Psychodynamic = interaction of various conscious and unconscious mental/emotional processes influencing personality, behaviour and attitudes
Freud believed that were 3 levels of consciousness
1. Conscious = what we are aware of at any given time, e.g. what they're hearing, seeing and thinking
2. Preconscious = memories we can recall by choice, e.g. numbers, an address, product names
3. Unconscious = memories, desires and fears get repressed because otherwise they'd cause people extreme anxiety, but these factors still influence our behaviour without us realising
Freud said we have 2 instincts that are unconsciously in conflict, and one may be dominant over the other
1. Eros the life instinct = fulfils basic biological needs, e.g. the libido
2. Death instinct = urge for aggression and destruction, this causes war, violence and suicide
Unconscious components of personality
Id- innate, aggressive, sexual and obeys the pleasure principle
Ego- conscious, rational mind and works on the reality principle
Superego- Moral, includes ideas on how to behave and is usually learned from people close to us, is strongly influenced by early experiences and our relationships with our parents