EVALUATION of Psychodynamic
approach
✅ has explanatory power - correct answer-+Approach changed people's perspective by
looking at psychological factors.
+ 1st theory to acknowledge importance of unconscious processes + & it suggests how adult
behaviour could be influenced by childhood experiences
✅has practical applications in real world - correct answer-+ Freud introduced
psychoanalysis as form of therapy = hypnosis & dream therapy used to access unconscious
mind
+ It laid the foundations for many modern day psychotherapies
+ 'talking therapies' have been established since
❌Freud used case study method - correct answer-- Developed ideas from case studies like
'Little Hans' so it would be hard to make generalisations about human behaviour from 1
person
- his observations were highly subjective & it's difficult to claim that another researcher would
come to same conclusion
- lacked scientific rigour
❌used untestable concepts - correct answer-- Popper argued this approach doesn't meet
scientific criterion of falsification - can't be proved/disproved
- many of the concepts occur within the unconscious (id, ego,superego) it makes it
impossible to test
❌based on psychic determinism - correct answer-- approach explains all behaviour as
determined by unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood
- suggests that free will of individuals has no influence on behaviour
approach
✅ has explanatory power - correct answer-+Approach changed people's perspective by
looking at psychological factors.
+ 1st theory to acknowledge importance of unconscious processes + & it suggests how adult
behaviour could be influenced by childhood experiences
✅has practical applications in real world - correct answer-+ Freud introduced
psychoanalysis as form of therapy = hypnosis & dream therapy used to access unconscious
mind
+ It laid the foundations for many modern day psychotherapies
+ 'talking therapies' have been established since
❌Freud used case study method - correct answer-- Developed ideas from case studies like
'Little Hans' so it would be hard to make generalisations about human behaviour from 1
person
- his observations were highly subjective & it's difficult to claim that another researcher would
come to same conclusion
- lacked scientific rigour
❌used untestable concepts - correct answer-- Popper argued this approach doesn't meet
scientific criterion of falsification - can't be proved/disproved
- many of the concepts occur within the unconscious (id, ego,superego) it makes it
impossible to test
❌based on psychic determinism - correct answer-- approach explains all behaviour as
determined by unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood
- suggests that free will of individuals has no influence on behaviour
