The Psychodynamic Approach: Your Hidden Mind at Work
Ever wondered why you act certain ways without really knowing why? The psychodynamic approach argues that your unconscious mind influences nearly everything you do. Think of it like an iceberg - what you're aware of is just the tip, whilst the massive underwater portion represents all the hidden thoughts and feelings that actually steer your behaviour.
Your mind operates through three competing forces. The id contains your basic drives and desires (like hunger or attraction), whilst the superego acts as your moral conscience. Caught in between, your ego tries to balance these opposing forces. When this system gets out of whack, you might develop abnormal behaviours or mental health issues.
Defence mechanisms are your mind's clever ways of protecting you from psychological pain. Repression buries traumatic memories deep in your unconscious, denial helps you refuse to accept harsh realities, and displacement redirects your emotions onto safer targets (like snapping at your mate when you're really angry with your parents).
Freud believed everyone goes through psychosexual stages during childhood. The oral stage 0−1years focuses on the mouth, the anal stage 1−3years centres on toilet training, and the phallic stage 3−6years involves the infamous Oedipus complex. Getting "stuck" at any stage supposedly creates specific personality traits in adulthood - though modern psychologists are pretty sceptical about this bit!
Quick Tip: Remember the three parts of personality with this: Id = "I want it now!", Superego = "That's wrong!", Ego = "Let's find a compromise."