libido), aggressive instincts, follows pleasure principle not considering consequences only wanting immediate gratification

When and where is the ego present? (2)

develops between 18 months and 3 years, both conscious and unconscious

What is the function of the ego? (5)

follows reality principle, rational and logical, tries to satisfy the id in realistic and socially acceptable ways, mediator between real world id and super ego, using defence mechanisms when conflicts create anxiety

When and where is the superego present? (2)

develops between 3 to 6 years of age, largely unconscious

What is the function of the superego? (4)

represents individual’s internalised moral standards, from parents and society, follows morality principle where it aims to strive for moral perfection, producing guilt when moral rules are broken

What is an erogenous zone? (3)

the focus of a child’s libido, psychic energy, on a specific area of the body

What occurs at each of the psychosexual stages? (2)

the child experiences a conflict between instinctive desires and demands of society, if the conflict is not resolved due to frustration or overindulgence the child may become fixated at that stage

What is the order of the psychosexual stages? (5)

oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

Outline the characteristics of the oral psychosexual stage? (3)

between 0-1, mouth tongue biting and chewing, weaning off breast feeding and ego develops

What are the consequences in adulthood of fixation at the oral stage of development? (2)

smoking, overeating

Outline the characteristics of the anal psychosexual stage (3)

between 1-3, anus bowel and bladder control, toilet training

What are the consequences in adulthood of fixation at the anal stage of development? (2)

orderliness, messiness

Outline the characteristics of the phallic stage of psychosexual development (4)

between ages 3-6, genitals and masturbation, oedipus and electra complex, superego is formed

What are the consequences in adulthood of fixation at the phallic stage of development? (2)

deviancy, sexual dysfunction

Outline the characteristics of the latency stage of psychosexual development (4)

between ages 6-10, repression of sexual urges, cognitive and social development, superego develops further

What are the consequences in adulthood of fixation at the latency stage of development?

none

Outline the characteristics of the genital stage of psychosexual development (4)

after age 12, genitals, sexual maturity, development of intimate and sexual relations

What are the consequences in adulthood of fixation at the genital stage of development? (2)

if all stages completed, then sexual maturity and positive mental health is achieved

When is the oedipus complex developed and by who?

during the phallic stage, by boys

Outline the process of the oedipus complex (4)

young boy develops unconscious sexual feelings towards his mother, as she has been his primary source of care and affection, his father is viewed as a rival for his mother’s attention, conflicting feelings produce intense anxiety as the boy fears his father will discover his unconscious wishes and castrate him as punishment

How is castration anxiety resolved? (3)

identification with the aggressor, the boy adopts and internalises his father’s attitudes, values and behaviour

What is the outcome of the oedipus complex? (3)

resolves the conflict, develops superego, contributes to child’s gender identity

Who proposed the electra complex?

Carl Jung

When is the electra complex and who is it experienced by?

during the phallic stage, by girls

Outline the process of the electra complex (4)

young girl initially identifies with mother, then develops unconscious feelings of attraction towards her father, so the father becomes the focus of the affection, suggesting the girl experiences penis envy

How does Carl Jung describe penis envy?

the girl realises she does not have a penis and blames her mother for the perceived lack

How is the conflict of the electra complex resolved? (4)

girl represses feelings towards her father, replaces her desire to have a penis with a desire to have a baby, allowing girl to identify with her mother internalising her mother’s behaviours and values, developing her feminine identity

What is the outcome of the electra complex? (3)

resolves conflict, forming identity, superego develops as she adopts her mother’s moral standards

What was the case study of Little Hans? (2)

5 year old boy developed phobia of horses, Freud analysed detailed observations and letters written by Hans’ father

Explain Little Hans’ phobia

boy became particularly frightened of white horses with black markings around their mouths and horses wearing blinkers

What was Freud’s interpretation of Little Hans’ behaviour? (4)

horses were a symbolic representation of Hans’ father, black markings represented his moustache and glasses, arguing the fear was actually of his father, he feared his father would punish him by castration if he found out the sexual feelings he felt towards his mother

What did Freud interpret from one of Little Hans’ fantasies? (2)

Hans dreamed of a plumber removing his penis and replacing it with a bigger one, Freud suggested this showed how he had begun to identify with his father showing successful resolution of the oedipus complex

What happened to Little Hans’ phobia?

father assured him he would not be harmed and Hans’ phobia gradually disappeared

What conclusions did Freud make from the case study of Little Hans? (4)

horse phobia symbolised unconscious fear of father, fear of being bitten represented castration anxiety, phobia was an example of displacement where anxiety towards his mather was redirected onto horses because they were a safer object to fear, later fantasies indicated successful identification with the aggressor developing a superego and resolution of oedipus complex