1. Psychology 102
Module 40

2. Course Instructor Dr. Haghighi

3. Sigmund Freud Assumptions: Traits transcend situations
Personality formed in childhood

4. Freudian Theory Personality components
Id: Concerned with drive satisfaction, provides the motive power; follows the pleasure principle (the horse)
Ego: Rational thought; controls & channels id; follows the reality principle (the rider)
Superego: Oversees balance between ego & id; internalized parental control; much like a conscience

5. Freudian Theory
The Libido: The sexual life energy that drives the id; other researchers dispute Freud's sexual emphasis
The Conscious: Consists of things you are currently aware of; constantly changing
The Preconscious: Consists of things in long term memory that influence behavior; could be retrieved if desired
The Subconscious: Consists of things you're unaware of but that influence you; the primary personality component

6. Freudian Theory The Unconscious: The primary personality component
Consists of things you're unaware of but that influence you
Can't be tapped directly
Reflected in slips of the tongue, dreams, etc.

7. Freud’s Model

8. Freudian Theory: Stages
Psychosexual Stages (source of libido satisfaction)
Oral (0-1 year)
Anal (1-3 years)
Phallic (3-6 years)
Latency (6-puberty)
Genital (from puberty)

9. Freudian Theory: Stages
Oral Stage:
Libido gratification comes from oral exploration of the world
Infant learns to trust in others, esp. for food
Oral Personality:
Problems in the oral stage supposedly lead to pessimism about the world, hostility or passivity

10. Freudian Theory: Stages
Anal Stage:
Kids learn about delay of gratification
Kids gain pleasure and libido satisfaction from being in control
Anal Personality:
Problems in the anal stage supposedly lead to either excessive orderliness or excessive messiness

11. Freudian Theory: Stages
Phallic Stage:
Freud believed sex-role identification occurred
Mechanisms included castration anxiety (boys) & penis envy (girls)
Phallic Personality:
Problems in the phallic stage supposedly lead to sex-role identification problems, promiscuity, vanity, or excessive chastity

12. Freudian Theory: Stages
Latency Stage:
A time of focus on achievement and mastery of skills
Libido is channeled into mastery activities
Freud thought little of interest happened here
Others have argued the sense of self- esteem is established here

13. Freudian Theory: Stages
Genital Stage:
The time of mature personality, intimacy with others
Libido satisfied by adult- type sexual activity

14. Freudian Theory: Defense
Defense Mechanisms:
Methods for dealing with anxiety
Freud thought some more mature than others
Denial Repression
Projection Formal Reaction
Rationalization Regression
Displacement Sublimation

15. "Firecrackers? No, I never use firecrackers!"
Denial
"Firecrackers? No, I never use firecrackers!"
Refusing to accept that the feeling is present or that the event occurred
A very primitive mechanism
Example: preschoolers will convince themselves they didn't do something they wish they hadn't

16. "I refuse to even think about firecrackers."
Repression
"I refuse to even think about firecrackers."
Relegating anxiety-causing thoughts to the unconscious, refusing to think about them
Example: Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind—"I won't think about that now, I'll think about that tomorrow."

17. "Okay, I played with 1, but Joe's always playing with firecrackers."
Projection
"Okay, I played with 1, but Joe's always playing with firecrackers."
Attributing one's undesirable traits or actions to others, so they become the problem instead of you
Example from a failing student: "I'm not worried about me, but I'd hate to see Ellen flunk—she's so fragile"

18. "Hi! I'm the president of the local anti-fireworks club!"
Reaction Formation
Taking actions opposite to one's feelings in order to deny the reality of the feelings
Freud thought many people fervently pursuing a cause were using this mechanism to hide their true feelings

19. Rationalization
"I wasn't playing with fireworks: I was testing them to see if they're safe."
Creating intellectually-acceptable arguments for thoughts or behavior to hide the actual anxiety- ausing impulses
Examples:
"I only read Playboy for the articles."
"I didn't get an A on my paper because I didn't want to make you feel inferior."

20. "I couldn't be using fire-crackers, I'm too little."
Regression
"I couldn't be using fire-crackers, I'm too little."
Reverting to the comfort of behaviors of an earlier stage of development in order to cope
Example: Children who crawl around the floor and produce baby talk when a new baby enters the family

21. Displacement
"I'm not afraid of firecrackers. I'm afraid of what will happen if mom finds out."
Substituting a less-threatening object for the subject of the hostile or sexual impulse
Example: A person mad at his boss attacks an underling instead—a person like the boss in some ways, but not as anxiety provoking

22. "My puppet show is about kids who use firecrackers."
Sublimation
"My puppet show is about kids who use firecrackers."
The most mature mechanism
Redirecting anxiety-causing impulses into socially acceptable actions
Example: Dealing with anxiety over a final by engaging in vigorous physical activity

23. Problems with Freud
Too general: Explains everything after the fact, but predicts nothing beforehand
Key portions are contrary to recent data: There is no evidence for penis envy, castration anxiety, the latency period
Biased against females: Freud's negative attitudes towards women colored his entire theory
Relies on too many constructs: Relies on the existence of hypotheticals such as the id, ego, & superego

24. Contributions The discovery of unconscious processes
His emphasis on childhood influences on adult behavior

25. Neo-Freudians Carl Jung Alfred Adler Karen Horney
Former students of Freud who broke away from him (often acrimoniously) to create their own theories:
Carl Jung
Alfred Adler
Karen Horney

26. Carl Jung Personality Theory: Ego
Personal Unconscious: Like a combination of Freud's preconscious and unconscious
Collective Unconscious: Inherited tendencies to respond in a particular way (archetypes) shared by all humans

27. Alfred Adler
Humans motivated by the need to overcome inferiority and strive for significance
Inferiority Complex: Adler's term for feelings of inferiority that interfere with development

28. Karen Horney Stressed need for safety & satisfaction
Childhood frustration may lead to development of basic anxiety & neurosis
Tyranny of the Should: Horney's term for focusing on an unrealistic, perfect self-image that leads to dissatisfaction

29. Or is it just the beginning?
End of Freud
Or is it just the beginning?