AS Psychodynamic approach abnormality

Sigmund Freud

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Sigmund Freud

Born in 1856 Spent his life working in Vienna but left in

1938 after the Nazi takeover Died in 1939 in London Originally trained as a doctor – was

influenced by Joseph Breuer who was using hypnosis to treat ‘hysterical reactions’ in female patients

Freud’s consulting room

Psychodynamic Approach

The key assumption of the psychodynamic approach is that all human behaviour can be explained in terms of inner conflict of the mind.

The MindThe conscious. The small amount of mental activity we know about.

The preconscious. Things we could be aware of if we wanted or tried.

The unconscious. Things we are unaware of and can not become aware of.

ThoughtsPerceptions

MemoriesStored knowledge

FearsUnacceptable desiresViolent motivesIrrational wishesImmoral urgesSelfish needsShameful experiencesTraumatic experiences

Bad

Worse

Really Bad

Freud (1856-1939)

Theory of Personality

ID = Latin for ‘it’

The Mind

Id:

Instincts

Superego:

Morality

Ego:

Reality

The Mind

This diagram is often used to represent Freud’s view of the mind and personality.

According to Freud, the id is the personality construct that we are born with.

Its energy is called the “libido”.

It operates on the pleasure principle.

What does this mean? How will the id inform

behaviour?

The Id Need food... need drink...

need comfort... need burping... need sleep... need it NOW!

The superego is the 'ideal' force, the civilised, socially acceptable figure the person strives to be.

It includes our understanding of right and wrong.

It opposes the id and is essentially an internalisation of rules passed down from our parents.

The Superego

The ego is the reality principle.

It must balance the drives of the id and the control of the superego.

The ego

The strength of each individual force is a factor in personality –

If a person's superego is too strong, they are seen as rigid, anxious or self righteous.

If a person's id is too strong, they are seen as delinquent, antisocial or self centred.

A balancing act

Personality Development

Freud believed that the id, ego and super ego were separate and conflicting

forces,

They need to be balanced for good mental health and normal behaviour

EGO

ID SUPEREGO

There is one cake left on the table.

ID – want the cake, needs to take the cake, isn't concerned about others.

SUPEREGO – I mustn’t have the cake, I should leave it for someone else, I will let someone else have it, don’t be greedy.

EGO – I will wait for a few minutes, see if anyone else has it, I am rather hungry, if it is still there in 5 minutes then I’ll take it.

Development of the ID, EGO and SUPEREGO

At birth, personality is ruled by ID (pleasure principle)

Early childhood, EGO starts to develop (reality principle)

Later childhood, the SUPER EGO emerges (Morality principle)

Healthy Psyche

Id Superego

Ego

OK Guys – I’m in charge. Anything you want has to go

through me.

OK.OK.

Neurotic Psyche

Id

Superego

Ego

Listen up! I’m in charge, and you are not here to enjoy yourselves. Get ready for a double-size portion of anxiety with a side

order of guilt!

No fun.

>whimper<

Psychotic Psyche

Id

SuperegoEgo

Sex! Food! Drink! Drugs! NOW!

Who turned out the lights?

Link to abnormality

Ego too weak – allows id and superego to dominate,

Id too strong – selfish, out of control, could become psychopathic- destructive tendencies & uninhibited sexual behaviour

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

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What happens if there is a conflict between the id, ego & superego?

ANXIETY The ego tries to avoid anxiety & uses ego

defence mechanisms to maintain a balance in relation to the id & superego

Proof of the unconscious?

‘Freudian slips’ “A Freudian slip is saying

one thing and meaning your mother”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvxe04wGmTw&feature=related

Ego Defence Mechanisms

The constant conflict of between Id, Ego and Superego produces anxiety. To manage this anxiety, the ego has defence mechanisms;

1. Denial 2. Projection3. Displacement4. Repression

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!

