Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory: A Comprehensive Overview, Lecture notes of Personality Psychology

Download Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory: A Comprehensive Overview and more Lecture notes Personality Psychology in PDF only on Docsity!

Theories of

Personality

th

Edition

CHAPTER 2 |

FREUD :

PYSCHOANALYSIS

Notes

CHAPTER 2 | FREUD : PSYCHOANALYSIS

Brief Biography Sigmund Freud | Austrian Neurologist ● Sigmund Freud was born either on March 6 or May 6, 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia; now the Czech Republic. ● The first-born child of Jacob and Amalie Nathanson Freud. ● Had 6 biological siblings and 2 half-brothers. ● He was the favorite of his young indulgent mother, that may have contributed to his self-confidence. ● Didn’t form any close friendships with his younger siblings. ● Moved from Leipzig to Vienna, where it remained his home for nearly 80 years, until 1938 when the Nazi invasion forced him to emigrate to London. ● He later died on September 23, 1939. Levels of the Mental Life

1. Unconscious It contains all those drives, urges, or instincts that are beyond our awareness but that nevertheless motivate most of our words, feelings, and actions. The unconscious level contains hidden thoughts, feelings, and desires, that are beyond awareness. It includes: ● Impulses ● Memories ● Primary Needs ● Fantasies ● Fears A person is not aware of these unconscious images, but they serve as motivators on our words, feelings, and actions. Although that we’re aware of our actions, we’re not aware of the mental process behind it.

The difference is that the conscious perception doesn’t produce any anxiety- inducing feelings. Examples Preconscious: You're not thinking about what you ate for breakfast, but when someone asks, that information comes up and you're able to answer. Conscious Perception: You see someone getting a new haircut, but that attention quickly passes. Unconscious: Suddenly having the urge to clean your room, but don't know why today. It could have a hidden meaning, so it's disguised through that.

3. Conscious It plays a relatively minor role in psychoanalytic theory, can be defined as those mental elements in awareness at any given point in time. They’re elements that we’re aware of. The only mental level that is available to us, they’re thoughts and feelings that reach into consciousness. Sources of its content can be: Perceptual Conscious Which is turned toward the outer world and acts as a medium for the perception of external stimuli. Non-threatening. From the Mental Structure Our Unconscious and Preconscious. Unconscious : unaware, cleverly disguised. Preconscious : can become aware if brought focus to it. By the time these elements slip past the final censor, it’s been completely distorted from their original meaning into something more pleasant or tolerable for the person to be aware of. **Provinces of the Mind

1. Id | Pleasure Principle, Unconscious Level**

The id doesn't have any contact with reality because it's at the unconscious level. It strives to ease the tension by constantly seeking pleasure. It’s also the source of people’s drives. It’s unrealistic and demanding for basic needs: ● Hunger and Thirst ● Sexual Desire ● Aggression ● Comfort These needs can be uncomfortable because the id can’t distinguish between right and wrong, it’s amoral.

2. Ego | Reality Principle, Partly Unconscious , Preconscious, Conscious It is the only region in the mind that is in contact with reality, responsible for decision-making. It acts as a mediator between the id's urges and the superego's demands. It interacts simultaneously with the different levels of the mind. It’s capable of activating defense mechanisms to protect itself if the demands are too overpowering. 3. Superego | Moralistic Idealistic Principle, Partly Unconscious, Preconscious, Conscious It is responsible for the person's moral compass and the standards it has set learned from experiences. It has two subsystems that guide behavior: Conscience Developed from experience through punishments for improper behavior; it tells us what we should not do. If it goes against your moral standards: Your conscience makes you feel guilty. Ex. Cheating on a test. Ego-ideal Developed from experience and rewards proper behavior; it tells us what we should do. If you fail to meet an expected standard:

Neurotic Anxiety Is defined as apprehension about an unknown danger. Moral Anxiety After children establish a superego—usually by the age of 5 or 6—they may experience anxiety as an outgrowth of the conflict between realistic needs and the dictates of their superego. Realistic Anxiety Is closely related to fear. It is defined as an unpleasant, nonspecific feeling involving a possible danger.

2. Defense Mechanisms Repression ● The most basic defense mechanism, because it is involved in each of the others, is repression. It forces threatening feelings into the unconscious. Reaction Formation ● This defense mechanism is called a reaction formation. Reactive behavior can be identified by its exaggerated character and by its obsessive and compulsive form. Displacement ● In displacement, however, people can redirect their unacceptable urges onto a variety of people or objects so that the original impulse is disguised or concealed. Fixation ● Technically, fixation is the permanent attachment of the libido onto an earlier, more primitive stage of development. Like other defense mechanisms, fixations are universal. People who continually derive pleasure from eating, smoking, or talking may have an oral fixation. Regression  is a defense mechanism where, under stress or anxiety, a person's libido reverts to an earlier stage of psychosexual development, regression is usually temporary.

