Psychodynamic Explanation of Abnormality

Psychodynamic Explanation of Abnormality

Theory:Abnormality is a result of unconscious and repressed conflicts from our childhood. It explains that our ego is not mature enough to deal with trauma before the age of 5 and so any trauma experienced becomes repressed. However later in life a similar event may happen which could trigger the re-experience of the original trauma causing a mental disorder to develop.Freud:He proposed that we have a conscious mind where we are aware and an unconscious mind which stores repressed memories and unfulfilled desires. It is the unconscious state of mind that causes mental disorders and abnormality.Freud also says that our psyche has 3 components:id - A source of self desire and selfishnessSuperego - A source of thinking things throughEgo - The balance of id and superego which may repress thoughts to do this.

Evaluation:Williams:He found that 40% of 129 childhood abused children could not recall their abuse. This shows that repression does happen but the term 'abuse' is open to interpretation from the therapist. This means these women may not have repressed trauma but instead for gotten about harsh moments of upbringing.First Ever Theory:This was a milestone in our understanding of mental illness. This meant other psychologists could develop related theories to further develop our methods and understanding.Weaknesses:-Too much emphasis on sexual factors with little reference to social factors.-Only based on 12 case studies of middle-class Viennese women.-Not scientific. We can only infer, not observe the concious state of mind.