The Psychodynamic Approach
Freud believes:
- we are animals, driven by basic biological motives
- the emergence of society requires us to bring our animal impulses under control
- our personality, “psyche”, has several parts that are always at war with each other
-> the conflict that arises is what drives behaviour
- > negative view on behaviour
The Role of the Unconscious
The structure of the mind is made up of 3 parts:
• conscious= contains all that we are currently aware of and the self we can
describe
• subconscious= contains stored information that is capable of being made
conscious- it is accessible memory
• unconscious= the largest part of the mind and consists of biological drives and
instincts that influence our behaviour, particularly with urges to seek pleasure,
without us being aware of it
- contains our deepest thoughts, feelings, fantasies and desires of which we are
unaware and cannot access and it contains repressed (locked away) thoughts
and emotions from our childhood which are threatening and traumatic. These
repressed memories of early traumatic events could appear later in adulthood as
depression, phobia and obsession
- if these traumatic memories became conscious, they would be painful and
unpleasant and disrupt our normal day to day functioning and cause anxiety so
many of our actions may have hidden purposes or meanings
- the mind therefore actively prevents these traumatic memories in the
unconscious from reaching conscious awareness through the use of defence
mechanisms
The psychodynamic approach places emphasis on the role of the
unconscious in behaviour. Using an example, explain the role of the
unconscious in behaviour (4 marks):
In the psychodynamic approach, the role of the unconscious in behaviour is that it
is the part of the mind that consists of biological drives and instincts. These
influence our behaviour, especially when it comes to urges to seek pleasure even
though we may not be aware of it. The unconscious is also thought to contain our
deepest thoughts, feelings and desires that we are unaware of and thoughts or
emotions from our childhood that are threatening or traumatic. These memories
could appear later and result in depression or phobias. For example, if you were
attacked by a dog at a very young age, it could result in you having an extreme
phobia of dogs when you grow up, even if though you may have repressed the
memories of the event. The psychodynamic approach explains all behaviour as
determined by ur unconscious conflicts over which we have no control.
, The Structure of Personality
Adult personality (psyche) -> 3 components-> tripartite:
- Id = instincts, pleasure
- Ego = our conscious self, reality
- Superego = morality, socialisation
• Develops during childhood in a fixed sequence of 5 psychosexual stages
- experiences and conflicts shape of personality, affecting how a person behaves
- the id, ego and superego emerge at different points
• Id, ego and superego interact in dynamic ways to influence our thoughts and
behaviour -> each component demands gratification but they are frequently in
conflict with each other
•The unconscious conflict between these components cause anxiety that can result
in symptoms of mental illness of not resolved
• ID: present from birth
- operates solely in the unconscious mind
- is the unconscious, irrational, emotional, instinctual, selfish basis of personality
which drives us to satisfy basic biological needs
- the ID remans. the source of our pleasure seeking drive throughout life and
operates on the pleasure principle, demanding instant gratification of its needs,
regardless of the circumstances
- gratification of the ID results in pleasure and frustration leads to tension which is
an unpleasant state
• EGO: develops during 2-4 years of age
- starts developing during the anal stage as the child develops an element of
reasoning ability, and learns that they cannot always have exactly what they want,
when they want it
- it is the conscious, rational, planning part of our personality and operates on the
reality principle
- it mediates between the impulsive demands of the id and the reality of the external
worlds by, for example, delaying gratifying the id until there is an appropriate
opportunity to satisfy its demands
- it mediates between the id’s impulsive demands the the superego’s moralistic
demands, reducing the conflict and anxiety caused through this, by using a
number of defence mechanisms
• SUPEREGO: develops from the age of 4 or 5 years of age
- develops during the phallic stage of development as the child internalises moral
rules about right and wrong
Freud believes:
- we are animals, driven by basic biological motives
- the emergence of society requires us to bring our animal impulses under control
- our personality, “psyche”, has several parts that are always at war with each other
-> the conflict that arises is what drives behaviour
- > negative view on behaviour
The Role of the Unconscious
The structure of the mind is made up of 3 parts:
• conscious= contains all that we are currently aware of and the self we can
describe
• subconscious= contains stored information that is capable of being made
conscious- it is accessible memory
• unconscious= the largest part of the mind and consists of biological drives and
instincts that influence our behaviour, particularly with urges to seek pleasure,
without us being aware of it
- contains our deepest thoughts, feelings, fantasies and desires of which we are
unaware and cannot access and it contains repressed (locked away) thoughts
and emotions from our childhood which are threatening and traumatic. These
repressed memories of early traumatic events could appear later in adulthood as
depression, phobia and obsession
- if these traumatic memories became conscious, they would be painful and
unpleasant and disrupt our normal day to day functioning and cause anxiety so
many of our actions may have hidden purposes or meanings
- the mind therefore actively prevents these traumatic memories in the
unconscious from reaching conscious awareness through the use of defence
mechanisms
The psychodynamic approach places emphasis on the role of the
unconscious in behaviour. Using an example, explain the role of the
unconscious in behaviour (4 marks):
In the psychodynamic approach, the role of the unconscious in behaviour is that it
is the part of the mind that consists of biological drives and instincts. These
influence our behaviour, especially when it comes to urges to seek pleasure even
though we may not be aware of it. The unconscious is also thought to contain our
deepest thoughts, feelings and desires that we are unaware of and thoughts or
emotions from our childhood that are threatening or traumatic. These memories
could appear later and result in depression or phobias. For example, if you were
attacked by a dog at a very young age, it could result in you having an extreme
phobia of dogs when you grow up, even if though you may have repressed the
memories of the event. The psychodynamic approach explains all behaviour as
determined by ur unconscious conflicts over which we have no control.
, The Structure of Personality
Adult personality (psyche) -> 3 components-> tripartite:
- Id = instincts, pleasure
- Ego = our conscious self, reality
- Superego = morality, socialisation
• Develops during childhood in a fixed sequence of 5 psychosexual stages
- experiences and conflicts shape of personality, affecting how a person behaves
- the id, ego and superego emerge at different points
• Id, ego and superego interact in dynamic ways to influence our thoughts and
behaviour -> each component demands gratification but they are frequently in
conflict with each other
•The unconscious conflict between these components cause anxiety that can result
in symptoms of mental illness of not resolved
• ID: present from birth
- operates solely in the unconscious mind
- is the unconscious, irrational, emotional, instinctual, selfish basis of personality
which drives us to satisfy basic biological needs
- the ID remans. the source of our pleasure seeking drive throughout life and
operates on the pleasure principle, demanding instant gratification of its needs,
regardless of the circumstances
- gratification of the ID results in pleasure and frustration leads to tension which is
an unpleasant state
• EGO: develops during 2-4 years of age
- starts developing during the anal stage as the child develops an element of
reasoning ability, and learns that they cannot always have exactly what they want,
when they want it
- it is the conscious, rational, planning part of our personality and operates on the
reality principle
- it mediates between the impulsive demands of the id and the reality of the external
worlds by, for example, delaying gratifying the id until there is an appropriate
opportunity to satisfy its demands
- it mediates between the id’s impulsive demands the the superego’s moralistic
demands, reducing the conflict and anxiety caused through this, by using a
number of defence mechanisms
• SUPEREGO: develops from the age of 4 or 5 years of age
- develops during the phallic stage of development as the child internalises moral
rules about right and wrong
