Sigmund Freud Anxiety and Modernity

Life Secular, Viennese Jew Trained as a physician Pioneer of applied psychology study of mental functions and behavior case study approach Hypnosis Free association Dream interpretation

Freud’s Contributions to Modern Thought The power of the unconscious mind Irrational Not fully understandable The role of sexuality in human personality and behavior Origins of formal “talk therapy”

Freud's Theory of Personality Structure Ego Fully conscious mediator Superego Partially conscious Id Unconscious

Id Unconscious energy that drives us to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. Id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.

Superego Part of personality that represents our internalized ideals. Standards of judgment or our morals.

Ego The boss “executive” of the conscious. Its job is to mediate the desires of the Id and Superego. Called the “reality principle”.

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development OralAnalPhallicLatentGenital

Oral Stage 0-18 months Pleasure center is on the mouth. Sucking, biting and chewing.

Anal Stage months Pleasure focuses on bladder and bowel control. Control and independence. Anally retentive, anally expulsive

Phallic Stage 3-6 years Pleasure zone is the genitals. Coping with incestuous feelings. Oedipus and Electra complexes.

Latency Stage 6- puberty Dormant sexual feeling. Cooties!

Genital Stage Puberty to death. Maturation of sexual interests. People are often thinking about sex, whether they know it or not

Defense Mechanisms The ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by distorting reality. Never aware they are occurring. Seven major types.

Repression The most powerful defense mechanism. Push or banish anxiety driven thought deep into unconscious. Why we do not remember lusting after our parents.

Regression When faced with anxiety the person retreats to a more infantile stage. Thumb sucking on the first day of school.

Reaction Formation Ego switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites. Being mean to someone you have a crush on.

Projection Disguise your own threatening impulses by attributing them to others. Thinking that your spouse wants to cheat on you when it is you that really want to cheat.

Rationalization Offers self- adjusting explanations in place of real, more threatening reasons for your actions. You don’t get into a college and say, “I really did not want to go there it was too far away!!”

Displacement Shifts the unacceptable impulses towards a safer outlet. Hypothetically: Instead of yelling at a teacher, you will take anger out on a friend by peeing on his car.

Sublimation Re-channel their unacceptable impulses towards more acceptable or socially approved activities. Channel feeling of homosexuality into aggressive sports play.

Impact of Freudian Thinking Another critique of the Enlightenment worldview Talking about sex Pop culture references and psychological understanding Psychotherapy

Problems Misogyny Unscientific method Cocaine