A Level approaches

Question 1

AO1 Psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

Behaviour driven by unconscious conflict.
Personality has id, ego, superego.
Ego uses defence mechanisms.
Psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital.
Fixation causes adult personality traits.

Question 2

AO3 Psychodynamic approach

Answer 2

✔ Explains behaviour via unconscious conflict
✔ Nature–nurture interaction
✖ Psychic determinism
✖ Small case study basis
✖ Subjective concepts

Question 3

AO1 Psychodynamic research methods

Answer 3

Case studies: in-depth clinical study using qualitative therapy data.
Clinical interviews: structured questioning exploring unconscious conflict.

Question 4

AO3 Psychodynamic research methods

Answer 4

✔ Rich detailed data
✔ High ecological validity
✖ Small unrepresentative samples
✖ Researcher interpretation bias

Question 5

AO1 Humanistic approach

Answer 5

Humans have free will and subjective experience.
Innate drive to self-actualise (Maslow).
Self-concept vs ideal self (congruence).
Conditions of worth affect self-esteem.
Client-centred therapy restores congruence.

Question 6

AO3 Humanistic approach

Answer 6

✔ Holistic positive view humans
✔ Emphasises free will
✖ Lacks scientific evidence
✖ Concepts abstract

Question 7

AO1 Humanistic research methods

Answer 7

Q-sort: card sorting measuring self vs ideal self.
Questionnaires: self-report of subjective experience and self-esteem.

Question 8

AO3 Humanistic research methods

Answer 8

✔ Measures internal experience
✔ Practical therapy tool
✖ Subjective self-report bias
✖ Reliability issues