Why is the psycodynamic approach in the middle of nature and nurture?
Its more interactionist: Acknowledges that biological, social and learning may all play a role.
- Born with ID (nature) - innate factors
- Develop ego and superego (nurture)
Defense mechanisms and psychosexual stages happen to everybody - Childhood experiences (seperation) (nurture)
- Fixation happens as a result of nurture (overindulgence or frustration)
- Traumatic experiences shape who we are (nurture)
- Superego develops in phallic stage as a result of the oedipus complex
What are the strengths of nurture and nature in the psychodynamic approach?
Adult personality is the product of innate drives (nature) and childhood experiences (nurture).
- The ID is a biological drive, its instinctual is driven by Eros (the drive to preserve + create life) and Thanatos (the death drive which motivates acts like aggression)
- The experience during the psychosexual stages (frustration or overindulgence) may lead to fixations which predict adult personality
- Interactionist approach: It is likely to be a more valid approach as it suggests both influences play a role.
Explain the psychodynamic approach as to why it is more application?
Dream therapy is successful.
- Therapy is successful because before Freud there were asylums, brain surgeries and no talking about feelings.
- Bowlby: Maternal rights (maternity leave, baby staying with mother, in hospital so no seperation)
- 3:1 ratio in childcare, 3 children to 1 key worker.
- Non application - Bowlby and Freud worked mostly just to prove their own points.
- Bowlby already knew which children had what in the 44 thieves study.
- Researcher bias and subjective.
Application + usefulness strengths
How important childhood experiences are.
- First ‘talking’ therapy was seen as taboo before.
- First person to recognise things like paralysis.
- British Psychodynamic Society.
- Briggs et al (2019).
- Psychoanalytical therapy
- Hypnotherapy
- Neo - Freudian incluences
- Real life applications
Why is the approach deterministic?
- Stages = fixation
- id = biological drives + instincts
- unconscious = determines behavior (repression, denial, etc).
Weaknesses of determinism?
‘Psychic determinism’
- Behaviour + personality determined by innate factors (id) + childhood experiences.
- We have no choice in how we behave.
- Are we able to change how we behave? What does having no free will imply?
Why is the pyschodynamic approach non scientific?
Not replicable, researcher bias in Bowlby and fruds studies so not objective.
- Only approach completely not scientific
- Freuds studies were not objective but subjective
- Cannot replicate case studies
- Not carried out in a controlled environment
- Freuds studies are not unfalsifiable.
Whats a weakness of the approach being not scientific?
- Karl popper
- Should be able to test hypothesis/predictions.
- What aspects of Freuds theory cannot be observed and tested.
- Tripartite personality, unconscious, existence of reprised desires/memories.
- Some ideas have been tested.
- Support evidence.
- Lacks validity.
- Highly subjective
- Unreplicable.
Why is the approach more holistic than reductionist?
- More holistic than other approaches
- Childhood experiences, tripartite personality, oedipus complex, unconscious, biological instincts and drives.
What are some holistic strengths of the approach?
- Recognizes behaviour is influenced by multiple factors.
- Freuds psychodynamic attempts to uncover unconscious.
- Reflects complexity of humans.
- Compared to more reductionist approach.
- Does not ignore genetics.
Why is the approach mostly idiographic?
- Bowlbys 44 thieves made the generalism that all people seperated from their mothers at a young age would become thieves (nomothetic).
- Freuds case studies: Little Hans (idiographic).
- Love for mother and hate for fathers: oedipus complex).
- Dora, wolf man.