Examples: like a child demanding a bottle after a new sibling is born, or an adult adopting a fetal position under extreme stress. Projection  Is a defense mechanism where the ego reduces anxiety by attributing one's own unacceptable impulses or feelings to someone else. In extreme cases, projection can manifest as paranoia, characterized by delusions of jealousy and persecution. Example , a man with unconscious erotic feelings towards older women might interpret their actions as seductive, denying his own attraction. Introjection  Where a person incorporates positive qualities of another person into their own ego. This boosts their self-worth and minimizes feelings of inferiority. People tend to introject valued characteristics that make them feel better about themselves. Example , where children introject the authority and values of their parents, forming the foundation of the superego. This relieves them from having to develop their own value system. Sublimation  It involves repressing the genital aim of Eros (sexual drive) and channeling that energy into socially acceptable and culturally valuable pursuits. Examples , most people balance sublimation with direct expressions of Eros, contributing to society while still pursuing personal pleasure. While all defense mechanisms protect the ego from anxiety and are universally used to some degree, sublimation stands out as a generally positive force for both the individual and society. Stages of Development Infantile Period Freud posited that infants have a sexual life and experience pregenital sexual development in the first 4-5 years of life. While controversial initially, this idea of infantile sexuality is now widely accepted. Childhood sexuality differs from adult sexuality in that it's non-reproductive and autoerotic (self-focused). However, like adults, children can experience sexual pleasure through non-genital organs, particularly the mouth and anus. Freud divided this infantile period into three

"Anatomy is destiny," believing anatomical differences heavily influenced psychological ones. Masturbation, common in this stage, is usually suppressed by parents. The Oedipus complex plays a crucial role in personality development. Male Oedipus Complex: Boys initially identify with their fathers, then develop sexual desire for their mothers. Recognizing the conflict, they abandon paternal identification and see their fathers as rivals. This rivalry and incestuous desire for the mother is the simple male Oedipus complex. The complete Oedipus complex includes ambivalent feelings towards both parents due to the boy's bisexuality. This leads to the castration complex, where boys fear losing their penis, triggered by the realization that girls lack one. This fear represses sexual impulses towards the mother and leads to superego formation through identification with the father. Female Oedipus Complex: Girls, upon discovering boys have a penis, experience penis envy, a powerful force in their development. It can manifest as a desire to be a boy, have a man, or ultimately, have a baby (especially a boy). Pre-Oedipal girls identify with their mothers but then turn hostile, blaming them for their lack of a penis. They then direct their libido toward their father, seeing him as the one who can provide a "penis substitute" (a baby). This desire for the father and hostility towards the mother is the simple female Oedipus complex. Girls may react to penis envy by rejecting both masculine and feminine sexuality, clinging to masculinity, or developing normally by transferring affection to the father. The female Oedipus complex resolves when the girl gives up masturbation, her desire for her father, and identifies with her mother. However, it resolves less completely than the male complex, leading to a potentially weaker superego. This is because girls don't experience the same sudden, traumatic shock of castration anxiety, so the complex is not as forcefully repressed, leaving less psychic energy for superego development. The Latency Period, Roughly from ages 4 or 5 until puberty, is a time of dormant psychosexual development. This dormancy is partly due to parental discouragement of sexual activity, leading to repression and redirection of psychic energy towards nonsexual pursuits like school, friendships, and hobbies. Freud also proposed a phylogenetic explanation, suggesting it stems from an inherited unconscious memory of primal family dynamics where dominant fathers suppressed their sons' sexuality. This suppression, repeated across generations, became an ingrained, unconscious force.

While the sexual drive exists during latency, it's inhibited and sublimated into social and cultural achievements. Children begin forming peer groups, which was impossible during the autoerotic infantile period. Maturity  an ideal state achieved after successfully navigating earlier psychosexual stages. A psychoanalytically mature individual would have a balanced mind structure, with a strong ego that effectively manages the id and superego while allowing for reasonable desires. Id impulses would be expressed openly and consciously, without shame or guilt. The superego would have evolved beyond simple parental identification, free from internal conflict and incestuous remnants. The ego-ideal would be realistic and aligned with the ego, blurring the lines between superego and ego. Applications of Psychoanalytic Theory This section looks at Freud’s early views on dreams and unconscious slips. He believed that through this, the unconscious mind can be observed with thorough examination.

1. Dream Analysis ( Wish-Fulfillment Theory) The theory states that our dream’s main purpose is to satisfy our unconscious urges that we can’t fulfill when we’re awake. Manifest Content is the surface meaning or the conscious description given by the dreamer. It’s the actual story or content of the dream and remembering it. Ex. Dreaming of eating food. Latent Content refers to the unconscious material of the dream.