Outline and evaluate the psychodynamic approach. (16 marks)
The founder of the psychodynamic approach and the main figure of the approach is Sigmund Freud.
According to Freud the part of the mind we are most aware of is the conscious mind. However, it is
the unconscious which influences our behaviour as most of our mind is made up of the unconscious.
Freud uses the metaphor of an iceberg to describe the human mind. The tip of the iceberg is visible
and represents the conscious mind. The conscious contains the small amount of mental activity we
know about e.g. thoughts and perceptions. Whereas the much larger part of the iceberg represents
the unconscious. The unconscious contains thing we are unaware of and cannot become aware of
e.g. instincts and deeply buried memories. The unconscious mind also contains threatening
memories which may have been repressed. (Repressed memories are memories that have been
unconsciously blocked due to the memory being associated with a high level of stress or trauma.)
Under the surface of our conscious mind is the preconscious, which includes thoughts and ideas,
which we may become aware of during dreams or through ‘slips of the tongue.’ Also, referred to as
‘parapraxes.’
Freud described the structure of our personality as ‘tripartite’ as it composed of three parts the id,
superego and ego. The id is described as the evil and selfish part of the personality. As it operates
according to the “pleasure principle.” The id is contained in the unconscious part of the mind and
only the id is present at birth and throughout life the id is entirely selfish and wants its demands met
instantly. Whereas the superego opposes the desire of the id and is the complete opposite. The
superego enforces moral restrictions and battles against id impulses. The superego develops at
around the age of 5 through identification with one or the other parent. The last part of our
personality is the ego, which is the mediator between the id and superego. The ego is developed at
around the age of 2 and operates according to the “reality principle.” The role of the ego is to reduce
conflict between the demands of the id and the superego.
The ego does this by employing defence mechanisms (unconscious strategies) to protect itself from
conflicts between the id and superego. These include repression, denial and displacement. The
displacement mechanism transfers feeling from the true source of distressing emotion onto a
substitute target. Everyone uses defence mechanism from time to time, however excessive use of
defence mechanism will eventually result in the ego becoming increasingly detached from reality
and in time can cause psychological disorder.
The psychodynamic theory states that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult
lives, shaping our personality. This is because events that occur in childhood remain in the
unconscious and may cause problems for us as adults. Freud suggested that all children go through
the five stages of development. The oral stage 0-1 years of age, anal stage 1-3 years of age, phallic
stage 3-5 years of age, the latent stage 6-11 years of age and finally the genital stage 12+ years of
age.
A strength of the psychodynamic approach is that despite Freud’s theory is controversial in many
and bizarre occasionally, it has still had an influence on psychology and Western contemporary
thoughts. Alongside behaviourism, the psychodynamic approach had remained the dominant force
in psychology for the first half of the 20 th century. It has been used to explain a wide range of
phenomena including personal development, abnormal behaviour, moral development and gender.
It is significant as it draws attention to the connection between experiences in childhood, such as our
relationships with our parents and connection to our childhood. Therefore, the psychodynamic
approach is quite significant in a way due to its dominants.
The founder of the psychodynamic approach and the main figure of the approach is Sigmund Freud.
According to Freud the part of the mind we are most aware of is the conscious mind. However, it is
the unconscious which influences our behaviour as most of our mind is made up of the unconscious.
Freud uses the metaphor of an iceberg to describe the human mind. The tip of the iceberg is visible
and represents the conscious mind. The conscious contains the small amount of mental activity we
know about e.g. thoughts and perceptions. Whereas the much larger part of the iceberg represents
the unconscious. The unconscious contains thing we are unaware of and cannot become aware of
e.g. instincts and deeply buried memories. The unconscious mind also contains threatening
memories which may have been repressed. (Repressed memories are memories that have been
unconsciously blocked due to the memory being associated with a high level of stress or trauma.)
Under the surface of our conscious mind is the preconscious, which includes thoughts and ideas,
which we may become aware of during dreams or through ‘slips of the tongue.’ Also, referred to as
‘parapraxes.’
Freud described the structure of our personality as ‘tripartite’ as it composed of three parts the id,
superego and ego. The id is described as the evil and selfish part of the personality. As it operates
according to the “pleasure principle.” The id is contained in the unconscious part of the mind and
only the id is present at birth and throughout life the id is entirely selfish and wants its demands met
instantly. Whereas the superego opposes the desire of the id and is the complete opposite. The
superego enforces moral restrictions and battles against id impulses. The superego develops at
around the age of 5 through identification with one or the other parent. The last part of our
personality is the ego, which is the mediator between the id and superego. The ego is developed at
around the age of 2 and operates according to the “reality principle.” The role of the ego is to reduce
conflict between the demands of the id and the superego.
The ego does this by employing defence mechanisms (unconscious strategies) to protect itself from
conflicts between the id and superego. These include repression, denial and displacement. The
displacement mechanism transfers feeling from the true source of distressing emotion onto a
substitute target. Everyone uses defence mechanism from time to time, however excessive use of
defence mechanism will eventually result in the ego becoming increasingly detached from reality
and in time can cause psychological disorder.
The psychodynamic theory states that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult
lives, shaping our personality. This is because events that occur in childhood remain in the
unconscious and may cause problems for us as adults. Freud suggested that all children go through
the five stages of development. The oral stage 0-1 years of age, anal stage 1-3 years of age, phallic
stage 3-5 years of age, the latent stage 6-11 years of age and finally the genital stage 12+ years of
age.
A strength of the psychodynamic approach is that despite Freud’s theory is controversial in many
and bizarre occasionally, it has still had an influence on psychology and Western contemporary
thoughts. Alongside behaviourism, the psychodynamic approach had remained the dominant force
in psychology for the first half of the 20 th century. It has been used to explain a wide range of
phenomena including personal development, abnormal behaviour, moral development and gender.
It is significant as it draws attention to the connection between experiences in childhood, such as our
relationships with our parents and connection to our childhood. Therefore, the psychodynamic
approach is quite significant in a way due to its dominants.
