Psychoanalytic approach (page 42)

Development is primarily unconscious (beyond awareness) – heavily coloured by emotion.

Theorists believe that behaviour is a surface characteristic and to truly understand development, we have to analyze the symbolic meaning of behaviour and the deep inner workings of the mind.

Theorists also stress that early experience with parents extensively shapes our development.

Sigmund Freud was the revolutionary founder.

Cognitive approach (46)

Emphasize conscious thoughts

Piaget’s cognitive development theory

Vygotsky’s social-cultural cognitive theory

Information-processing approach

Cognition literally means “knowing”. In other words, psychologists from this approach study cognition which is ‘the mental act or process by which knowledge is acquired.’

Behavioural and social cognitive approach (51)

Ivan Pavlov classical conditioning

Skinner’s operant conditioning

Bandura’s social cognitive theory

Basis for behaviourism, holds that only what can be directly observed and measured can be studied in a scientific way

The belief that development is observable behaviour that can be learned through experience with the environment

Emphasizes continuity in development and argue that development does not occur in stagelike fashion

Ethological approach (54)

Approach that stresses that behaviour is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution, and is characterized by critical or sensitive periods

Ethological theorists linked human behaviour to behaviour observed in animals and believed that a critical or sensitive period was essential for healthy development

Use 3 methods of study to understand the origins of nonverbal behaviours, social grooming, and other innate behaviours

Compare behaviour of close related species (humans with apes)

Study responses of healthy children with those with physical/mental challenges (deafness or blindness)

Consider whether behaviours occur in more than 1 culture (universal behaviour becomes innate - natural)

Charles Darwin, Konrad Lorenz, John Bowlby

Humanist approach (56)

Psychologists who believe people work hard to become the best they could possibly become

- Self-actualization or actualizing tendency

- Carl Rogers

- Abraham Maslow

Bio-ecological approach (59)

Emphasizes environmental factors

Urie Bronfenbrenner – theory focuses on 5 environmental systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem

Eclectic theoretical orientation (61)

Orientation that does not follow any one theoretical approach but, rather, selects from each theory whatever is considered its best features

Selects the most persuasive and workable concepts from each

Table on page 63

Good study tool to remember each of the theorists

Sigmund FreudPSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH – PAGE 42

Background (1856-1939)

Austrian neurologist, known as the father of psychoanalysis

Id, ego and super-ego

Freud proposed that human psyche could be divided into 3 parts

Id

Ego

Super-ego

Seen as the conscious, unconscious and preconscious

Id

Consists of instincts, which are an individual’s reservoir of psychic energy

Completely unconscious, impulsive, childlike

Operates on the pleasure principle and is the source of basic impulses and drives

Seeks immediate pleasure and gratification

Doesn’t consider what is realistic, moral

Id has no real awareness

Example of Id

Sally was thirsty. Rather than waiting for the server to refill her glass of water, she reached across the table and drank from Mr. Smith’s water glass, much to his surprise

A toddler who wanted another helping of dessert whined until she was given another serving

Bart was stuck in traffic. He just wanted his vehicle to move! Enraged at the situation, Bart pulled his car onto the shoulder and sped forward, not caring that he was clipping people’s side mirrors as he tried to get ahead of the cars in front of him.

Ego

Rational – known as the “executive branch”

Attempts to exact a balance between the impractical of the Id and the equally impractical moralism of the super-ego

Often reflected the most in a person’s actions

When overburdened or threatened by its tasks, it may employ defense mechanisms including denial, displacement

Unlike the Id, the ego can think about things (observe reality and see what is realistic) - Uses reasoning

Recognizes other people have needs and wants too, and that being selfish is not always good for us in the long run

Example of Ego

Sally was thirsty. However she knew that her server would be back soon to refill her water glass, so she waited until then to get a drink, even though she really just wanted to drink from Mr. Smith’s glass.

Katie’s mom had given her $25 to purchase groceries for dinner that night. At the mall, Katie saw shoes that she really wanted, and was tempted to use the money from her mom to make the purchase. However, if she spent the money on shoes, she wouldn’t have enough to buy the groceries, so she decided she better not buy the shoes.

Mary really wanted to borrow her mom’s necklace, but knew her mom would be angry if she took it without asking, so she asked her mom if she could wear it.

Super-ego

Moral component of the psyche

Takes into account no special circumstances in which the morally right think may not be the right for a given situation

We often refer to it as our “conscience” – contributes to what we know as right or wrong

Rewards with pride

Superego doesn’t think about what is realistic

Id and super-ego always battling – ego mediates between the two

If Id expresses too much person can act inappropriate if the super-ego has too much freedom a person can become a perfectionist

Superego and the ego may reach the same decision about something, the superego’s reason for that decision is more based on moral values, while the ego’s decision is based more on what others will think or what the consequences of an action could be

Examples of superego

Sarah knew that she could steal the supplies from work and no one would know about it. However, she knew that stealing was wrong, so she decided not to take anything even though she would probably never get caught.

When Michael saw the $5 bill lying on the floor with no one around it, he turned it into the school office in case anyone came looking for it. He wouldn’t want to lose $5, and hoped that whoever had lost it would ask about it in the office.

On the playground, two kids were making fun of Joseph because he wore glasses. John was tempted to join in so that he could make himself look good, but when he thought about how bad Joseph must already feel, he knew that he couldn’t. 

Iceberg model

In Freud’s view, the ego must resolve conflicts between the demands of reality, the wishes of the id, and the constraints of the superego

This causes anxiety which alerts the ego to use protective measures in order to resolve the conflict

Freud thought that the most powerful defense mechanism was repression (people would repress their problems and then would have dreams about it)

Short explanation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vs8uE8_02E - Sigmund Freud: Id, Ego, Superego- Psychodynamic theory- Unconscious, Preconscious, Conscious

Rely on angel / devil on our shoulder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDLWbBrvA40 – Donald duck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViWoqIB2udA – example of Freud Theory