PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSECTIVE IN PSYCHOLOGY

• The psychodynamic approach includes all the theories in psychology that see
human functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the
person, particularly the unconscious, and between the different structures of the
personality.
• The words psychodynamic and psychoanalytic are often confused. Remember that
Freud’s theories were psychoanalytic, whereas the term ‘psychodynamic’ refers to
his theories and those of his followers.
• The term psychodynamic itself generally refers to both the mind’s mental “forces”
and the psychological conflict that can arise between them.
• Describes human being in terms of these themes:
1. structure of personality- id, ego and superego
2. level of consciousness- conscious, semiconscious, and unconscious
3. stages of psychosexual development
• 1. STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY

• According to Sigmund freud, human personality is complex and has more than a single component. In
his famous psychoanalytic theory, Freud states that personality is composed of three elements
known as the id, the ego, and the superego. These elements work together to create complex human
behaviors.
• The Id

• According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary
component of personality.1
. The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth.
• This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes instinctive and primitive
behaviors.
• The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all
desires, wants, and needs.
• If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state of anxiety or tension. For
example, an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or
drink.
• The id is very important early in life because it ensures that an infant's needs are met. If the
infant is hungry or uncomfortable, they will cry until the demands of the id are satisfied.
Young infants are ruled entirely by the id; there is no reasoning with them when these needs
demand.
• The Ego

• According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses
of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world.
• The ego functions in the conscious, semi-conscious, and unconscious mind.
• The ego is the personality component responsible for dealing with reality.
• Everyone has an ego. The term ego is sometimes used to describe your cohesive
awareness of your personality, but personality and ego are not the same. The ego
represents just one component of your full personality.
• The ego operates based on the reality principle, which strives to satisfy the id's
desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways. The reality principle weighs the
costs and benefits of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon impulses.
• Having a strong ego means having a strong sense of self-awareness.
• The Superego

• The last component of personality to develop is the superego.

• According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five.
• The superego holds the internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from our parents and
society (our sense of right and wrong).
• The superego provides guidelines for making judgments.
• The superego has two parts:
• The conscience includes information about things that are viewed as bad by parents and society.
These behaviors are often forbidden and lead to bad consequences, punishments, or feelings of guilt
and remorse.
• The ego ideal includes the rules and standards for behaviors that the ego aspires to.
• The superego tries to perfect and civilize our behavior. It suppresses all id's unacceptable urges and
struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather than on realistic principles. The
superego is present in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. For example, if you give in to
the urges of the id, the superego is what will cause you to feel a sense of guilt or even shame about
your actions.
• Level of consciousness

• Conscious mind is present part of thinking.

• Semi-conscious mind consist of contents that are not present part of thinking but
can be remembered easily.
• Unconscious mind consist of contents that we are not aware of but these
unconscious forces guide our behavior.

(Sigmund freud emphasized more on content of unconscious mind. According to him,

all unpleasant , personally threatening information are passed to unconscious mind.
Thus, it consist of contents like hatred, sexual and aggressive impulses, socially
unacceptable desires and shameful desires.)
• fig: Sigmund freud‘s Iceberg Model of Consciousness.
( Freud claimed that our conscious behavior is only the visible 10% of
our psyche.)
Stages of Psychosexual development

• According to freud, each individual passes through 5 predictable stages of

development. Individuals task is to take sexual pleasure from various parts of
body (called erogenous zones). Over satisfaction or under fixation in particular
stages results in fixation (excessive investment of sexual energy in particular
stage). If individual is fixated in one stage, he cannot adequately pass to another
stage of development. Freud believed that individual should be able to resolve
the conflict arising in each stage of psychosexual development.

• The five stages of psychosexual development are as follows:

1. Oral stage

• The oral stage occurs from birth until 18 months with the corresponding erogenous
zone for this stage being the mouth.
• Babies and young toddlers are known for putting picking up objects and trying to
put them in their mouths, from their hands to their favorite blanket.
• This age group finds satisfaction in sucking and chewing, and these desires are driven
solely by the id, which is constantly looking to be satisfied. During this stage, babies
get their nutrition from breastfeeding or bottle feeding, which means that their id or
internal drive is focused on receiving that nutrition when the desire occurs.
• If a child becomes fixated in this stage of development due to trouble during the
weaning process, it can result in an oral fixation in adulthood. This type of fixation
can result in an adult who uses their mouth for pleasure through acts like smoking,
chewing gum, or eating candy. If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the
individual would have issues with dependency or aggression.
2. The anal stage

. This stage runs from 18 months to 3 years. During the anal stage, Freud believed that
the major conflict is toilet training. In this stage child gets pleasure by holding and
letting go feces. The child has to learn to control their bodily needs. Developing this
control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.
. Parents who utilize praise and rewards for using the toilet at the appropriate time
encourage positive outcomes and help children feel capable and productive.
. Over or under satisfaction may later result in behavior ranging from messy
personality to rigid or orderly behavior.
3. Phallic stage

. This stage ranges from 3 to 6 years. Freud suggested that during the phallic stage,
the primary focus of the libido is on the genitals. At this age, children also begin to
discover the differences between males and females.
. According to him, in this stage children are attracted to opposite sex parents, male
children are attracted to mother (called Oedipus complex) and female children are
attracted to father (called Electra complex).​
.The Oedipus complex describes these feelings of wanting to possess the mother
and the desire to replace the father. However, the child also fears that he will be
punished by the father. The term Electra complex has been used to describe a
similar set of feelings experienced by young girls.
. However, they feel anxiety and guilt due to their attraction to parents. This is why
children in this stage try to copy behavior of same sex parents so that they can
achieve person like their opposite sex parents.
• Fixation in this stage may result in adult personality who is unable to maintain
long term relationship and who is unable to make healthy relationship with
authority.
4. Latency stage

. This stage runs from 6 to 11 years. During this stage, the superego continues to
develop while the id's energies are suppressed. Children develop social skills, values,
and relationships with peers and adults outside of the family.
. The latent period is a time of exploration in which the sexual energy is repressed or
dormant. This energy is still present, but it is sublimated into other areas such as
intellectual pursuits and social interactions. This stage is important in the
development of social and communication skills and self-confidence.
. As with the other psychosexual stages, Freud believed that it was possible for
children to become fixated or "stuck" in this phase. Fixation at this stage can result in
immaturity and an inability to form fulfilling relationships as an adult.
5. Genital stage

This stage ranges from puberty till death. During the final stage of psychosexual
development, the individual develops a strong sexual interest in the opposite sex.
. Individual can pass healthily to this stage only when they have resolved conflict in
all previous stages.
. Where in earlier stages the focus was solely on individual needs, interest in the
welfare of others grows during this stage. The goal of this stage is to establish a
balance between the various life areas.

(this theory is one of the most popular and controversial theory. Psychologist
criticize this theory by arguing that Freud overemphasized on the role of sex in
personality development)
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