Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Psychodynamic Approach

As the human mind and behaviour is such a complex subject, subsequently studies of it are also. Many perspectives have arisen with hugely varying approaches. Theorists have studied individual cases, groups of people and animals in order to advance knowledge within this field, leading to disputes and difficulties such as validity, over simplification and also bringing about some ethical issues in the treatment of subjects experimented on. This essay will consider the methodologies, ethical issues, strengths and weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach, as the impact on psychology was so huge it is still being debated today more than 100 years after its development and the biological approach as its advancements, in line with technology, during
Psychodynamics focuses on the individual’s experiences rather than the generalization of many as the biological approach does. It is an insight therapy, in which a greater understanding of the unconscious is the aim, so as to strengthen the Ego and make it independent of the Super-Ego, reducing the conflict between them, thus tending to the root cause of a psychological disorder, rather than simply the symptoms. This approach led to the realisation that the unconscious mind can be the cause of physiological illnesses, with the case of Anna O and her paralysis due to repressed feelings of guilt, as evidence. It also highlights the fact that behaviour is often directed by the unconscious, Freudian slips being an example. It introduced society to the fact that childhood emotional trauma can shape the personality and lead to lifelong
It allows comparison of the normally functioning brain and the abnormally functioning brain, along with male versus female and older versus younger brains. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is one of a group of treatments which involves a surgical implantation of a device called a brain pacemaker. This sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain and is used to treat Turret’s Syndrome, Parkinson’s disease and also used for research. The Positron Emissions Tomography (PET) scan uses a radioactive chemical in the bloodstream to give a signal of levels of activity in the brain. It gives detailed information of the structure and function of the brain, though only provides horizontal imaging. These can be intrusive methods, with enclosed spaces, levels of radio activity and postoperative risks being