The Psychodynamic Approach Sigmund Freud

The Psychodynamic Approach Sigmund Freud Freud said our minds are a bit like icebergs – the part of the iceberg you can see above the water represents our conscious mind, what is underneath represents our unconscious mind. That what is hidden in our unconscious is huge That we are unaware of what is in our unconscious That what is in our unconscious is connected to what we and other people see ‘above the surface’. That a lot of what we are made up of we unaware of eg how we come across to other people, whether we have anger hidden below the surface etc. Freudian slip ‘slip of the tongue’. What do you think this means?

The Mind (Psyche) is made of 3 things: Hedonistic The Superego The Id The Id is your basic instincts. When you look at babies they have no concept of what is socially appropriate, so they scream, go the toilet, eat etc when they want it. Freud says we all grow up with this instinct of the id. As adults we have very basic desires eg sex, food, crying etc. how do you feel if someone starts acting inappropriately with regard to these things? The other part of the psyche is the Superego. This is a drive which is socialised, which means it’s man made. It means we are affected by the morals of our cultures, what we have been taught by parents and others. The superego is constantly guilty and can not experience pleasures for it’self. The ego is the part of the psyche which is always trying to negotiate between the id and superego. ‘With regard to food, it would say, eat, but do it when it’s appropriate. When you need the toilet, don’t just wet yourself! When you have a sexual drive, don’t rape people, don’t masterbate in class! Wait until an appropriate time and place to fulfil your desires. The ego is like the pivot in a seasaw trying to balance the id and superego. The Ego

How would the 3 parts of the Psyche view a chocolate cake? Discuss with your partner how the 3 parts of the psyche would view alcohol?

Ego Defence Mechanisms If we experience something hurtful or painful then Freud says we need to protect our psyche from the hurt, and we employ an Ego Defence Mechanism He said this an unconscious protective device Freud says that it’s possible to experience something traumatic as a child, and your psyche will employ a defence mechanism for years to protect you from the hurt of that experience. We might also use ego-defence mechanisms as adults. Freud says that early childhood experiences linger on into adulthood. This is shown in the behaviours caused by the psyche, as described above. When we experience something that is traumatic or difficult for us to deal with that we be overwhelmed by anxiety if we were fully aware of the experience we use a defence mechanism which allows to to block out these painful feelings.

Ego Defence Mechanisms We will now examine 5 ego defence mechanisms Repression Regression Denial Displacement Sublimation (see handout PP21 for the full list) If the ego has to balance out the Id and the Superego, it is a fragile thing. The ego wants to defend our psyche from hurt. The ego therefore employs defence mechansims to stop it from being hurt.

Ego Defence Mechanisms Repression This is when you ‘force’ a hurtful memory or feeling out of the consciousness. It is still there, but you have REPRESSED it – pushed it down into unconsciousness. If it is not in your conscious mind then it can’t hurt you. Think of it in terms of the ice-berg, it’s pushed underwater and you can’t remember it because it’s in the unconscious.

Ego Defence Mechanisms Repression Case Study A boy is sexually abused when he is 6 years old. He represses this event so that it is in his unconscious mind. He therefore can’t remember it. When he becomes an adult he finds that he has many sexual difficulties such as lack of desire, impotency and anxiety when he has sex. His repressed memories are in his unconscious but they are affecting his behaviour as an adult. When he wants to have a sexual relationship he finds that he can’t and he doesn’t understand why. He goes for sexual therapy and during the therapy remembers the sexual abuse. His repressed memories have come to the conscious mind. They have come to the surface. He then continues with therapy and overcomes his sexual difficulties

Ego Defence Mechanisms Regression If we are upset we ‘REGRESS’ (go back) to a time in life where we felt safe, and then engage in behaviours that someone in that stage in life would do. For example, thumb-sucking, cuddling a teddy bear etc This regression makes us feel comforted and safe and protects us from feeling anxious

Ego Defence Mechanisms Regression Case Study Fred & Rose West were serial killers. When they were on trial and facing life in prison, Rose would go home from court at the end of each day, eat sweets and watch Disney DVDs. Explain why this is an example of regression.

Ego Defence Mechanisms Denial Refusing to acknowledge certain aspects of reality. Even if something is blatantly true, we go into DENIAL and refuse to accept it is true.

Ego Defence Mechanisms Denial examples People know that smoking causes lung cancer, but they smoke. They are in denial. A boy sees his girlfriend kissing someone else but denies it is true. A woman is given a diagnosis of breast cancer, but does not attend any appointments for treatment because she is in denial that she has cancer. Think of 5 more examples of denial

Ego Defence Mechanisms Displacement Using a substitute person or object for the expression of your feelings because it feels too dangerous to express your feelings towards the real cause of your anger or upset. ‘Taking it out’ on the wrong person – someone who you know will always love you or someone you don’t care about.

Ego Defence Mechanisms Displacement Case Study A man is shouted at when at work for something that he feels is not his fault. He feels unable to express his feelings to his manager because they have a difficult relationship and he is scared he will lose his job. He comes home from work and shouts at his children for not washing up and grounds them for a week.

Ego Defence Mechanisms Sublimation A form of displacement in which a substitute activity is found to express feelings The most positive of the ego-defence mechanism It usually involves something sporty or creative. Going for a run, boxing, swimming, painting, writing, drumming, guitar playing, dancing etc Identify more forms of sublimation (list 10)

Group Work In small groups, choose 1 defence mechanism from PP21 that has not already been addressed. Describe what the defence mechanism does (use PP21 to help). Give examples of when the defence mechanism might be employed. Present your findings to the rest of the group. To create a case study Describe a traumatic situation Say how the person is behaving now Explain why they are behaving they way they are according to your defence mechanism.

Name the ego-defence mechanism Regression

Name the ego-defence mechanism Denial

Name the ego-defence mechanism Sublimation

Name the ego-defence mechanism F*** Off You B***! F*** Off Mum! Boo Hoo, but I love you! But I’ve done nothing wrong! Displacement

Name the ego-defence mechanism sublimation

Name the ego-defence mechanism Regression

Name the ego-defence mechanism Denial

Name the ego-defence mechanism regression

Group Work: Make Display Posters on: The id, the ego and superego. Describe each one. Give examples of how each would view sex. How Freud presents the psyche and what this is made up of (the iceberg!). Describe what is in the conscious and unconscious psyche. Task 3, M2 part. Identify the ego-defence mechanism she is using. Describe how this would affect her behaviour and her health, how it would impact on family members (husband, twin girls aged 16, son aged 8). How they might feel and respond to her coping mechanism. List 5 ego defence mechanisms. Describe in your own words what each of them mean. Give a NEW example for one of the defence mechanisms. (x 2 groups)