An essay answering the question: Discuss what makes the psychodynamic approach unique in psychology. Refer to other approaches in your answer. (16 marks) that got full marks!
A student asked his teacher: “Why are there so many approaches in psychology?”
The teacher replied: “Because each has something different to offer to our understanding of
the human mind and behaviour. This means that every approach is unique.”
Discuss what makes the psychodynamic approach unique in psychology. Refer to
other approaches in your answer. (16 marks)
The psychodynamic approach was introduced by Freud, and includes all the theories in
psychology that see human functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces
within the person, particularly unconscious, and between the different structures of the
personality. This is why it is so unique because it tries to assess a person's psychological
development according to their unconscious mind which is different to all other approaches.
The basic assumptions of this approach are that our behavior and feelings are powerfully
affected by unconscious motives; our behaviour and feelings as adults (including
psychological problems) are rooted in our childhood experiences; all behaviour has a cause
(usually unconscious), even slips of the tongue, therefore all behaviour is predetermined; the
personality is made up of three parts the ID, Ego and SuperEgo.
Freud suggested that the unconscious mind is made up of mental processes that cannot be
accessed by the conscious mind but influence, judgements, feelings and behaviour. Our
feelings, motives and decisions are powerfully influenced by our past experiences, and are
stored in the unconscious. He also said that events in our childhood have a great influence
on our adult lives, shaping our personalities as they can remain in the unconscious and
could cause problems as adults. Drives are modified at the different stages of childhood
called the psychosexual stages where you can become fixated at a certain stage which
causes particular behavior and personality traits as adults. He also believed that
unconscious thoughts and feelings can transfer to the conscious mind in the form of slips of
the tongue, which provides insights into the unconscious mind.He believed all behavior was
pre determined by the unconscious and therefore all behaviour is significant. Freud also
believed that there was three aspects of the personality: the ID, the pleasure principle, drives
us to satisfy selfish urges- it is in the unconscious; the EGO, the reality principle, acts
rationally balancing the ID and SuperEgo- it is in the conscious mind; and the SuperEgo, the
morality principle, which is concerned in keeping moral norms and tries to control the id with
feelings of guilt-it is in the unconscious.
The psychodynamic approach focuses on the effects that childhood experiences have on
developing personality, further focusing on how these experiences stay in the unconscious
causing certain behaviour in adulthood. For example Freud was the first psychologist to
realise the importance of childhood, making it unique, and presented this through the Little
Hans case study, where Hans had a fear of castration which led him to have a fear of
horses. Similarly, other theories were then later developed by psychologists using Freud's
ideas combined with their own to develop theories on childhood, for example the humanistic
approach. This used Freud's ideas to link to the idea of the different selves and not being
able to experience self-actualisation because of the roots from childhood which was caused
by an unconditional positive regard from parents. So the psychodynamic approach started
the path for other approaches to build and add ideas to the effects of childhood experiences
making it more important.
Each approach has a particular focal point in which makes it unique for example social
learning theorists focus on how behaviours are learnt from role models whilst the humanistic
approach focuses on how behaviour can be changed or modified through self
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