G544: Perspectives

I am Austrian

I worked alongside the leading neuro-

scientists of the day

I was a Mechanist

I worked alongside Charcot

I wrote a paper on “Male Hysteria”

I used hypnotism to treat patients

Assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

• Much of our behaviour is driven by unconscious motives

• Childhood is a critical period in development

• Mental disorders arise from unresolved, unconscious conflicts originating in childhood

• Resolution occurs through accessing and coming to terms with repressed ideas and conflicts

Task 1. Read the sheet – boxes 1 to 4.

Stop before ‘mental imbalances’

In pairs create 4 questions to which the answer is “Freud”. 1 per box.

E.g. “Who was an Austrian-Jewish Psychologist from Vienna?

A: SIGMUND FREUD!5 minutes! Go!

ConsolidationId: Pleasure principleSuperego: Morality principleEgo: Reality principle Conscious: The part of the mind we are aware of – everyday thoughts and feelingsPreconscious: Thoughts and memories not accessible at all times, but easily recalledUnconscious: The deep dark shameful part! Repressed thoughts, memories and feelings

FEEED FEEED MEEE MEEE

NOWWW!!!NOWWW!!!ARRRRGH!ARRRRGH!

We’d better We’d better not, we not, we

don’t want don’t want to get fat!to get fat!

Okay, okay guys, look we’ll sort

something out. Sheesh!

Another way to think about it…Yeah, but when are we eating!?!

Oh my Gahd

Rachel! Oh my Gahd

dinosaurs!Oh my Gahd etc…

Hey you guys….

smart-alec comment

etc….

SuperegoSuperegoIDID

EGOEGO

Task 2 Read through Sources of abnormality 1 and 2Create 5 summary cards1. Outline Freud’s theory of mind. 2. Describe how mental

imbalances cause abnormality3. Give example of a mental

imbalances abnormality.4. Describe the defence

mechanism idea.5. Give an example of a Defence

mechanism abnormality.

Extension.

If you finish, on the back of cards 1, 2 and 4 evaluate the theory:

•Pros and cons.

•Do you ‘buy’ it?

•Why?

•Assumptions?

10 minutes! Go!

Personality Summary

• Ego too weak – allows id and superego to dominate

• Id too strong – selfish, out of control, could become psychopathic

• Superego too strong – strict, anxious, obsessive – depression, anxiety, OCD

• How might bipolar disorder be explained using this approach?

[Mental imbalances]

Defence mechanisms

• The constant disagreements between the id, the ego and the superego can lead to a lot of anxiety

• E.g. You want that bar of chocolate but you know you’re meant to be on a diet – you feel guilty if you have it but unsatisfied if you don’t – anxiety either way!

• So the mind develops various methods of defending itself – for example you tell yourself that it’s ok to eat the chocolate because it’s good for you (rationalisation)

• We all use defence mechanisms on a daily basis

• They are unconscious – we aren’t aware of what we’re doing

• But… if we over use them they can lead to mental abnormalities – psychosis?

• Denial: You completely reject the thought or feeling

My Ashley would never cheat on

me…

My Ashley would never cheat on

me…

• Projection: You attribute your own socially unacceptable thought or feeling to someone else

I can’t believe what Vernon Kay has been up

to… what a cheating liar! How could he do that to

his beautiful wife?

I can’t believe what Vernon Kay has been up

to… what a cheating liar! How could he do that to

his beautiful wife?

• Suppression: You are vaguely aware of the thought or feeling, but try to hide it.

Hmmm, perhaps Ashley isn’t as perfect as I

thought. Can’t think about that now… got to go and buy some new

shoes instead.

Hmmm, perhaps Ashley isn’t as perfect as I

thought. Can’t think about that now… got to go and buy some new

shoes instead.

• Displacement: you redirect your feelings to another target

It’s not my fault my marriage is over. It’s the newspapers’. And those women for selling their

stories… And Cheryl’s for not being there enough…

And my mum’s for not breastfeeding me. I hate

them all!

It’s not my fault my marriage is over. It’s the newspapers’. And those women for selling their

stories… And Cheryl’s for not being there enough…

And my mum’s for not breastfeeding me. I hate

them all!

‘m• Regression: You revert to an old, usually immature, behaviour

I’m going home to me Mam, so she can cook me beans on toast, and stroke me hair and tell me that everything is going to be

alreet.

I’m going home to me Mam, so she can cook me beans on toast, and stroke me hair and tell me that everything is going to be

alreet.

• Sublimation: You redirect the feeling into a socially productive activity e.g. art, poetry, sport

I’m going to make another album, and

learn how to tap dance, and take up scuba

diving!

I’m going to make another album, and

learn how to tap dance, and take up scuba

diving!

• Rationalisation: You try to justify uncomfortable thoughts or feelings with socially acceptable motives

I don’t hate women… I love them… that’s why I can’t keep it in

my pants!

I don’t hate women… I love them… that’s

why I can’t keep it in my pants!

• Reaction formation: You turn the feeling into its opposite

I’m not at all upset or humiliated. In fact, I’m the happiest I’ve ever

been.

I’m not at all upset or humiliated. In fact, I’m the happiest I’ve ever

been.

