Have you ever had a bad day at school or work and taken your frustration out on someone at home? Or perhaps you have a crush on someone but find yourself insisting that its your friend who has that crush, not you? Both of these are common situations that find their roots in what we call the psychodynamic approach in psychology, and believe it or not, your unconscious mind is the driving force here! Let's explore this concept further. Show
Psychodynamic Approach PsychologyWhen we think of 'psychodynamic', it's likely that the first thing we think about is Sigmund Freud. But, what really is the psychodynamic approach and why did Freud introduce it? Let's discuss this below. The psychodynamic approach to psychology is one which emphasises our unconscious thoughts, and aims to understand how these thoughts conflict with our experiences, i.e., biological, societal and those from early childhood. You might be wondering how our unconscious can contribute to our conscious behaviour. Well, Freud believed that our unconscious mind is an area where some of our deepest feelings and traumas hide, yet they still actively interact with our daily lives, thereby contributing to our behaviour in the present day. Psychodynamic means 'mind energy' or 'mind in conflict'. It is based on the idea that every person has different personality parts (psyche), conflicting interests, and they may not be consciously aware of what they want. The psychodynamic approach brings us a different perspective.
Psychodynamic Approach AssumptionsThe psychodynamic approach might bring us a different perspective, but what is this perspective based on? What are its assumptions? Let's discuss some of these below. Unconscious motivesFreud suggested that the reason for our behaviour and our emotions is all down to our unconscious mind - we store information from our past in that area and it stays hidden away but it still contributes to our conscious thoughts and actions. Freud talked about the mind by using the metaphor of the iceberg. It might be a metaphor you've come across in your study of psychology, but let's recap what it is. An iceberg is a piece of ice submerged underwater, with the most important part at the bottom and just a fraction of it showing through the top. That's great, but how does that relate to us as individuals? Well, according to Freud, our mind is an iceberg - the most important part is our unconscious, the one which is hidden away, and the visible part is our conscious. Childhood experiencesOur behaviour might be the result of our unconscious, but what comprises our unconscious mind? Is it just the thoughts we don't want to accept, or is it that and so much more? According to Freud, our childhood experiences - the good, the bad and the ugly - form the majority of our unconscious, which shapes our personalities and makes us who we are; maybe this a reason as to why we're all so different! Behaviour is determinedThe psychodynamic approach insists that all behaviour has an underlying cause in the unconscious. With this being said, Freud believed that our unconscious translates into our conscious with the use of 'Freudian slips'. A freudian slip is an error - in memory, thought or behaviour - which is linked to the unconscious mind. It can also be known as a 'slip of the tongue'. When a freudian slip occurs, we often express what we're really thinking about and do so by saying something we didn't intend to. Since these slips provide an insight into our deeper thoughts, Freud believed that there are no mistakes or errors, and every behaviour means something. Tripartite personalityFreud assumed that an individual's personality was divided into three parts, interacting with each other and contributing to behaviour. These are:
Defence mechanisms are activated when triggered by the ego. To deal with the conflict, it needs support from the other two parts of the personality: the id and superego. These mechanisms tend to operate unconsciously and work by distorting reality. The ego has to deal with the natural world and all its problems. By using defence mechanisms, the person stops themselves from becoming aware of any unpleasant thoughts and feelings associated with traumatic events. There are several defence mechanisms, but let's look at some common ones below. RepressionIt could be that you've experienced some form of trauma when you were younger, but you have no recollection of it - chances are, this is a form of repression. Repression is when your mind subconsciously blocks any information that you consider unpleasant. Repressing your emotions is often a way to escape them and not let them present themselves in your conscious thoughts and actions. DenialHave you ever been in a situation where something unpleasant happens, and you deny it entirely? Denial is a form of avoidance, and occurs when a person is not keen on accepting reality. By avoiding the unpleasant situation, individuals may believe they will be protected from suffering painful feelings associated with the event. DisplacementHave you ever had a difficult day at school, gone home and lashed out at your sibling for something that shouldn't have been a big deal? Maybe, maybe not. Displacement arises when a person feels unable to express difficult or hostile feelings at the time and therefore might transfer them to a helpless person or object. Defence mechanisms are our bodies way of protecting ourselves from feelings and situations it knows are unpleasant and/or disturbing. While we all know they exist, we may not consciously be engaging in them - they do occur subconsciously after all! Psychodynamic Approach ExamplesIn addition to suggesting the structure of personality, Freud introduced the 'psychosexual stages of development'. Let's briefly look at the stages below.
