The Psychodynamic Approach

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Key Assumptions

Behaviour is determined by early childhood experiences- traumatic

Behaviour is influenced by the unconscious mind

Behaviour is motivted by instinctive drives: sex and aggression

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The Role of the Unconscious Mind

Freud believed the the human mind is like an Iceberg and that it consists of 3 'levels'

Conscious/Awareness= thoughts and perceptions

Pre-consconscious/partial awareness= memories and stored knowledge

Unconscious/unaware= feas, violent motives, unnacceptable sexual drives, immoral urges, selfish needs and shameful experiences/

The role of the unconscious mind is to store biological drives, thoughts and memories that are seen as unacceptable or unpleasent- these things are REPRESSED(locked away in the unconscious). Such biological drives might include the sexual drive (libido) and aggression (thantos)

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Reaseach example: Harris and Campbell

The researchers measured how they might benefit from pregnancy- secondary gains (benefits, high self esteem & enhancing relationships) The differences between unplanned and planned were that unplanned pregnancies were significantly more likely to have potential secondary gain, it suggests that the role the unconsicous mind: sexual desires (libido) and aggressions (thantos) have been satisfied.

ADD MORE ON THE RESEARCH

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The Structure of Personality

According to Freud, everyones personality has 3 components, these are called:

ID= this is a mass of our inherited biological drives (such as the libido-sex drive and aggression) It's present from birth & it operated on the pleasure principle, meaning it is driven by basic, selfish needs/desires that demand to be satisfied. It's entirely irrational and does not accept they may be innapropriate/impractical.

EGO= this is the second part of the psyche to develop- around the age of 2 years (during the anal stage of development) when a child gains experience in dealing with the real world. It operates on the reality principle- its rational and unses logic/planning to mediate between the demands of the ID and the moral standards of the superego to achieve an acceptable soloution to obtain pleasure.

SUPEREGO= This is an internalised sense of right and wrong. it operates on the morality principle- it strives to uphold moral standards and punishes the ego with guilt for any wrongdoings. Its the last part of the psyche to develop, at around the age of 5 years (during the phallic stage of development) when a child gains experience or reward and punishment from parents.

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Additional- structure of personality

In most situations the ID and Superego will suggest opposing responses; the ego's function is to find a compromise that satisfies the ID without violating the moral standards of the superego.

In some individuals, the ego may be too weak to cope with the demands of the other parts ofr the psyche:

if the ID overpowers the ego and is allowed to dominate, this results in psychotic disorders that arfe characterised by loss of control- schizophrenia

ifb the Superego is allowed to dominate, this results in neurotic disorders that are characterised by anxiety and guild- depression.

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Defence Mechanisms

Defence Mechanisims are one way of helping the Ego to balance the conflicting demands of ID and the Superego.

They're unconscious strategies used by the ego to prevent anxiety when faced with unpleasant situations that may create guilt of embarrassment.

Defence mechanisms distort reality so that we are protected from having to confront/accept unpleasent feelings.

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The 5 Defence Mechanisms

Repression= forcing a distressing memory into the unconscious mind, where we are no longer conscously aware of it. EXAMPLE- not being able to recall seeing someone being stabbed

Denial= refusing to acknowledge or admit to some aspect of reality. EXAMPLE-- revising for tests

Displacement= transferring an unacceptable emotion from its true source onto a substitute target that is considered more acceptable. EXAMPLE- shouting at your parents because you got a bad grade at school

Sublimation= replacing socially unacceptable behavioursn with socially acceptable alternatives EXAMPLE- being aggressive during a football match

Rationalisation= creating false excuses for unacceptable thoughts and feelings. EXAMPLE- justifying cheating on your boyfriend by saying everyone cheats at some point.

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Psychosexual Stages

Freud claimed that children develop their identity and sexuality through 5 stages, occuring from birth up to puberty: psychosexual stages:

During each stage-

The ID is focused on a particular EROTOGENIC zone

child gains secual satisfaction from stimulating thid part of the body

there is a conflict the child must eventually resolve however, unresolved conflicts result in fixations, where the child is 'stuck' in that stage and continues to derive pleasure fcrom the same zone.

This manifests itself in certain personality traits in adulthood.

