Psychodynamic Approach

• Behaviour is influenced by the unconscious mind i.e. conflicts between id, ego and superego

• Behaviour is determined by early childhood experiences and psychosexual stages

• Behaviour is motivated by instinctive drives i.e. sex and aggression 

Consciousness (everything we are currently aware of)

Pre-conscious (not currently aware of but can be brought into consciousness)

Unconsciousness (thoughts, feelings and drives that we are not aware of that are usually kept hidden)

Research example: Harris and Campbell (1999)

• Researchers investigated women who had a planned pregnancy, an unplanned pregancy and women who were not pregnant
• They found that the women who had the unplanned pregnancy were more likely to experience secondary gains e.g. attention and relationship
• This suggests that the women may have subconsciously wanted a child anyway

id

• biological drives (libido- sex drive and aggression)
• only innate part of our personalities and is present from birth
• operates on the pleasure principle- driven by basic, selfish desires

superego

• sense of right or wrong 
• operates on the morality principle
• punishes the ego with guilt for wrongdoings
• last part of the psyche to develop- at around 5 years old 

ego

• second part of the psyche to develop- at around 2 years old 
• operates on the reality principle 
• mediates between the demands of the id and the moral standards of the superego

• Repression- forcing a distressing memory into the unconscious mind, where we are no longer consciously aware of it

• Denial- refusing to acknowledge or admit to some aspect of reality

• Displacement- transferring an unacceptable emotion from its true source onto a substitute target that is considered more acceptable 

• Regression- returning to a form of behaviour characteristic of an earlier stage of life

• Sublimation- acting out unacceptable impulses by converting them into something which is socially acceptable

• Oral stage (0-1 years old): fixation on mouth, resolves breastfeeding or weening issues, can cause smoking, nail-biting, thumb sucking etc. 
• Anal stage (1-3 years old): fixation on anus, resolves potty training, can lead to personality being messy, disorganised and rebellious/ obsessive
• Phallic stage (3-5/6 years old): fixation on genitals, conflict between ****** attraction, resentment, rivalry, jealousy and fear. Can lead to growing up with impulsive behaviour
• Latency stage (5/6-puberty): all energy is directed to other activities e.g. school, sports etc.
• Genital stage (puberty-adulthood): resolves conflicts in all other stages, can lead to sexual perversions e.g. homosexuality

The Oedipus Conflict

• during the phallic stage
• libido is unconsciously directed to mother
• conflict arises with father 
• develop an unconscious fear (castration anxiety) 
• resolved when the boy identifies with the father, providing the boy with his gender identity

Little Hans study who had a fear of horses

The Electra Conflict

• girl desires father
• realises that she does not have a penis
• leads to penis envy 
• resolved by repressing her desire for her father and substituting the wish for a penis with a wish for a baby 
• girl blames mother for her 'castrated stage' and this creates tension
• girl represses her feelings and identifies with the mother to take on the female gender role

Practical Applications- psychoanalysts use techniques like hypnosis, dream interpretation and free association to access memories in the unconscious mind

Supporting Evidence- Harris and Campbell's study on pregnant women backs up the idea that the unconscious mind can motivate behaviour

Not Scientific- case studies

Deterministic- Freud believed that behaviour is determined by factors we have no control over