Neo-Freudian Perspective (also called the Psychodynamic Perspective)

What is the Neo-Freudian Perspective aka psychodynamic perspective Neo-Freudian – Maintain many basic ideas of Freud but developed their own theories (Often called psychodynamic theories) Many neo-Freudians accept Id, Ego, Superego Defense Mechanisms Importance of the unconscious Much of childhood shapes personality

What is the Neo-Freudian Perspective? (psychodynamic) Many neo-Freudians deny That sex and aggression are the sole motivators. – more emphasis on social and cultural motivators That the unconscious is all-important – rather they believe that more focus should be placed on the conscious mind

Neo-Freudian – Alfred Adler Development of personality comes from childhood social (rather than sexual) tensions. Birth order theory and sibling rivalry Children seek to overcome infantile feelings of helplessness and to gain control over the environment (Striving for Superiority) – reaching fulfillment Proposed the idea of an inferiority complex. Idea that some people are motivated by fears of failure. Successful people

Neo-Freudian – Karen Horney Karen Horney (pronounce HORN-eye) - 1937 Believed that it is men who envy women (Not as Freud believed – remember penis envy?) Horney called this womb envy Men cannot have children and only take a small role in raising them She believed that women sometimes feel inferior because of personal and political restrictions Attempted to reveal the male-dominant bias of psychology

Neo-Freudian – Carl Jung Carl Jung (pronounce yoong) – 1916 Believed that the unconscious is powerful and has a great influence on our personality Jung believed that we have a personal unconscious (Freud’s theory) and a collective unconscious – a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history This explains the similarities that exist from one culture to the next

Carl Jung – collective unconscious Jung believed the collective unconscious contains archetypes – universal concepts we all share Ex. The Shadow – evil side of personality Ex. The Child – new beginnings Evidence to support this is how all cultures relate to stories with similar themes such as the hero or story of David and Goliath. Most theorists discount the idea of inherited experiences but believe that our evolutionary history has shaped some of our universal disposition – there is not empirical evidence of the collective unconscious Jung believed that our collective unconscious memories affect our innate behaviors Ex. Collective memories affect how we perceive a mother as nurturing

Criticisms of Freud Little empirical (observable) evidence Little predictive power – theory does not allow us to predict problems one will experience Overestimates the importance of childhood and sex Development is lifelong (not fixed from childhood) Repression is not as prevalent as Freud believed