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The 5 psychosexual Stages

HOW TO REMEMBER THE STAGES (Old Ages Pensioners Love Grapes)

stage                    Zone                       Conflict& other expriences      concequences of fixation

ORAL (0-1) =       mouth                      weaning                                           smoking & nail biting

ANAL (1-3)=         anus                        potty training                     orderliness( retentive) & messiness (expulsive)

PHALLIC (3-6)=   genitals               identification with same sex parent           sexual devience or dysfuction

LATENT (6-12)   SUPRESSED     gaining satisfaction from things other than erogenous zones such as hobbies&school

GENITAL (12+)  genitals           reaching sexual maturity                       positive sexual relationships

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The Oedipus Conflict

During the PHALLIC stage of the psychosexual development, a boy develops an oedipus complex, where his libido is unconsciously bdirected on the first opposite sex 'template' in his experience (e.g. his mother)

A conflic arises from the reality that the boys' sexual pleasure will not be satisfied by mother and that his pather is a formidable rival for mothers attention.

The boy develops an unconscious fear that father may stamp out any competition by removing the boys' penis- the fear is called CASTRATION ANXIETY

The conflict is naturally resolved at the end ofr the stage when the boy comes to identify with his father and resolves to be more like him (rather than seeing him as a threat or enemy)- resolving this conflict is what provides the boy with his gender identity.

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The Electra Complex

The girls desires the father but realises she does not have a penis. It leads to the development of penis envy and the wish to be a boy. The girl resolves this by repressing her desire for her father and substituting the wish for a penis with the wish for a baby. The girl blames her mother for her 'castrated slate' and this creates tension. The girl then represses her feelings (to remove the tension) and identifies with the mother to take on the female gender role.

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Reasearch Example: The Case Study of Little Hans (

Little Hans was the pseudonym given to the 5 year old son of an associate of Freuds' (who asked for advice on his sons' bizarre behaviour)

Hans...

had a phobia of horses especially white horses wearing black blinkers and was afraid of going out should he be bitten by one

developed his phobia shortly7 after being denied access to his parents' bed

was preoccupied with his penic (was often found touching it and wanted his mother to touch it)

had been threatened by his parents that if he conhtinued to touch his penis then it'd be cut off

later descirbed some dreams in which a plumber had fitted him with a larger penis "just like daddys;"

was no longer afraid of horses after having such dreams.

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Frueds interpretation of Little Hans...

Had an oedipus complex= father as rival, not allowed in his parents bed. Unhealthy drive for his mother, wants to touch his penis all the time.

Was experiencing CASTRATION ANXIETY= yes, if he keeps touching it then it'll fall off

was using the defence mechanism, displacement= yes, his fear of his dad chopping off his penis with the phobia of horses- the horse is his dad

resolved the conflict on identification with his father= the dream- fitting him with a larger penis.

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Evaluation of the Psychodynamic Approach- Strength

STRENGTHS-

practical applications, psychoanalysis is a treatment for mental illness derived from this approach, and is credited as forming the basis of most types of psychotherapy used today. Psychoanalysts use techniques like hypnosis and dream interpretation to access memories in the patient's unconscious mind. Bergin found that 83% of patients recieving this therapy improved in their symptoms (very effective). This means that the psychodynamic approach has been valuable in improving the lives of people in the real world.

Supporting evidence, Harris and Campbells' study pf unplanned pregnancies backs up the idea that the unconscious mind can motivate behaviour, as it was found that woment whose pregnancies were unplannes stood more to benefit from secondary gains (such as child benefits) than those that we planned. (EVIDENCE FROM THE LITTLE HANS CASE STUDY COULD BE INVOLVED) This means that the Psychodynamic approach coukd bve accepted as a VALID explanation for human behaviours.

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Evaluation of the Psychodynamic Approach- weakness

WEAKNESS=

methodological problems, most of the evidence comes from case studies that focus on just one individual (who is usually suffering from a mental illness) so such studies are unlikely to be representative of the general population. For example just because Little Hans suffered an Oedipus complex does not mean that all 5 year old males do. Another issue with this method is that the findings are subjective meaning they are open to interpretation. Freuds interpretation that Hans' phobia was a displaced odeipus complex is contradicted by the behaviouris idea that he was classically conditioned to fear horses after seeing one in a horrific accident. Also many of the concepts explained in the apprach cannot be direnctly nobserved such as the unconscious mind of the ID/EGO/SUPEREGO because they cannot be tested, they cannot be proved to not/exist meaning they are not falsifiable. This means that the psychodynamic approach may NOT provide VALID of RELIABLE explanation for behaviours.  

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