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the psychodynamic approach - Coggle Diagram
the psychodynamic approach
assumptions
life is painful therefore we use defence mechanisms
part of the mind we know about and are aware of- the conscious mind- is merely the tip of the iceberg
the mind has an internal structure
most of our mind is made up of the unconscious a vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that has a significant influence on our behaviour and personality
humans have basic instincts (unconscious urges)
unconscious conflicts are usually rooted in our childhood. any free will we may think we have is an illusion
the role of the unconscious
to protect the conscious self from anxiety or conflict
unconscious is the motivating force behind our behaviour and plays a significant role in the development of personality
unconscious contains threatening and disturbing memories that have been repressed or locked away and forgotten
under the surface of the conscious mind is the pre conscious, including thoughts/ideas we may become aware of during dreams
parapraxes
slips of the tongue
investigated by freud
structure of personality
ego
develops between 18months and 3 years
controls impulses from the id
largest part of conscious rational mind
ruled by reality principle
mediates demands of id and superego
if ego weakened then either id or superego will dominate leading to abnormal behaviour
well adjusted person will develop strong ego that is able to cope with demands of ego and superego allowing each to be dominant at appropriate terms
superego
develops around 4-5 years
driven by morality principle
idea about what is right and wrong
mainly resides in unconscious
superego too powerful restricts the urges of the id to an extent a person will be deprived of even socially acceptable pleasures
ID
present at birth
pleasure orientated
completely selfish
resides in unconscious mind
dominant ID could cause person to be destructive and immoral and could result in psychopathic or overly agressive behaviour
ruled by pleasure principle
described by freud
psychosexual stages
phallic
3-5 years
focus of pleasure is genital area
child experiences Lepidus or electra complex
consequence of phallic personality- narcissistic, reckless possibly homosexual
latency
6 years- puberty
represses sexual urges which are sublimated into activities such as learning and friendship
anal
1-3 years
focus of pleasure is anus, child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces
consequence of anal retentive= perfectionist, obsessive
consequence of anal expulsive= thoughtless, messy
genital
puberty onwards
sexual desires become conscious alongside puberty
consequence of unresolved genital conflict causes difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
oral
0-1 year
focus of pleasure around the mouth, mothers breast is an object of desire
unresolved oral conflict causes oral fixation eg. smoking,biting nails
defence mechanisms
helps manage conflict between id and superego
unconscious
prevent us being overwhelmed by temporary threats or traumas
displacement
transferring feelings from true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target
repression
forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind
denial
refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
evaluation
strength- supporting research from lady who had intense phobia of insects. when she went to see marriage counsellor and discussed husband found his nickname was ant. provides evidence that defence mechanisms protect the conscious from harm. however, problems with generalisability as single case study
limitation- cannot be studied directly due to being in the unconscious means untestable and can only be inferred from behaviour or experiences. problem with being able to prove existence.
contributions
methodology
unscientific due to unfalsifiable concepts
extensive use of case study method
theory
introduced concept of unconscious as driving force of behaviour
gave theories about how physical problems could be explained in terms on conflict within the mind
freud first to emphasise importance of how childhood affects later development
application
freud made significant contributions outside of psychology eg. literature and language
development of psychoanalysis in treatment of mental health
evaluation
strength- has practical applications in the real world as freud introduced psychoanalysis therapy designed to access the unconscious mind using techniques such as dream analysis. means approach is pioneering
limitation- includes lots of untestable concepts and argues does not meet scientific criterion of falsification in the sense can't be proved or disproved.