Psychodynamic Approach

In the late nineteenth century, Sigmund Freud started developing the theory of personality by conducting a range of theoretical studies about human nature. He aimed to understand the relationship between an individual’s emotions and behavioural patterns concerning their childhood experiences. He emphasised the importance of conscious and unconscious motivations behind someone’s behaviours, feelings, and emotions and how early life experiences interact with adult behaviour. This is the foundation of the psychodynamic approach.

Let's first define the psychodynamic approach in psychology. We will then examine the psychodynamic approach assumptions and make an evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses.

Conscious and unconscious motivations behind behaviours, feelings, and emotions, Bruna Ferreira, StudySmarter Originals

What is the psychodynamic approach?

Freud believed that the reasons behind our behaviour could be explained by decoding our unconscious mind. This is the area where some of our deepest feelings hide, yet they still actively interact with our daily lives. He proposed The metaphor of an iceberg when describing the different parts of our mind; the conscious mind is the visible part, and its hidden larger part in the larger area is the unconscious mind.

Freud’s metaphor of the iceberg model theory, Bruna Ferreira, StudySmarter Originals

There are conflictual dynamic interests between these parts, as the conscious and unconscious mind and these memories might cause anxiety, and therefore, the mind uses defence mechanisms to prevent the person from becoming aware of them.

Freud advocated for interpreting dreams, as that’s how we can get a glimpse into these deep, hidden, conflictual feelings. The psychodynamic approach emphasises the importance of our childhood experiences and how they impact a person’s future. Changing the direction of how we interact with the world will also change how we develop and behave in adult life.

What is the structure of personality according to Freud?

Freud divided personality into three parts as follows:

• The id: operates in the most primitive parts of our personality and is also related to the unconscious mind. The id is based on the pleasure principle and demands immediate gratification regardless of the circumstances. It contains the libido and is unconscious.

• The ego: mediates between the impulsive demands of the id and the reality of the external world. For example, it may delay gratifying the id until a more appropriate time. It must also compromise between the impulsive needs of the id and the moralistic demands of the superego. The ego is part of the conscious mind.

• The superego: this is shaped by societal values and morals. It is characterised by the ‘inner voice’ that lets us know when we have ‘broken the rules, causing feelings of guilt. It is both conscious and unconscious.

What is the Freudian psychosexual stage model?

Freud stressed that the first five years of life is crucial to the formation of adult personality. Freud claimed that children go through a development process sequence of five stages generally referred to as the psychosexual stage model:

Oral stage

This happens between birth and two years old. The focus at this stage is the experience of pleasure perceived through the mouth.

Anal stage

This is an important period for ego development. For example, this is the stage by which the child becomes aware of reality outside the home. It’s when the child stops using nappies and starts going to the toilet. It is also the phase when they become aware of societal rules. The focus at this stage is the anus, and it happens between two and three years old.

Phallic stage

This is when the superego develops. This was also when Freud believed the child goes through the Oedipus and Electra complex. It is an important moment for overcoming unconscious desires directed to the mother for boys, father for girls, and identifying with their father for boys or mother for girls. The focus at this stage is the genitals, and it happens between three and six years old.

Latency stage

The sexual energy drive from the previous stage becomes latent so that the child can focus on the world around them. The focus of this stage is hidden, and it starts around six years old and lasts until puberty.

Genital stage

This is the final stage, and it culminates with the psychosexual energy taking place in the genitals to be directed towards the formation of adult relationships. The focus of this stage is about forming romantic relationships. It happens after puberty.

The ego and superego are created during this process, and the child experiences conflicts between frustrated wishes and social norms. An individual may fail to resolve those conflicts at each psychosexual stage. In that case, they could later develop psychological problems due to a fixation on a particular stage.

Defence mechanisms

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.

REPRESSION

The unconscious mind blocks the information, keeping it repressed in the unconscious mind. Unwanted thoughts and impulses continue to influence the person’s behaviour, leaving them unaware of the reasons behind their toxic behaviour. For example, a child who has experienced abuse may have no recollection of these events but has trouble forming or keeping relationships.

DENIAL

This occurs when a person is not keen on accepting reality. Avoiding reality will protect the person from suffering painful feelings associated with a specific event.

DISPLACEMENT

This arises when a person feels unable to express difficult or hostile feelings due to the presence of a particular person and therefore might transfer them to a helpless person or object. For example, a person harassed by their boss could return home and transfer their anger to family members.

Psychodynamic approach assumptions

Sigmund Freud examining the patient’s feelings, Bruna Ferreira, StudySmarter Originals

The first assumption is the primacy of the unconscious, which is related to the fact that most psychological processes start from unconscious stimuli.

The second assumption is the critical importance of early experiences. This assumption emphasises that early childhood events have an essential role in shaping the child’s personality.

The third assumption is psychic causality. The psychodynamic theory believes that all behaviour originates in a group of psychic processes.

What are the psychodynamic theory examples?

Freud believed that an individual could develop a fixation on a particular psychosexual stage. This could lead to behaviours such as:

• Obsessive hand-washing or counting footsteps after experiencing childhood trauma.

• Smoking, nail-biting, and sarcasm can be a manifestation of anxiety caused in childhood.

• Agoraphobia.

• Hoarding.

• Sexual compulsions or other issues could also be related to trauma during the psychosexual process.

Psychodynamic theory uses hypnosis, dream analysis, and psychoanalysis to work on this behaviour.

Psychodynamic theory and other branches of psychology

Carl Jung, Freud’s successor, has also contributed immensely to the psychodynamic approach. He introduced concepts such as the archetype, the collective unconscious and individuation.

Evaluation of the psychodynamic approach

Nowadays, 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.

What are the strong and weak points of the psychodynamic approach compared to the behavioural approach in psychology?

Weaknesses: Freud 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.

In comparison, Watson and Skinner established the behaviourist approach in 1913. They criticised Freud, arguing that true scientific psychology should restrict itself to studying phenomena observed directly and measured. They believed that behaviour is environmentally determined by conditioning, meaning that behaviour is something we can learn. The behaviourist approach utilises scientific methods of investigation such as laboratory experiments and animal research. Behaviourists have been ignoring alternative explanations for the level of emotional influences on behaviour because of the lack of scientific research.

Strengths: The manner that Freud had related to childhood experiences and adult characteristics is globally accepted. Freudian psychoanalysis is still in contemporary use.

In response to the more reductionist biological, structural, and functional approaches, the psychodynamic approach ranges between holistic, systemic, and abstract concepts, influencing more concrete behaviours and actions.

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.