Class notes
Detailed, in-depth study notes on Psychodynamic Approach
- Course
- Institution
Here is everything you possibly need to know about the Psychodynamic approach. Notes are organized, easy to read and memorize.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
veronicaslesarciuc
Content preview
The psychodynamic approach:Key terms:
- Psychodynamic approach: perspective that describes different dynamics (forces + most unconscious)
that operate on Monday + direct human behaviour + experience
- The unconscious: part of mind that we unaware of + directs much of our behaviour
- Id: entirely unconscious + made up of selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification
- Ego: reality check that balances conflicting demands of id + superego
- Superego: moralistic part of our personality which represents ideal self (how we ought to be)
- Defence mechanisms: unconscious strategies that ego uses to manage conflict between id + superego
- Psychosexual stages: five developmental stages that all children pass through + at each stage there is
different conflict outcome of which determines future development
- Valid: when a theory/study measures/explains a behaviour accurately
- Reliable: when a study measures a behaviour consistently
, The role of the unconscious:
- Sigmund Freud: part of our mind that we know about + aware of -> merely ‘tip of the iceberg’ =
conscious mind
- Most of our mind made up of unconscious -> vast storehouse of biological drives + instincts that has
significant influence on our behaviour + personality
- Unconscious contains threatening + disturbing memories that have been repressed/locked away +
forgotten -> can be accessed during dreams/through ‘slips of the tongue’ referred to as parapraxes by
Freud e.g. calling female teacher ‘mum’ instead of ‘miss’
- Preconscious is bubbling under surface of our conscious mind + contains thoughts + memories which
are not currently in conscious awareness but we can access if desired
The structure of personality:
- Freud: personality is a tripartite composed of three parts:
- Id: primitive part of our personality + operates on pleasure principle -> id gets what it wants +
it’s a seething mass of unconscious drives + instincts + only id is present at birth (Freud: babies
= bundles of id) + throughout life id is entirely selfish + demands instant gratification of its
needs
- Ego: works on reality principle + is mediator between other two parts of personality + develops
around age of two years + its role is to reduce conflict between demands of id + superego ->
manages this by employing number of defence mechanisms
- Superego: formed at end of phallic stage around age of 5 + it’s our internalised sense of right +
wrong + based on morality principle it represents moral standards of child’s same-gender
parent + punishes ego for wrongdoing (through guilt)
Psychosexual stages:
- Freud: child development occurred in 5 stages + each stage apart from latency -> marked by different
conflict that child must resolve in order to progress successfully to next stage
- Any psychosexual conflict unresolved = fixation -> child becomes stuck + carries certain behaviours +
conflicts associated with that stage to adult life
Stage Description Consequence of unresolved
conflict
Oral (0-1 years) Focus of pleasure is the mouth, Oral fixation -> smoking, biting
mother’s breast can be the object nails, sarcastic, critical
of desire
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller veronicaslesarciuc. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.57. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
50843 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now