Psychodynamic Theory Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Sigmund Freud Building Context Childhood – a precocious child who was doted on by his mother. Confidence, success, potential. Education – University of Vienna (Medicine) Ernst Brucke (mechanism) and the “Mechanist Movement” Natural science provides answers. Neurology Interest: earliest structures of the brain stay the same across development.

Sigmund Freud Therapeutic Work Self-analysis Loss of father; self-exploration. Focus on dreams; unconscious. Hypnosis Free Association “… allow all thought to come forth without inhibition or falsifications of any kind.”

Freud’s View of The Person The Mind as an Energy System: Personality is theory of mind, and the mind, as being a part of the body, is a mechanism that runs on energy. ~~~~~~~~~~ Energy systems are dynamic – not just information storage. Mental contents do things. “Scientific goal”: how does mental energy flow, gets sidetracked, or gets damned up.

Exploring Anna O. Talking Cure “Catharsis”

Freud’s View of The Person The Individual In Society: Traditional thought: people are essentially good and society corrupts them. Freudian thinking: sexual and aggressive desires are in-born. ~~~~~~~~~~ *The Pleasure Principle* Children are “far from grace: - possess erotic desires and aggressive drives that society takes steps to restrict”.

Levels of Consciousness: Freud and Structure Levels of Consciousness: 1 – Conscious 2 – Preconscious 3 – Unconscious ~~~~~~~~~~ Think in terms of hierarchy – what is most easily accessed to the mental content imbedded in our unconscious. Dreams as the pathway into the unconscious – motivated

Freud and Structure Components of the Mind: 1 – Id – “gimme” – pleasure principle 2 – Ego – reality – reality principle A desire to maintain until maximum pleasure can be acquired. Think: ringleader. 3 – Superego – moral – guilt, altruism, etc.