OCR Psychology A Level Book 2 sample

Psychodynamic explanation of schizophrenia Freud (1924) attempted to explain schizophrenia as the outcome of two ego-related processes, described below. Regression to primary narcissism Freud assumed that adults with schizophrenia must have experienced a harsh environment in childhood (e.g. cold, rejecting parenting). The child copes with the trauma by regressing to an earlier state of development called primary narcissism. This is a state before the ego developed in which the child can no longer distinguish between fantasy and reality (because that was the job of the ego). His or her only concern now is to meet their own needs regardless of external reality (just like a pre-ego baby demanding to be fed). Freud believed that this infantile state could be detected in some of the symptoms of schizophrenia (such as delusions of grandeur, which are intensely self-centred). These are triggered by extreme stress, which causes a similar regression. Re-establishing ego control The adult’s regression to a state of primary narcissism triggers an attempt by the ego to re-establish control by regaining contact with reality. Unfortunately this merely results in other symptoms of schizophrenia emerging. These include auditory hallucinations, which Freud considered an internal substitute for external reality. Research evidence There is some limited and partial evidence for a psychodynamic explanation of schizophrenia. For example, Paul Bebbington et al . (2011) conducted interviews with 7353 participants from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Study . They found a strong relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult psychosis and schizophrenia, one which the researchers argue could be causal. This supports the broadest possible psychodynamic understanding of schizophrenia as an outcome of childhood trauma. However, it does not establish that schizophrenia is the result of specific psychodynamic processes such as regression to primary narcissism. Psychodynamic explanation of specific phobias The psychodynamic explanation of phobias is based on Freud’s idea of ego defence mechanisms (see facing page). If a person experiences anxiety this is a threat to the ego. One way to resolve this anxiety is to displace it on to an initially neutral object or situation—this object then represents the real feared object, such as a snake or spider. For example, according to the psychoanalyst Ralph Little (1967), a spider is symbolic of the ‘devouring mother’. Therefore, a spider phobia is the person’s displaced fear of being emotionally and psychologically ‘consumed’ by their own mother. Research evidence Freud’s case study of Little Hans is one of your core studies. Freud demonstrated that his explanation of phobias could explain Hans’ case. The little boy had developed a strong love for his mother and saw his father as a hated rival. He feared his father would castrate him if he knew how Hans felt. Such worries cause deep anxieties. To cope with such anxieties we use ego defence mechanisms—in this case Hans displaced his real fears onto a fear of horses which represented his father due to physical similarities, such as the glasses (horse’s blinkers), moustache (dark patterns around the horse’s mouth) and penis (you can work that one out yourself). This case study shows that Freud’s explanation can be used to explain events surrounding a phobia. check your understanding 1. Summarise the relationship between loss and depression in four bullet points. 2. Does the study by Coffino support the psychodynamic explanation of depression? Explain your answer. 3. Explain what is meant by ‘primary narcissism’ in relation to schizophrenia. 4. Outline one research study relevant to the psychodynamic explanation of schizophrenia. 5. Explain the term ‘displacement’ in relation to the psychodynamic explanation of phobias. 6. How does Freud’s case study of Little Hans support his explanation of phobias? ‘It’s all right. You’re allowed to get up on this couch’ A projective test usually takes the form of some drawing or image which the individual has to ‘explain’. For instance, in Rorschach’s famous ‘ink blot’ test the image is entirely random and meaningless. The individual has to describe what they can ‘see’ in the ink blot. In doing so, they supposedly reveal their unconscious thoughts and conflicts. Try the Rorschach ink blot test: 1. Take a piece of paper and fold it in half. 2. Open it back up so it is flat again. 3. On one half, dot a bit of ink or thin paint. Just a few dots, relatively close together should be enough. 4. Fold the paper in half again and squish the ink around, so that it joins together. (Be careful not to squidge the ink out of the paper – that’s why you only need a few small dots.) 5. Open the paper and describe what you see. What do you think Freud might say about you according to what you saw in your image? Take it further 6. Turn the image upside down – you are likely to see something completely different. 41 Background: The psychodynamic explanation of mental illness