The Psychodynamic Approach

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Key Assumptions

  • Freud 
  • Behaviour is: Role of unconscious drives- to store repressed urges.
    • influenced by unonscious mind
    • early childhood experiences
    • motivated by instintual drives (sex & aggression).
  • The need to satisfy this behaviour leads to our personality.
  • Research- HARRIS & CAMPBELL (1999)
    • 3 groups: planned, unplanned and not. (pregnant)
    • 'Unplanned'- unconsciously intentional due to potential secondary gains.
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Structure of Personality

  • ID- 1st
    • Unconscious.
    • Pleasure principle.
    • Selfish desires.
    • Irrational.
    • Innate.
  • EGO- 2nd [2yrs- anal stage]
    • Reality principle.
    • Rational and logical. 
    • Balances Id and Superego finding an acceptable solution.
  • SUPEREGO- 3rd [5yrs- phallic stage]
    • Sense of right & wrong.
    • Morality principle.
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Mental Illness

  • EGO- too weak:
    • ID overpowers EGO = psychotic disorders
      • Loss of grip on reality
      • i.e. schizophrenia
    • SUPEREGO overpowers EGO = neurotic disorders
    • Anxiety & guilt
    • i.e. OCD
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Defence Mechanisms

  • Help EGO balance ID & SUPEREGO.
  • Unconscious stratergies used by EGO- prevent anxiety in unpleasant situations.
  • Distort reality- protected from confronting unpleasant feelings.
  • Repression: Forcing a distressing memory inot unconscious so no longer aware. (i.e. unable to recall events from an accident)
  • Denial: Refusal to acknowledge/ admit some aspect of reality (i.e. still turning up for work even though you've been sacked.)
  • Displacement: Transferring unacceptable emotion from source onto a more acceptable subsitute target. (i.e. slamming door after an argument)
  • Regression: Returning to a form of behaviour from earlier stage in life. (i.e. stamping feet in an arguement)
  • Sublimination: Acting out unacceptable impulse more acceptably. (i.e. person w history of violence starts kickboxing)
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Psychosexual Stages

  • Libido focused on certain erotogenic zone.
  • Organ pleasure from stimulating this zone.
  • Conflict must be resolved if not a fixation is formed.
  • Pleasure is then derived from the same zone- manifests into personality traits.
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Psychosexual Stages. cont.

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The Oedipus Complex

  • Phallic stage
  • Libido unconsciously directed on first member of 'opposite sex'- mother.
  • Conflict arises- reality that boy's sexual pleasure won't be satisfied by mum- dad is rival.
  • Boy develops unconscious fear that dad will stomp out comp by removing penis- castration anxiety.
  • Naturally resolved at end of stage when dad identifies w dad- resolving conflict giving him gender identify. 
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The Elektra Complex

  • Girls desire father.
  • Realises she has no penis.
  • Penis envy- wants to be a boy.
  • Resolve= repress desires for father- wants baby not penis.
  • Tension- blames mother for 'castrated state'.
  • Repress feelings on tension, identify w mum- female role.
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Research- Little Hans

  • Through written correspondence:
  • 5 yrs old.
    • Phobia of horses (espec. white w/ blinker) terrified of going out in case he was bitten by one.
    • Developed phobia after being denied parents' bed.
    • Preoccupied w his penis. (often touching it, wants mum to too)
    • Threatened that if he touched it, it'd be cut off.
    • Dreams where a plumber fitted him w/ a bigger penis 'just like daddy's'
    • No longer afraid of horses.
  • libido for mum- identified w dad in end.
  • Displacement- fear of dad transferred to horses.
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Evaluation points- Strengths

  • Practical Application
    • Psychoanalysis- treatment for mental illness derived from this approach.
      • uses hypnosis & dream interpretation.
    • Credited for forming basis of most psychotherapy.
    • Evidence for success- Bergin: 82% had improved symptoms.
    • Valuable in Real-life.
  • SE
    • Harris & Campbell: pregnancy research. (unconscious mind motivates behaviour for secondary gain)
    • Freud's Little Hans. (oedipus complex- fear of father displaced onto horse.)
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Evaluation points- Weaknesses

  • SE- for being unscientific- may not be valid
    • Evidence from case studies- one individual- unrepresentative of gen. pop.
      • 'Little Hans' had opedipus complex doesn't mean all 5yro experience this.
    • Findings are subjective.
      • 'Little Hans' could have oedipus and displaced it onto a horse, or be classically conditioned to fear them (Learning theory).
    • Concepts cannot be directly observed. (i.e. unconscious mind.)
      • Cannot be proven to exist or not (not falsifiable).
  • Determinist view
    • Behaviour determined by factors out of our control.
      • e.g. "Freudian slip"- (calling a teacher mum not miss) has hidden meaning- 'Psychic determinism'- Free will is an illusion.
    • Should be regarded with caution.
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