Define Abnormality
Ruth Stanney
One of the most difficult tasks for those working within the field of psychology is to define abnormality. However, it is possible to try and define abnormality by using a range of models to help us, the psychodynamic model being one of them.
The term “psychodynamic” refers to a group of explanations that try to account for the dynamics of behaviour, or the forces that motivate it.( http://www.depression-guide.com/psychodynamic-theory.htm)
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is the best-known example, and he has probably been the most influential person in clinical psychology. His view was that mental illness did not have a physical origin. Instead he suggested that it arises out the unresolved, unconscious conflicts which form in early childhood.
To understand this we need to look briefly at Freud’s theory of personality development. Freud argued that the mind is divided into three parts. First, there is the id. This consists mainly of unconscious sexual and aggressive instincts. This motivating force is called the libido, an innate drive for sexual (or physical) satisfaction. Second, there is the ego, which is the rational and conscious part of the mind. Third, there is the superego or conscience. The three parts of the mind are often in conflict with each other. Conflicts occur most often between the id and the superego, because the id wants immediate gratification, whereas the superego takes account of moral standards. The psychodynamic model put forward by Freud was based on his theory of psychosexual development. The child passes through a series of stages. Major conflicts or excessive gratification at any of these stages can mean that the child spends an unusual long time at that stage of development. If an adult experiences great personal problems, he or she will tend to show regression to the stage at which he or she had previously been fixated.
Conflicts cause anxiety, and the ego defends itself against anxiety by using several
One of the most difficult tasks for those working within the field of psychology is to define abnormality. However, it is possible to try and define abnormality by using a range of models to help us, the psychodynamic model being one of them.
The term “psychodynamic” refers to a group of explanations that try to account for the dynamics of behaviour, or the forces that motivate it.( http://www.depression-guide.com/psychodynamic-theory.htm)
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is the best-known example, and he has probably been the most influential person in clinical psychology. His view was that mental illness did not have a physical origin. Instead he suggested that it arises out the unresolved, unconscious conflicts which form in early childhood.
To understand this we need to look briefly at Freud’s theory of personality development. Freud argued that the mind is divided into three parts. First, there is the id. This consists mainly of unconscious sexual and aggressive instincts. This motivating force is called the libido, an innate drive for sexual (or physical) satisfaction. Second, there is the ego, which is the rational and conscious part of the mind. Third, there is the superego or conscience. The three parts of the mind are often in conflict with each other. Conflicts occur most often between the id and the superego, because the id wants immediate gratification, whereas the superego takes account of moral standards. The psychodynamic model put forward by Freud was based on his theory of psychosexual development. The child passes through a series of stages. Major conflicts or excessive gratification at any of these stages can mean that the child spends an unusual long time at that stage of development. If an adult experiences great personal problems, he or she will tend to show regression to the stage at which he or she had previously been fixated.
Conflicts cause anxiety, and the ego defends itself against anxiety by using several
References: http://www.depression-guide.com/psychodynamic-theory.htm http://www.critpsynet.freeuk.com/InglebyCritical.htm Class notes and hand outs