Ch 11 - Jeff Standen

Models of abnormality
( Unit 3 The psychodynamic model of abnormality
J
KEY ISSUES
1. What are the main features of the psychodynamic
model?
2. How does the psychodynamic model approach the
treatment of psychological disorders?
Main features of the psychodynamic model
The psychodynamic model of abnormality was the first
major challenge to the dominance of the biological model
since the days of Pinel and 'moral treatment'. Early
contributions to the psychodynamic approach were made in
France in the late 19th century by hypnotists like Jean
Martin Charcot who worked at the Salpetriere in Paris,
Pinel's old hospital.
In the 1880s, a Viennese doctor named Sigmund Freud
(1856-1939) studied in Paris under Charcot. Drawing
initially on the ideas of the French hypnotists, Freud went
on to launch his own approach, psychoanalysis,
1890s.
in the
Over the years, Freud attracted followers, many of whom
eventually broke away and developed their own
approaches. The term psychodynamic
refers to
psychoanalysis and its various offshoots. Despite their
differences, the psychodynamic theories have certain things
in common.
our desires and impulses. It is entirely selfish and
operates on the pleasure principle, concerned only with
the gratification of its desires.
• The conscious mind or Ego (Latin for 'I'). This develops
from the Id and is fully formed round about the age of 2
years. It works on the reality principle and is concerned
with keeping our thoughts and actions in step with the
real world and society.
• The Superego (Latin for 'above-l'), which contains our
moral values - the ego ideal (what we would like to be)
and the conscience (what we feel we ought to be). The
Superego is formed around the age of 5 or 6 and
regulates our thoughts and actions morally.
If the Id's cry is 'I want', the Superego says 'Thou shalt
not', and the job of the Ego is to try to cope with their
conflicting demands, as well as all the awkward restrictions
imposed by reality and society.
Innate drives Freud saw human beings as motivated by
innate or inborn drives. These drives take the form of
impulses and desires and are rooted in the Id.
Much of their activity remains on an unconscious level.
Freud (1920; 1923) identified two main drives. The first is
Eros, the life drive (named after the Greek god of love), the
active ingredient of which is the libido (Latin for lust'), the
appetite for sensual and sexual pleasure. The second is
Thanatos, the aggressive drive (named after the Greek god
of death), which gives rise to our feelings of aggression
towards others and towards the self.
• They see the mind as active and complex, with some
important mental processes operating unconsciously.
• They see psychological disorders as arising from some
kind of mental conflict.
• The preferred form of treatment is the 'talking cure',
encouraging the patient to talk through their problems,
fantasies and fears to uncover the underlying mental
conflicts.
Qffi Sigmund Freud and psych oanalysis
Freud's psychoanalysis is the most important of the
psychodynamic theories. Freud's ideas developed and
changed over time, becoming more complex as they
progressed. The main ideas are as follows.
The psyche In Freudian psychoanalysis, the mind, or
psyche, is seen as being governed by three main mental
processes - innate drives, reason and morality. Freud (1923)
divided the psyche into three parts.
• The unconscious mind or Id (Latin for 'it'). This is the
largest part of the psyche. It is innate and is the source of
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