Psychodynamic

Question 1

(Assumptions) What are the three levels of proposed consciousness?

Answer 1

Concious, preconcious and unconcious

Question 2

(Assumptions) What does the unconscious mind contain?

Answer 2

biological instincts, traumatic memories, desires that motivate our behaviour

Question 3

(Assumptions) What is a ‘Freudian Slip’ and give an example.

Answer 3

All behaviour is symbolic and occasinally something slips from the unconscious mind into the concious.
E.g. You friend asks how a dress looks, you mean to say flattering but instead say fattening as this is what you really think.

Question 4

(Assumptions) What are the 3 personality parts?

Answer 4

Id, Ego, Superego

Question 5

(Assumptions) What is the Id and it’s effect on behaviour?

Answer 5

Instinctive part containing basic need, motivated by pleasure prinicple, does not consider consequences of behaviour. A strong Id would result in a selfish person

Question 6

(Assumptions) What is the Ego and it’s effect on behaviour?

Answer 6

Meets the demands of the Id in a socially acceptable way, motivated by the reality principle.

Question 7

(Assumptions)What is the Superego and it’s effect on behaviour?

Answer 7

motivated by the morality principle, usually represents morals of our same sex parent. A person with a weak superego would have weak morals and not consider right or wrong and go on their instincts.

Question 8

(Assumptions) What are the 5 stages of psychosexual development?

Answer 8

oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital

Question 9

(Assumptions)What are the age and characteristics of the oral stage?

Answer 9

0-1 years
mouth is associated with gratification due to feeding.
Fixation at this stage lead to thumb sucking or pen chewing.

Question 10

(Assumptions) What is fixation?

Answer 10

if the unconscious conflict is not correctly resolved the person can carry characteristics of that stage through life.

Question 11

(Assumptions) What are the age and characteristics of the anal stage?

Answer 11

2-3 years.
gratification from expelling or withholding faeces.
Fixation can result in excessive tidyness

Question 12

(Assumptions) What are the age and characteristics of the phallic stage?

Answer 12

4-5 years
gratification from the genital area. Involves resolution of electra or oedipus complex.
fixation can result in looking for a mother figure or homosexuality

Question 13

(Assumptions) When does the superego develop?

Answer 13

4-5 years/ phallic stage

Question 14

(Assumptions) What are the age and characteristics of the latency stage?

Answer 14

6-12 years
period of relative calm as ego and defense mechanisms develop.
fixation rarely occurs

Question 15

(Assumptions) What are the age and characteristics of the genital stage?

Answer 15

puberty+

gratification associated with mature sexual relationships

Question 16

(Assumptions) Outline the Oedipus complex

Answer 16

1. Boy has unconscious desires for his mother
2. Boy develops castration anxiety as he fears his father will find out
3. To resolve this he gives up his desires and identifies with his father taking on his morals and gender identity.

Question 17

(Assumptions) Outline the Electra complex

Answer 17

1. Girl becomes aware she doesn’t have a penis and believe she has already been castrated
2. Girl blames her mother and sees them both as powerless as the penis is the symbol of male power
3. Penis envy develops along with desires for her father as he has what she wants
4. Girl fears losing the love of her mother and converts desires for a penis to desires for a baby
5. Girl identifies with her mother taking on her morals and gender identity.

Question 18

(Assumptions) Early childhood experiences influence our behaviour

Answer 18

(Assumptions) Early childhood experiences influence our behaviour

Question 19

(Assumptions) What are defense mechanisms?

Answer 19

unconscious processes that protect the conscious from upsetting or harmful material

Question 20

(Assumptions) What is repression?

Answer 20

Threatening material is forced into the unconscious mind so it cannot be recalled

Question 21

(Assumptions) What is projection?

Answer 21

Projecting your own negative traits (e.g. fears) onto other people

Question 22

(Assumptions) What is denial?

Answer 22

Refusing to see or believe an aspect of reality

Question 23

Outline the Little Hans case study

Answer 23

Hans developed a fear of horses and was scared they may bite him. Especially scared of white horses wearing blinkers.
Freud interpreted the phobia as follows:
The horse symbolised his father and Hans was going through the oedipus complex.
After talking to Hans he overcame his fear

Question 24

(Assumptions) What is a practical application?

Answer 24

treatment using psychoanalysis.

Free association releasing repressed events and dream analysis

Question 25

(Evaluation) Why are childhood events influencing adult personality a strength?

Answer 25

Evidence to support it

Question 26

(Evaluation) Why is explanatory power e.g. gender development a strength?

Answer 26

More things it can explain the more likely it is to be correct.

Question 27

(Evaluation) Why are practical applications a strength?

Answer 27

More likely to be correct and can help people

Question 28

(Evaluation) What is a strength of defense mechanisms?

Answer 28

Can be used to give plausible explanations for some behaviours (give example)

Question 29

(Evaluation) Why is being too deterministic a weakness?

Answer 29

Too much focus on early childhood, you have no free will

Question 30

(Evaluation) Why is the approach described as pessimistic and why is this a weakness?

Answer 30

Focuses too much on the past and suggests we cannot change who we are because of this

Question 31

(Evaluation) Why is the use of case studies a weakness?

Answer 31

cannot be generalised, subjective, unscientific

Question 32

(Evaluation) Why is the theory being outdated a weakness?

Answer 32

Reflects outdated attitudes so would not be reliable to use today