Notes on Psychoanalytic Perspective PDF

**Psychodynamic Perspective of Mental Health Behavior** The psychodynamic approach in psychology emphasizes unconscious processes and unresolved past conflicts as influences on behavior. Rooted in Freud's theories, it explores the interplay of drives, desires, and defense mechanisms in shaping pers...

**Psychodynamic Perspective of Mental Health Behavior** The psychodynamic approach in psychology emphasizes unconscious processes and unresolved past conflicts as influences on behavior. Rooted in Freud's theories, it explores the interplay of drives, desires, and defense mechanisms in shaping personality and behavior. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Assumptions** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The causes of behavior have their origin in the unconscious mind.\ Psychic determinism: all behavior has a cause/reason. E.g., slips of the tongue (we have no free will).\ Behaviour is motivated by instinctual drives, Eros (Life) & Thanatos (Death).\ Different parts of the unconscious mind are in constant struggle (id, ego, and superego).\ Our behavior and feelings as adults (including psychological problems) are rooted in our childhood experiences (psycho-sexual stages) **Methodology**  [[Dream Analysis]](https://www.simplypsychology.org/sigmund-freud-dream-theory.html)\ Free Association\ Projective Tests (TAT, Inkblots)\ Clinical interviews\ Hypnosis ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- **Weaknesses** ------------------------------------- Unfalsifiable\ Subjective interpretation\ Lacks empirical evidence)\ Deterministic (little free will)\ Unrepresentative sample\ ignores cognitive processes ------------------------------------- **Key Figures** - Freudians and neo-Freudians both subscribe to the psychodynamic approach to psychology, which emphasizes the role of unconscious mental processes in human behavior and emotions. **Neo-Freudians** expanded on or challenged Freud's original theories. They were all influenced by Freud's work, but they also developed their own unique theories about human behavior and personality.  - - - - - **[Assumptions]** The main assumptions include Freud's belief that abnormality came from psychological causes rather than physical causes, that unresolved conflicts between the[ id, ego, and superego](https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html) can all contribute to abnormality, for example: - Weak ego: Well-adjusted people have a strong ego that can cope with the demands of both the id and the superego by allowing each to express itself at appropriate times. If the ego is weakened, then either the id or the superego, whichever is stronger, may dominate the personality. - Unchecked id impulses: If [id impulses ](https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-the-id.html)are unchecked, they may be expressed in self-destructive and immoral behavior. This may lead to disorders such as conduct disorders in childhood and psychopathic \[dangerously abnormal\] behavior in adulthood. - Too powerful superego: A superego that is too powerful, and therefore too harsh and inflexible in its moral values, will restrict the id to such an extent that the person will be deprived of even socially acceptable pleasures. According to Freud, this would create neurosis, which could be expressed in the symptoms of [anxiety disorders](https://www.simplypsychology.org/anxiety-disorders.html), such as phobias and obsessions. Freud also believed that early [childhood experiences](https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychosexual.html) and [unconscious motivation ](https://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html)were responsible for disorders. According to the psychodynamic approach, the unconscious is the part of the mind that contains things we are unaware of, such as feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories. According to Freud (1915), the unconscious mind is the primary source of human behavior. Like an iceberg, the most important part of the mind is the part you cannot see. Our feelings, motives, and decisions are powerfully influenced by past experiences and stored in the unconscious. Most of the content of the unconscious is unacceptable or unpleasant and could cause feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict if it becomes conscious. For example, hysteria is an example of a physical symptom that has no physical cause though the ailment is just as real as if it had, but rather is caused by some underlying unconscious problem. The unconscious is seen as a vital part of the individual. It is irrational, emotional, and has no concept of reality which is why its attempts to leak out must be inhibited. The role of the unconscious mind is to protect the ego from this content. However, according to Freud, the content of the unconscious motivates our feelings, motives, and decisions. **Importance of early experience** Our behavior and feelings as adults (including psychological problems) are rooted in our [[childhood experiences.]](https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychosexual.html) The psychodynamic theory states that events in our childhood have a significant influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality.  Personality is shaped as the drives are modified by different conflicts at different times in childhood (during psychosexual development). Freud's theory of psychosexual stages of development predicated that childhood experiences create the adult personality. Events that occur in childhood can remain in the unconscious and cause problems as adults, such as mental illness. **Psychic determinism** Psychodynamic theory is strongly determinist as it views our behavior as entirely caused by unconscious emotional drives over which we have no control. Unconscious thoughts and feelings can transfer to the conscious mind through parapraxes, popularly known as [[Freudian slips]](https://www.simplypsychology.org/freudian-slip.html) or slips of the tongue. We reveal what is really on our minds by saying something we didn't mean to. Freud believed that slips of the tongue provided an insight into the unconscious mind and that there were no accidents, every behavior (including slips of the tongue) was significant (i.e., all behavior is determined). **Behavior can be explained in terms of the inner conflicts of the mind** Personality comprises three parts (i.e., tripartite): the [[id, ego, and super-ego]](https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html). Parts of the unconscious mind (the id and superego) are in constant conflict with the conscious part of the mind (the ego).  - - - When unconscious conflicts between the id and the superego cannot be resolved by the ego, they create anxiety. To reduce this anxiety, we use [[defense mechanisms]](https://www.simplypsychology.org/defense-mechanisms.html) such as repression To be mentally healthy, the ego has to be able to balance the demands of the ego and the superego. If the superego is dominant, the individual might develop a neurosis e.g., depression. If the id is dominant, the individual might develop a psychosis e.g., schizophrenia. According to the psychodynamic approach, the therapist would resolve the problem by assisting the client to delve back into their childhood and identify when the problem arose. Having identified the problem, this can be brought into the conscious, where the imbalance can be resolved, returning equanimity between the id, ego, and superego. Consequently, the defense mechanisms will only operate at the maintenance level, and the mental illness will be cured. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -