... between the id and the superego, because the id wants immediate gratification, whereas the superego takes account of moral standards. The psychodynamic model put forward by Freud was based on his theory of psychosexual development. The child passes through a series of stages. Major conflicts or excessive gratification at any of these stages can mean that the child spends an unusual long time at that stage of development. If an adult experiences great personal problems, he or she will tend to show regression to the stage at which he or she had previously been fixated. Conflicts cause anxiety, and the ego defends itself against anxiety by using several defence mechanisms to prevent traumatic thoughts and feelings reaching consciousness. According to Freud, mental disorders can arise when an individual has unresolved conflicts and traumas from childhood. Defence mechanisms may be used to reduce the anxiety caused by such unresolved ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now