The Psychodynamic Approach
Structure of Personality
EGO - reality principle, mediates the impulsive demands of the id and the reality of the external world, compromises between the id and supergo. May delay gratifying id until there's a more appropriate opportunity to satisfy its demands.
SUPEREGO - divided into the conscience and ego-ideal. Conscience is the internalisation of society's rules. The ego-ideal is what a person strives towards and is determined by parental standards of good behaviour. Determines which behaviours are permissible and causes feelings of guilt when rules are broken.
ID - pleasure principle, operates solely in the unconscious. Demands immediate gratification regardless of circumstances.
Limitations
Role of the Unconscious
Strengths
Defence Mechanisms
Denial - the refusal to accept reality to avoid having to deal with any painful feelings that might be associated with an event. Person acts as though the event hasn't happened. E.G. an alcoholic will often deny they have a drinking problem, even after being arrested several times for being drunk and disorderly.
Displacement - redirecting of thoughts and feelings, usually hostile, in situations where the person feels unable to express them in the presence of the person they should be directed towards. May take it out an a helpless victim or object. Gives hostile feelings a route for expression, even though misapplied.
Repression - unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts and impulses. Influence behaviour without the individual being aware of the reasons for their behaviour. E.G. someone who was abused by a parent as a child may have no recollection of these events, but have trouble forming relationships.
Psychosexual Stages
Anal, 2-3 years. Beginnings of ego devel, child becomes aware of demands of reality and need to conform. Toilet training as child learns to control expulsion of bodily waste.
Phallic, 3-6 years. Sexual energy now focused on genitals. Major conflict is the Oedipus complex, male child unconsciously wishes to possess mother and get rid of father. Boys experience castration anxiety, in an attempt to resolve identifies with father.
Oral, 0-2 years. Mouth is the focal point of sensation, way in which child expresses early sexual energy, e.g. through sucking and biting.
Latent, 6-12 years. Child develops mastery of world around them. Conflicts and issues of previous stages repressed, child unable to remember much of early years.
Genital, 12+. Culmination of psychosexual devel and fixing of sexual energy in genitals. Eventually directs us towards sex and beginnings of adult life.
Freud believed in existence of part of mind that was inaccessible to conscious thought. Most of our everyday actions and behaviours not controlled consciously, but as product of unconscious mind. Mind actively prevents traumatic memories from unconscious reaching conscious awareness as might cause anxiety.
P - culture-biased.
E - focuses on Western ideas, so Sue and Sue (2008) argue it has little relevance for people from non-Western cultures.
E - in China, a person who is depressed or anxious avoids distressing thoughts rather than being willing to openly discuss, West believe therapy is beneficial.
L - psychoanalysis was developed in a Western, middle class culture, so has limitations in its applications outside of that culture.
P - gender-biased approach, as views on women and female sexuality less well developed.
E - ignorant of female sexuality and how it may differ from male sexuality, with psychoanalysis Karen Horney criticising his work.
E - problematic because his treatments were used on female patients, and his theories are still influential today.
L - psychoanalysis shouldn't be used on women, as it's based on men so can't be generalised.
P - empirical evidence supporting aspects of the psychodynamic theory.
E - Fisher and Greenberg (1996) summarised 2,500 studies, found support for the existence of unconscious motivation in human behaviour and for defence mechanisms of repression, denial and displacement.
E - despite critics saying no scientific evidence and that it's claims are not testable or falsifiable, many have been tested and confirmed using scientific methodology.
L - strengthens the theory, as it has been looked at objectively and systematically, increasing validity.
P - pioneering approach to treatment based on observations of behaviour rather than relying on introspection.
E - first to propose psychological treatments for disorders such as depression and anxiety.
E - De Maat et al's (2009) large-scale review of psychotherapy studies concluded that psychoanalysis produced significant, long-lasting improvements.
L - has led to successful treatments, which are still used today.