Psychodynamic Approach to Abnormality
- Created by: Aletia
- Created on: 10-04-13 19:12
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- Psychodynamic approach to abnormality
- Assumes that abnormal behavior in adulthood is caused by unresolved childhood conflict
- Freud came up with this concept
- Unresolved conflict
- In a normal person the ego is strong and allows the id and superego expression where each is appropriate
- In an abnormal person the ego cannot balance the id and superego
- Example: Eating disorders are caused by the ego being overwhelmed by the superego causing excessive guilt
- In order to satifsy the demands of the id and superego the ego uses self-defence mechanisms such as sublimation, repression, denial and regression
- Id = desires
- Superego = moral conscience
- Childhood development stages
- Children need to develop successfully through the 5 psychosexual stages to lead a normal adult life
- If they fail to fully develop or conflict arises during one of these stages then problems may occur later in life related to this
- This is because the immature ego is not able to cope with traumatic events and suppresses them in the unconscious until later in life
- If they fail to fully develop or conflict arises during one of these stages then problems may occur later in life related to this
- Children need to develop successfully through the 5 psychosexual stages to lead a normal adult life
- Support: Freud was an influential psychologist, most psychologists now accept the importance of childhood development in adult development
- A few case studies like Little Hans
- Case studies are difficult to generalise
- A few case studies like Little Hans
- Difficult to objectively and scientifically test this theory, some critics claim that people who undergo therapy based on this approach are no better off than those who don't
- Hans Eysenck argues that people who have therapy based on this approach actually end up worse than before the treatment
- Most of the data is retrospective so may be unreliable due to memory inaccuracies
- Assumes that abnormal behavior in adulthood is caused by unresolved childhood conflict
- Difficult to objectively and scientifically test this theory, some critics claim that people who undergo therapy based on this approach are no better off than those who don't
- Hans Eysenck argues that people who have therapy based on this approach actually end up worse than before the treatment
- Most of the data is retrospective so may be unreliable due to memory inaccuracies
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