Psychoanalytic Theory

“conscious becoming aware of the unconscious…”

Psychoanalytic …  Accepts the importance of early childhood experiences and the unconscious mind.

Important theorists……

 Sigmund Freud  Primitive, Animalistic, Unconscious drives, motives and instincts  Carl Jung  Analytic psychology with emphasis on “collective unconscious”  Alfred Adler  Less emphasis on (freud’s) biological drives of sex and aggressions and more on social relationships.

Classic Theory: Sigmund Freud Psychosexual

 Basic tenets:  Constant struggles between desire to meet biological urge and realities of living.

 Unconscious process influence behavior

Sigmund Freud

Father of the Psychoanalytic Theory

    Born in Moravia, on May 6, 1856 Lived 78 years practicing in Vienna, Austria and established a private practice for the treatment of nervous disorders.

Youngest daughter, Anna, became an important child psychoanalyst.

Died of cancer of the jaw on September 23, 1939, in London, England.

What is Psychoanalytic Theory?

 Psychoanalytic personality theory emphasizes the roles of intrapsychic events (processes occurring in the mind), unconscious drives and early childhood development. (1990, Liebert and Spiegler, p. 43)  Childhood experiences, repressed erotic feelings, and unconscious conflicts can affect adult behavior. (1999, Friedman and Schustack, p. 62)

Freud’s View of a Person

 Human nature is under the “dictatorship” of instinctual, unconscious, and irrational forces.

 Human organisms are selfish beings, existing in a state of external and internal turmoil. (displaying aggressive and sexual excesses)  Dominated by forces outside of conscious control.

 Humans are considered incapable of dealing with their own psychological problems.

Determinism vs Choice

 All behavior is determined or caused by some force within the person.

 Behavior has meaning (none occurs by chance).

 Biological determinism vs. Psychological determinism Freud emphasized psychological rather than biological “consciousness knows nothing of. . . neurons.”

Personality Structures

 What lies beneath the surface of the unconscious mind??

 ID,  EGO, and  SUPEREGO

The Structure of Personality



ID

• Operates according to the pleasure principle • Primitive and unconscious part of personality 

EGO

• Operates according to the reality principle • Mediates between id and superego 

SUPEREGO

• Moral ideals and conscience

The “ID”

 According to Freud…  We are born with our ID  ID is an important part of our personality  as newborns, it allows us to get our basic needs met.

 ID is based on our pleasure principle  whatever feels good at the time, with no id wants consideration for the reality of the situation.

 When the id wants something, nothing else is important.

 The “ID” is the reservoir of instincts – powered by libido “sexual desire in the broadest sense.”

The “EGO”

     Within the next three years, as the child interacts more and more with the world, the second part of the personality (EGO) begins to develop.

EGO  based on the reality principle. understands that other people have needs & desires, and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can hurt us in the long run.

Its the EGO's job to meet the needs of the ID, while taking into consideration the reality of the situation Ego serves as a bridge to reality (not totally conscious) The ego calls on various defense mechanisms in order to regain control over threatening id instincts.

You need to get organized !

I’m talking to you ID, are you listening?

No

The “Superego”

     By the age of five, or the end of the phallic stage of development 

SUPEREGO

develops.

Superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers.

Many equate the superego with the conscience as it dictates our belief of right and wrong. Superego’s most important function – control id impulses, direct energy towards inhibiting id’s expression of sexual, aggressive and antisocial instincts.

Incorporates the norms and standards of society

Codes of right & wrong in “Superego”

 Introjection – a process by which the personality incorporates the norms and standards of its culture    Morality principle -equivalent to conscience Guilt – an intense feeling of regret over having done something wrong Ego Ideal – pride and self respect through positive standards of internal representations of idealized parental figures

Freud’s 5 Stages of Psychosexual Development

     ORAL STAGE ANAL STAGE PHALLIC STAGE LATENCY STAGE GENITAL STAGE

According to Freud…….

 Human being develop through stages based upon a particular erogenous zone.

 During each stage, an unsuccessful completion means that a child becomes fixated on that particular erogenous zone and either over – or under-indulges once he or she becomes an adult.

ORAL STAGE BIRTH – ONE YEAR (18 MONTHS)

       Mouth = erogenous zone Focus on Oral Pleasure = sucking ID dominant personality structure TRAUMA = eating/weaning problems – not enough or too much Too much or too little gratification can result in an Oral Fixation or Oral Personality which is evidenced by a preoccupation with oral activities.

FIXATION OF PSYCHIC ENERGY = oral personality characteristics (eating, drinking, smoking, kissing, sucking on things) Oral personality = childlike, dependent, gullible OR excessively aggressive (biting)

ANAL STAGE- 3 YEARS

   Anal region = erogenous zone Pleasure = defecation  EGO plays role in delaying defecation desire through TOILET TRAINING (fear). Parent either offers praise for successful eliminations or punishment for failures FIXATION = ANAL PERSONALTIY (2 types)  Anal Expulsive: characteristics include being messy, cruel, destructive, overtly hostile  Anal Retentive: rigidity, obsessive style, and orderliness (reaction against messiness of defecating)  In terms of personality, after effects of an anal fixation during this stage can result in an obsession with cleanliness, perfection, and control (anal retentive)  On the opposite end of the spectrum, they may become messy and disorganized (anal expulsive).

