Apply assumptions to explain a variety of behaviours

Applying Assumptions to Explain Various Behaviours

The Psychodynamic Approach is underscored by the assumption that adult behaviours are rooted prominently in childhood experiences and the unconscious mind.
This approach believes that unconscious impulses and desires, many of which are derived from childhood, interact with conscious thought processes to shape behaviour.
Many of these unconscious elements are regarded as being destructive or unsettling, and thus are prevented from reaching consciousness through a set of defence mechanisms.

Freud posited that unresolved conflicts and anxiety from childhood become stored in the unconscious mind, influencing adult behaviour from behind the scenes.
A person might develop irrational fears, anxieties, or habits that they cannot explain due to these unresolved issues.
For example, an adult with an unexplained fear of water may stem from a forgotten childhood Incident where they nearly drowned.

Defence mechanisms serve as a crucial psychodynamic assumption that can explain numerous behaviours.
For instance, a person experiencing denial refuses to accept reality in order to protect themselves from negative feelings or events.
Likewise, projection happens when individuals attribute their own unacceptable thoughts and feelings onto someone else, serving to keep their own self-concept intact.

Freud suggested that difficulties encountered during the five stages of psychosexual development (Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital) could manifest as neurotic adult personality traits.
An adult who is excessively tidy or stingy may be dealing with unresolved issues from the Anal Stage of psychosexual development.
Similarly, unresolved issues in the Oedipus or Electra complex could lead to difficulties in adult sexual relationships or insecurity in one’s sexual identity.

It’s important to note that the psychodynamic approach has been criticised for the difficulty in empirically testing its assumptions, as they are largely based on unconscious phenomena.
Furthermore, critics argue that this approach may underestimate the influence of other factors outside of childhood and the unconscious mind, such as socio-cultural influence or biological processes.