Psychosexual stages

• There are a number of stages of childhood, during which the child seeks pleasure from a different ‘object’

• To be psychologically healthy, we must successfully complete each stage

• Mental abnormality can occur if a stage is not completed successfully – the person becomes ‘fixated’

• Freud believed that children are born with a libido – a sexual (pleasure) urge

The oral stage• Birth to 18 months approximately• The mouth is the main focus of pleasure during

this stage• The child enjoys tasting and sucking • Successful completion of this stage is

demonstrated by weaning – eating independently• Oral receptive (not allowed to suck freely) –

passive, needy, sensitive to rejection – overeats and drinks, bite nails, may smoke

• Oral aggressive (allowed to suck too often/too long) – hostile and verbally abusive, sarcastic

The anal stage

• 18 months to 3 years • Defecation is main source of pleasure • Successful completion marked by potty

training• Anally retentive - very tidy, stubborn,

likes order and being in control• Anally expulsive - generous but

disorganised , doesn’t like to follow rules

The Oedipus complex

• Occurs during the phallic stage• Around age 3-5• Boy wants his mother as his ‘primary

love object’• Wants his father out of the way• Fears that his father knows this and

will castrate him as punishment• Identifies with father to stop

castration anxiety

The Electra (female Oedipus) complex

• A girl also desires her mother• But she realises she doesn’t have a penis like

her father! • Becomes hostile towards her mother because

she believes her mother has castrated her• Develops attraction to father instead because

she believes he can give her a baby, which will act as a penis substitute

• Eventually resolves feelings towards mother and identifies with her – doesn’t want to lose her mother’s love

The latency stage

• Age 6 to puberty approximately• Sexual urges sublimated into sports

and other hobbies• Focus on developing same sex

friendships• No particular requirements for

successful completion• Lull before the storm of puberty!

The genital stage

• Puberty into adulthood• Focus on genitals but not

to same extent as phallic stage

• Task is to develop healthy adult relationships

• This should happen if earlier stages have been negotiated successfully

• Old Age Pensioners Love Guinness!

• Oral stage• Anal stage• Phallic stage• Latent stage• Genital stage

The Oedipus Complex

Oedipus (taken from the Greek tragedy), killed his Father & married his Mother.

The child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences. Boys & girls both go through this conflict, however Freud concentrated mostly on boys resolving the conflict.

Girls resolve the conflict known as the Electra complex.

It is very difficult to test the theory of unconscious motivation – whatever is not remembered can be said to be repressed – this is non-falsifiable.

The case study method utilises unrepresentative samples and therefore there are concerns about generalisability

The clinical (therapeutic) interview method has problems with bias and there has been accusations of implanting false memories by therapists leading to reconstructed memories.

The psychodynamic perspective has enormous explanatory power for both normal and abnormal behaviour.

Practical applications: it has had a huge impact on the world of counselling, psychotherapy and psychiatry.

The idea of the motivated unconscious has had a huge impact on Western thought and literature.

It treats the whole person, not just the problem.

Strengths & LimitationsStrengths

Reflects the complexity of human behaviour

It can be used to explain a wide range of behaviour. In fact, many supporters of this perspective would argue that it can be used to explain all behaviour.

It has been incredibly influential in therapy and the use of psychodynamic-based therapies is still widely used today.

Limitations It is highly subjective and

it is extremely hard, if not impossible, to test its ideas scientifically.

It makes generalisations about human behaviour based on small and often atypical samples. E.g. Case study of Little Hans used to confirm the idea of an Oedipus complex that all boys are said to go through.

Similarly to the first weakness, some of the tests used are subjective and unreliable. E.g. The Rorschach inkblot test

Free will vs determinism

• Determinism is the belief that everything – including human thought and behaviour – is predetermined by the law of nature (fate, God, evolution, etc.)

• Free will is the belief that we have total control over our own lives

• Psychodynamic theory is deterministic because it states that behaviour is controlled by the unconscious mind – something we don’t have control of

UsefulnessA main strength of the psychodynamic perspective is the

way it can be used to explain a wide variety of phenomenon. In fact some followers of the psychodynamic perspective believe that all human life can be explained from a psychodynamic approach. However, you will find even more psychologists who argue that the psychodynamic theory cannot explain anything.

One of the many criticisms of the psychodynamic perspective is that is highly subjective and its ideas are hard to test scientifically. For example, most of the ideas are based on case studies of individuals and are not easily tested experimentally. Furthermore the psychodynamic approach does make many generalisations based on these case studies of individuals.

Evaluation of the psychodynamic approach to

psychopathology1. Influential 2. Unscientific – how

can it be tested?3. Retrospective data –

case studies4. Doesn’t consider

adult experiences5. Blames parents! 6. Deterministic

• Is it a strength or a limitation?

• Is there any evidence to support this point?

• Is there a counter- argument? How might Freud have defended himself?

ComparisonPsychodynamic Physiological The psychodynamic approach

suggests that our adult personality and behaviour are determined by our childhood experiences.

behaviour can be explained in terms of the inner conflicts of the mind.

Freud believed that the unconscious mind determines much of our behaviour and that we are motivated by unconscious emotional drives. Freud believed that the unconscious contains unresolved conflicts and has a powerful effect on our behaviour and experience.

Physiological psychology focuses on the relationship between our biological makeup and our behaviour and experiences.  

They are reductionists saying that behaviours and experiences can be explained in terms of brain structure and chemicals.

For example, the study by Raine (1997) attempts to investigate the relationship between brain structure and function and violence.

Possible Section B Questionsa. Using your knowledge of psychology, briefly outline the

Psychodynamic perspective. (4 marks)

b. Describe two pieces of psychological research that use the Psychodynamic perspective. (8 marks)

c. Discuss the strength and limitations of the Psychodynamic perspective to explain behaviour. Use examples of psychological research to support your answer. (12 marks)

d. Compare the Psychodynamic perspective with the Physiological approach in psychology using examples of psychological research to support your answer. (8 marks)

e. Discuss how the Psychodynamic perspective can help our understanding of everyday life. (8 marks)