Phallic Stage (3-6)

 Pleasure zone switches to the genitals.

 The development of  Oedipus Complex (for boys) • Freud believed that during this stage boys develop unconscious sexual desires for their mother. • He becomes rivals with his father and sees him as competition for the mother’s affection. • During this time, boys also develop a fear that their father will punish them for these feelings, such as by castrating them.  Electra Complex (for girls) • Penis envy • Female desire for feelings of strength and self worth that men have by virtue of their male anatomy (penis)

LATENCY STAGE 6 - PUBERTY

 ID, EGO, & SUPEREGO (personality structures) are fully developed by age 5  Sexual desires become dormant after resolution of the oedipus complex   Sex instinct is

sublimated

through school activities, hobbies, sports, same sex friendships, etc. during this time  Sexual energy is channeled into such activities as going to school and making friends.

It’s during this stage that sexual urges remain repressed and children interact and play mostly with same sex peers.

 Latency involves massive repression of sexual, as well as, anal impulses.

GENITAL STAGE ADOLESCENCE - ADULTHOOD

   Erogenous zone = adult genital regions The final stage of psychosexual development begins at the start of puberty when sexual urges are once again awakened  Development of sex-role identity  Through the lessons learned during the previous stages, adolescents direct their sexual urges onto opposite sex peers. Development of adult social relationships (“heterosexual”) if conflicts at all earlier stages were resolved and little libido was fixated there  CONFLICT = conformity to societal norms, but not a big deal and can be resolved through sublimation  Genital personality type = finding satisfaction in work and love

Defense Mechanisms

   A defence mechanism is an

unconscious

way to protect the personality from unpleasant thoughts which may cause anxiety . However, a defence mechanism can also lead to a neurosis causes a person to adopt ineffectual or inappropriate coping if it strategies.

Types of Defence Mechanism         Displacement Introjection Projection Rationalisation Reaction Formation Regression Repression Sublimation

Types of defense mechanism

 Displacement .  Redirecting emotion from a 'dangerous' object to a 'safe' object. For example punching a cushion when angry at your partner.  Introjection .

 When an individual internalises the values or characteristics of another person, usually someone who is significant to the individual in some way.  Projection .  The opposite of introjection. Attributing one's own emotions or desires to an external object or person. For example saying others hate you when it's you who hates the others.

 Rationalisation .  Inventing a logical reason after an emotional act is made.

Types of defense mechanism

 Reaction formation .

 A feeling is converted into its opposite, for example turning hate into love.  Regression .  Behaviour reverts to a previous age.

 Repression .  Thoughts unacceptable to the Ego are moved into the unconscious where they cannot be easily accessed.  Sublimation .  A 'healthy' form of displacement, for example playing sport to relieve stress or anger.

Healthy vs Unhealthy Personality

 According to Freud, In a healthy person …  EGO is the strongest so that it can satisfy the needs of the ID  Not upset the SUPEREGO,  and still take into consideration the reality of every situation.

 If the ID gets too strong  impulses and self gratification take over the person's life.

 If the SUPEREGO becomes too strong, the person would be driven by rigid morals, would be judgmental & unbending in his or her interactions with the world.

Strengths Of the Psychoanalytic Approach

 Emphasizes the effects of patterns established early in life on personality development.

 Attempts to understand unconscious forces.

 Considers defense mechanisms as an essential aspect of personality.

 Assumes multiple levels are operations in the brain.

Limitations of the Psychoanalytic Approach

 Pessimistic overemphasis on early experiences and destructive inner urges     Relatively unconcerned with interpersonal relations or with the individual’s identity and adaptation throughout life Difficult to test empirically Many ideas have been discredited by more modern research on the brain Assumes any deviation from heterosexual relation is pathological  Focuses on male behavior as the norm and female behavior as a deviation

Self Analysis

 Do you think Freud’s theory can help you understand yourself?

 Do you think Freud really felt that females were inferior?

 Do the strengths of Freud’s theory outweigh the weaknesses?

 Do profound child experiences affect later personality development?

References

   Allen, B.P. (2003). Personality Theories , 4 th Bacon.

edition. Boston: Allyn and Breger, L. (2000). Freud: In the Midst of Darkness. New York:John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Friedman, H.S. & Schustack, M.W. (1999). Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Websites

•“ The Psychoanalytic Theory (Terms and Concepts)” www.brocku.ca/english/courses/4f70/terms.html

•“The Psychoanalytic Theory of Emotions” http://member.aol.com/donjohnr/sketch.html

•“Eddy M. Elmer Psychoanalytic Theory Personality Adjustment” www.3.telus.net/eddyelmer/Tools/freud3.html

•“Brief Introduction to Psychoanalysis” http://homepage.newschool.edu/~quiqleyt/vcs/psychoanalysis.html