Outline and Evaluate the Psychodynamic Approach to Abnornality

407 Words2 Pages
The psychodynamic approach to abnormality assumes that adult behaviour reflects complex dynamic interactions between the conscious and unconscious processes, many of which have their origin in development from birth onwards. There are many approaches, all of which have their origins in the work of Sigmund Freud. Freud dedicated his life to the investigation of the human mind, particularly repressed material during hypnosis and the interaction between conscious and unconscious. Elements of the psychodynamic approach include, The structure of personality and psychosexual development. The structure of personality, this is something Freud said was made up of three interacting elements. The ID, the ego and the superego. All these elements must remain in balance, if they do not then intra-psychic conflict will take place and this can lead to anxiety. The other key element in this approach is psychosexual development. The theory says that the child goes through a series of stages where the instinctive energy of the id looks for gratification in different bodily areas: the erogenous zones. If a child is deprived or over-gratified they may become fixated and this will have effects on adult behaviour. The stages are, the oral stage, lasting from birth to 18 months, id impulses satisfied by feeding, mouth is key focus, activities include sucking, then biting. An adults oral stage may be smoking or drinking. Anal stage, from 18 months to about three years old. Gratification focuses on the anus. Activities include the retaining and expelling of faeces, important as Freud believed this is the first time a child has control of its environment. Fixation at this stage may lead to obsessions with hygiene and cleanliness, most commonly Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The phallic stage, after the anal stage lasting until age four or five. Gratification is through genital
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