Other Defence Mechanisms

Regression – regressing back to earlier childhood behaviour – e.g. a child anxious mother will reject him once

new baby bro/sis arrives can revert to tantrums, bed wetting, soiling etc

Reaction Formation – hiding real feelings by acting in the opposite way– e.g. talking loudly when nervous

‘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

alright.

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

alright.

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!

Defence Mechanismscan lead to Mental Disorder

unacceptable desires and impulses, traumatic events, etc ‘managed’ by defence mechanisms can;– re-emerge as symptoms of anxiety or other emotional

disorders.– Still affect behaviour, leading to distress as person

doesn’t understand why they’re behaving as they are– Be triggered by similar life event, leading them to re-

experience original event leading to depression.

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Psychodynamic ApproachMain Assumption

The Psychodynamic Model assumes that experiences in our earlier years can affect our emotions, attitudes and behaviour in later years without us being aware that it is happening. Freud suggested that abnormal behaviour is caused by unresolved conflicts in the Unconscious. These conflicts create anxiety, and we use defence mechanisms such as repression and denial to protect our Ego against this anxiety.

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Freud’s psychosexual development theory

Another key element in Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of normal/abnormal behaviour

A child goes through a series of stages & the id looks for gratification in different bodily areas (erogenous zones)

If a child is deprived or over-gratified at a particular stage they may become fixated which will affect their adult behaviour

Psychosexual Development

1. Oral2. Anal3. Phallic4. Latency5. Genital

• ‘Old Age Pensioners Love Guinness’

The FIVE psychosexual stages

The Oral (Birth - 1 year)The Anal (1 - 3 years)The Phallic (3 - 5/6 years)The Latency (6 - puberty)The Genital (adulthood)

Stage 1 - the ORAL stage Mouth (sucking) is the source of pleasure

The ID is in control Successful completion of this stage is

demonstrated by weaning – eating independently

In the ORAL stage …….

Fixation caused by 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

Stage 2 - the ANAL Stage Elimination of faeces is the source

of pleasure 18 months to 3 years Defecation is main source of

pleasure Successful completion marked by

potty training

In the ANAL stage ….

Fixation (a) Anal expulsive: symptoms: giving to charity, potters, gardeners,

(sublimating the wish to smear), disorganised.

Fixation (b) Anal retentive symptoms: miserly, thrifty, orderly, obstinate, tidy,

stubborn, obsessive.

Stage 3 : The PHALLIC stage

The Superego develops

The Oedipus conflict (boys) The Electra conflict (girls)

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

Little Hans Freud believed that the case

study of Little Hans supported his theory of psychosexual stages and the Oedipus complex in particular

http://goanimate.com/movie/0OttU_subTrM/1

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Your task :

Using your text book write three evaluation points of the psychodynamic approach to abnormal behaviour

Strengths

One strength of the Psychodynamic Model is that it reminds us that experiences in childhood can affect us throughout our lives.

It accepts that everybody can suffer mental conflicts and neuroses through no fault of their own.

The model also suggests there is no need for medical intervention such as drugs, ECT or psychotherapy, and that the patient, with the help of a psychoanalyst, can find a cure which empowers the individual & discourages helplessness)

Practical applications: huge impact on the world of counselling, psychotherapy and psychiatry.

Face validity. It treats the whole person, the

cause, not just the symptoms. Recognises the importance of

childhood.

Strengths of the Psychodynamic Perspective

Weaknesses The main limitation of the Psychodynamic Model is that it cannot be

scientifically observed or tested. Abstract concepts.

Any evidence recovered from a patient must be analysed and interpreted by a therapist. This leaves open the possibility of serious misinterpretation or bias because two therapists may interpret the same evidence in entirely different ways.

Psychoanalysis is time-consuming and expensive. It may not even work: in a comprehensive view of 7000 cases, Eysenck (1952) claimed that psychodynamic therapy does more harm than good.

Sexist – unbalanced, Electra Complex for example not thorough / vague in detail. Reflective of Cultural bias of the time Freud worked (women were not considered as equal to men)

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

Criticised for too much emphasis on SEX.

Weaknesses of the Psychodynamic Perspective