The Psychodynamic Approach

THE PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH

​​​​​​Freud's Theory of Psychoanalysis

- Unconscious mind controls many of our everyday activities.

- Defence mechanisms prevent traumatic memories from the unconscious from reaching conscious awareness.

- The id, ego and superego.

- ID operates according to the pleasure principle.

- Ego mediates between the demands of the id and demands of reality.

- Superego divided into conscience and ego-ideal.

- Defence mechanism operate unconsciously, distorting reality to reduce anxiety.

- Repression is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts.

- Denial refer to the refusal to accept reality.

- Displacement relates to the redirecting of thoughts and feelings from original target onto an innocent object.

- Psychosexual stages include; oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital.

Strengths

- Freud was the first to demonstrate the potential for psychological treatments for disorders.

- Fisher & Greenberg found support for many psychoanalytic claims.

Limitations

- Psychoanalysis is gender biased, so based on male rather than female sexuality.

- Psychoanalysis is culture biased, so there is little relevance for people from non-Western cultures.

- Psychoanalysis is a comprehensive theory, including use as a form of literary criticism.