An Introduction to Freudian Psychoanalysis

What is Personality? Personality  an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting  two basic perspectives  Psychoanalytic (Freud)  Humanistic (post-Freudian)

The Psychoanalytic Perspective  Freud’s theory proposed that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality  It has greatly shaped how we understand human identity.

The Psychoanalytic Perspective Psychoanalysis  Freud’s theory of personality that attributes our thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts  involves techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

Levels of Consciousness Conscious  current awareness of internal and external reality (ego) Preconscious  not aware of material but it’s retrievable via ordinary methods, such as memory and by using learned skills (ego) Unconscious  not aware of material and it’s not retrievable via ordinary methods (ego, id, and superego)

The Psychoanalytic Perspective Unconscious  according to Freud, a reservoir of fears, bad feelings, unacceptable thoughts, shameful desires, and traumatic memories  where the forces of the id and superego are at large  where ego negotiations between the id and superego are automatic, like reflexes  contemporary viewpoint after Freud— information processing of which we are unaware

Levels of Consciousness I D SUPEREGOSUPEREGOSUPEREGOSUPEREGO EGO Freud’s elements of the mind and the levels they govern

The Psychoanalytic Perspective The Unconscious Ego  The ego’s job is to satisfy the id without attracting the judgment of the superego.  Sometimes the urges of the id cannot be reconciled with the superego.  Some memories are too traumatic for the ego.

The Psychoanalytic Perspective The Unconscious Ego  The ego uses unconscious mechanisms to protect itself from anxiety-producing urges and memories.  When these mechanisms do not work effectively, they become problems—neuroses or psychoses.  Becoming conscious of them allows the ego to create better strategies for dealing with the anxiety or trauma.

The Psychoanalytic Perspective Techniques for Revealing the Unconscious  Free Association  Dream Analysis  Projective Techniques  Recovered Memories

The Psychoanalytic Perspective Free Association  in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious  person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing Dream Analysis  interpret dreams as symbols of unconscious forces

The Psychoanalytic Perspective Projective Techniques  inkblot test, where unconscious forces are called upon to interpret “meaningless” images Recovered Memories  using hypnosis, traumatic memories are brought into the ego’s awareness so the ego can find healthier ways of coping with them

The Psychoanalytic Perspective Example of a Rorschach Inkblot

Conflict Model  The self is not unified. There are competing elements within ourselves.  Freud identified these competing elements as the id, superego, and ego.  No one element can win. The only way to stay healthy is not to let any one element get the upper hand, otherwise mental illness (neurosis or psychosis) can occur.

Personality Structure Id  contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy  is irrational, emotional, and demanding  strives to satisfy basic bodily, sexual, and aggressive drives  does not care about others or the reality of the situation

Personality Structure Id  operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification  represented as a devil sitting on someone’s shoulder. As this devil sits there, he tells the ego to behave in ways that bring pleasure to the self.

Personality Structure Superego  Works mostly in the unconscious level of the mind  the part of the personality that presents internalized ideals  represents social and parental values and steps in when mom or the cops aren’t around

Personality Structure Superego  provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations  sometimes is represented as an angel sitting on someone’s shoulder, telling the ego to behave according to the rules or according to social or cultural definitions of right and wrong

Personality Structure Ego  works mostly but not entirely at the conscious level  “executive” part of the personality that mediates between the demands of the id, superego, and reality  operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

Personality Structure Ego  must appease the id’s desires, but negotiates with the superego to find socially acceptable ways of doing so  represented as a person, with a devil (the id) on one shoulder and an angel (the superego) on the other

Personality Structure Freud’s idea of the mind’s structure Id Superego EgoConscious mind Unconscious mind

Personality Development Psychosexual Stages  the childhood stages of development during which the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones Oedipus Complex  a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

Personality Development Freud’s Psychosexual Stages Stage Focus Oral Pleasure centers on the mouth-- (0-18 months) sucking, biting, chewing Anal Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder (18-36 months) elimination; coping with demands for control Phallic Pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with (3-6 years) incestuous sexual feelings Latency Dormant sexual feelings (6 to puberty) Genital Maturation of sexual interests (puberty on)

Personality Development Identification  the process by which children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos Fixation  a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, where conflicts were unresolved

Defense Mechanisms  the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality Repression  the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness

Defense Mechanisms Regression  defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

Defense Mechanisms Reaction Formation  defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites  people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings

Defense Mechanisms Projection  defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others Rationalization  defense mechanism that offers self- justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one’s actions

Defense Mechanisms Displacement  defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person  as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet

Assessing the Unconscious Projective Test  a personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)  a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

Assessing the Unconscious--TAT

Assessing the Unconscious Rorschach Inkblot Test  the most widely used projective test  a set of 10 inkblots designed by Hermann Rorschach  seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

Assessing the Unconscious--Rorschach

Neo-Freudians Alfred Adler  importance of childhood social tension Karen Horney  sought to balance Freud’s masculine biases Carl Jung  emphasized the collective unconscious  concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

Humanistic Perspective Abraham Maslow ( )  studied self- actualization processes of productive and healthy people (e.g., Lincoln)

Humanistic Perspective Self-Actualization  the ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self- esteem is achieved  the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

Humanistic Perspective Carl Rogers ( )  focused on growth and fulfillment of individuals  genuineness  acceptance  empathy

Humanistic Perspective Unconditional Positive Regard  an attitude of total acceptance toward another person Self-Concept  all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in an answer to the question, “Who am I?”