1. Philip Larkin - This Be The Verse
They fuck you up, your mum and dad
They may not mean to, but they do
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats
Man hands on misery to man
It deepens like a coastal shelf
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

2. The Psychodynamic Model
Main assumptions:
Abnormal behaviour is caused by conflicts in the unconscious mind
The causes of these conflicts can usually be traced back to early childhood experiences
Psychopathology is psychological in origin resulting from the dynamic working of the personality, rather than physical causes

3. The Unconscious Mind Thoughts Perceptions Memories Stored knowledge
The conscious. The small amount of mental activity we know about.
The preconscious. Things we could be aware of if we wanted or tried.
The unconscious. Things we are unaware of and can not become aware of.
Thoughts
Perceptions
Memories
Stored knowledge
Fears
Unacceptable sexual desires
Violent motives
Irrational wishes
Immoral urges
Selfish needs
Shameful experiences
Traumatic experiences
Bad
Worse
Really Bad

4. The Psyche – our personality
Id:
Instincts
Pleasure principle
Ego:
Reality
Reality principle
Superego:
Morality
Morality principle

5. Id
Ego
Superego
Freud believed that people are motivated by interactions between their the parts of the psyche; Id, ego, and superego
If the ego does not balance the demands of the id and superego, conflicts may arise and cause abnormality
The ego protects itself from anxiety caused by intra-psychic conflict, by using defence mechanisms (to reduce anxiety)

6. Structure of personality
Strong ego: well-adjusted person develops strong ego capable of coping with demands of id and superego. Weak ego = dominant id/superego
Unchecked id impulses: expressed in destructiveness or immorality, resulting in conduct disorders and psychopathic behaviour
Dominant superego: Rigidly restricts id so person deprived of even socially acceptable pleasures; causes neurosis, anxiety disorders and phobias

7. Early experiences
Immature ego not developed enough to deal with traumatic/confusing events in childhood
These pushed into unconscious – repressed – because they are too painful for ego to bear or because child hasn’t developed sufficient knowledge of world to cope with event
Repressed thoughts expressed in psychological disorders such as depression

8. Psychosexual stages
According to the psychodynamic theory, the child goes through a series of stages where the id looks for gratification in different body areas; the erogenous zones
If the developing child is either deprived or over-gratified at a stage they may become fixated at this stage and this will influence their adult behaviour
Fixation at a stage may lead to abnormal adult behaviour or a psychopathology – an anxiety disorder such as OCD could be the result of fixation at the anal stage

9. Psychosexual Stages Oral Anal Phallic Latent Genital
Pleasure gained from eating/sucking. Weaning most important developmental achievement
Anal
Pleasure gained from expelling or retaining faeces. Bowel and bladder control important achievements.
Phallic
Child becomes aware of gender, focus on genitals. Oedipus complex and castration anxiety for boys, electra complex and penis envy for girls. Successful development = firm gender identity.
Latent
Focus on social development (calm before storm of adolescence).
Genital
If conflicts experienced during earlier stages resolved, greatest pleasure comes from mature heterosexual relationships.

10. Defence mechanisms
To balance demands of id and superego, ego employs defence mechanisms
Ego defence mechanisms distort reality to protect ego from distress and allow person to cope with life
Defence mechanisms not long term solution and if used too frequently can create psychological problems of their own

11. Defence mechanisms
Repression:
Regression:
Denial:
Displacement: