Lesson 4.2.1.5

4.2.1.5 The psychodynamic approach Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

20 questions

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Lesson 4.2.1.5, The psychodynamic approach: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Psychology (7182), Unit 2: Psychology in context, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. In Freud's model of personality, which structure operates on the pleasure principle and is entirely unconscious?

    • The superego
    • The ego
    • The id
    • The libido

  2. Which defence mechanism involves pushing an unacceptable thought or memory out of conscious awareness?

    • Repression
    • Displacement
    • Sublimation
    • Denial

  3. What is the correct order of Freud's psychosexual stages?

    • Oral, anal, latency, phallic, genital
    • Oral, phallic, anal, genital, latency
    • Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
    • Anal, oral, phallic, genital, latency

  4. In Freud's theory, the superego is best described as the part of personality that:

    • Internalises parental and social standards and produces guilt when they are broken
    • Stores memories and experiences that are fully available to conscious recall at any time
    • Drives the pursuit of immediate pleasure and gratification of basic instinctual needs without moral restraint
    • Mediates between the demands of reality and the drives of the id, using rational problem solving

  5. Which part of personality operates on the reality principle and mediates between the id and the superego?

    • The ego
    • The id
    • The superego
    • The unconscious mind

  6. Freud described dream analysis as the 'royal road' to what?

    • Hormonal regulation
    • Childhood memory recall
    • The unconscious mind
    • Conscious decision making

  7. In which psychosexual stage does Freud say the Oedipus complex is typically resolved?

    • Oral stage
    • Latency stage
    • Anal stage
    • Phallic stage

  8. A man who was humiliated by his manager at work goes home and shouts at his children. Which defence mechanism does this illustrate?

    • Denial
    • Displacement
    • Reaction formation
    • Repression

  9. A student insists he feels no anger about his parents' divorce, despite clear behavioural signs of distress. Which defence mechanism is most likely at work?

    • Repression
    • Denial
    • Sublimation
    • Displacement

  10. An adult who is excessively reliant on smoking and nail-biting is interpreted by Freud as having a fixation at which stage?

    • Oral stage
    • Anal stage
    • Genital stage
    • Phallic stage

  11. Psychodynamic therapists ask clients to say whatever comes to mind without censorship in order to reach unconscious material. What is this technique called?

    • Operant shaping
    • Unconditional positive regard
    • Free association
    • Systematic desensitisation

  12. Which criticism of psychodynamic theory is linked to the philosopher Karl Popper?

    • Its concepts are too narrow, because they explain only conscious thoughts and never unconscious ones
    • Its concepts are measured precisely, but they are based on a very small number of laboratory animals
    • Its concepts are unfalsifiable because they can explain any behaviour
    • Its concepts depend entirely on large-scale national surveys that cannot be replicated in any setting

  13. A child says, 'I would feel terrible if I took a sweet without asking.' According to Freud, which structure is most dominant in this child's reasoning?

    • The superego
    • The id drive
    • The libido drive
    • The reality ego

  14. A strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it:

    • Predicts precise, quantified outcomes for every observable behaviour through controlled measurement
    • Shows that all behaviour is determined by genetic inheritance and cannot be changed by experience
    • Relies mainly on randomised controlled experiments with large samples of unrelated volunteers
    • Explains how early childhood experiences can shape adult personality and disorders

  15. A patient has a very weak ego and a very strong id. Which pattern of behaviour would a psychodynamic theorist most expect?

    • Impulsive gratification of desires with little regard for social consequences
    • Excessive guilt and self-criticism over minor misdeeds, combined with rigid rule following
    • Complete absence of sexual or aggressive drives, with no conflict between the parts of personality
    • Calm, realistic planning that balances personal needs with social rules and expectations

  16. Which pair correctly matches a personality imbalance with a likely outcome in psychodynamic theory?

    • A strong id leads to sublimation; a weak superego leads to displacement
    • A strong ego leads to repression; a weak superego leads to denial
    • A rigid superego leads to impulsive behaviour; a weak ego leads to excessive guilt
    • A rigid superego leads to excessive guilt; a weak ego leads to impulsive behaviour

  17. Freud's evidence for his theories came mainly from which source?

    • Brain imaging data gathered from thousands of volunteers across several universities
    • Case studies of his own clinical patients and his self-analysis
    • Longitudinal surveys tracking national populations across many decades of change
    • Large randomised controlled trials conducted in schools with thousands of pupils

  18. A criticism of psychodynamic theory is that Freud's account of female development, such as penis envy, reflects:

    • Overemphasis on conscious decision making, which ignores the role of early unconscious drives
    • Androcentric bias, because it is built around male experience
    • Excessive reliance on laboratory data, which removes the influence of real family life
    • Insufficient attention to childhood development, since adult experience is treated as central

  19. A psychodynamic therapist works with a client using case-based interpretation of their life history. Which methodological limitation applies most directly?

    • Data are gathered through large-scale experiments with strict controls and random allocation
    • Participants are sampled in such large numbers that the analysis becomes too complex to complete
    • Retrospective, subjective material is hard to verify and may be biased by interpretation
    • Measures are standardised so precisely that they cannot reflect the natural variation in behaviour

  20. Which assumption of the psychodynamic approach is most clearly deterministic?

    • Adult behaviour is determined by unconscious forces shaped in childhood
    • Behaviour depends only on the current social situation and the rewards available in it
    • Behaviour is a product of hormone levels alone, with no influence from early experience
    • Behaviour is always a free choice made consciously, with no influence from unconscious drives

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