According to Freud, if a fixation develops in any of the above stages, abnormal behaviours can develop. Some of these behaviours include -
To treat these behaviours, Freud introduced techniques like dream analysis and group analysis psychotherapy. Psychodynamic Approach EvaluationNowadays, Freud’s theories are considered the foundation for developing the practice of psychology and for a deeper understanding of how cultures operate socially. The evidence for his theories is based on clinical research rather than empirical. However, its scientific trustworthiness is questionable. Not many people would deny the existence of unconscious drives and defence mechanisms. In fact, psychoanalysis is still being used to treat patients with profound psychological issues. The existential concepts behind the Freudian approach have allowed it to maintain some hold on psychotherapeutic techniques. Along with Freud’s theory, he has shared with the world a new style of therapy: psychoanalysis. He applied a series of techniques designed to access the unconscious mind. Strengths and weaknesses of the psychodynamic approachNow that we have understood what the psychodynamic approach is, and have got an insight into some of its theories, let's discuss some strengths and weaknesses. StrengthsThe manner that Freud had related to childhood experiences and adult characteristics is globally accepted. Freudian psychoanalysis is still in contemporary use. Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis assumes that much of mental life is unconscious and that past experiences, especially in early childhood, shape how an individual feels and behaves throughout life. WeaknessesFreud established the psychodynamic approach highlighting the importance of the unconscious mind related to behaviour. However, the psychodynamic approach is not considered scientific. It examines many concepts/theories that cannot be empirically tested—relying on subjective interpretation. Evidence for the psychodynamic approach is most often based on case studies, i.e., the case of Little Hans. The critique here is that case studies are observations of one person in great detail - their fears, their thoughts and their actions. Therefore, studying one person and trying to generalise the reasoning behind the problem to the greater population, is not accurate. The Case of Little Hans When Little Hans was four years old, he witnessed an accident wherein a horse collapsed in the street, after which he developed a fear of horses. Freud used his stages of psychosexual development to resolve this very fear. After Little Hans turned three, he developed an interest in what he called 'widdlers' - his penis and that of othermales, including animals. When his mother noticed this, she threatened to get him castrated unless he stopped his obsession. Additionally, when his mother gave birth to a little girl, Hans experienced jealousy and wanted his sister to drown in the bath. Freud's explanation for both of these events was that Hans was in the phallic stage and had developed the Oedipus complex, which meant he fearedcastration and wanted his mother all to himself. Later, Watson and Skinner established the behaviourist approach in 1913. They criticised Freud, arguing that true scientific psychology should restrict itself to phenomena that can be observed directly and measured. They believed that behaviour is environmentally determined by conditioning, meaning that behaviour is something we can learn. Psychodynamic Approach - Key takeaways
What is the unconscious model?In unconscious competence, the individual has enough experience with the skill that he or she can perform it so easily they do it unconsciously. The model helps trainers understand the emotional state of their learners.
Who said people are motivated by unconscious drives and conflicts?The famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed that behavior and personality were derived from the constant and unique interaction of conflicting psychological forces that operate at three different levels of awareness: the preconscious, conscious, and unconscious.
Which theory of psychology focuses on unconscious drives and forces within the person?Psychodynamic theories focus on the psychological drives and forces within individuals that explain human behavior and personality. The theories originate from Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis, which focused on the unconscious mind as the source of psychological distress and dysfunction.
Which theory of personality was based on unconscious drives and motivations?Freudian motivation theory posits that unconscious psychological forces, such as hidden desires and motives, shape an individual's behavior, like their purchasing patterns. This theory was developed by Sigmund Freud who, in addition to being a medical doctor, is synonymous with the field of psychoanalysis.
|
