Freudian Theory

A Short History of Sigmund Freud Theory

Freud’s Topographical Model

• Conscious
• Preconscious
• Unconscious

Freudian Theory and the Structural Model

• Id
• Ego
• Superego

The interplay between these structures is referred to as the psychodynamics of the personality.

ID: The deep, unconscious part of personality.

•  Composed of biological, instinctual drives.
•  Innate (born with it)
•  Seeks immediate, indiscriminant gratification.
•  Source of all mental energy
•  Obeys the pleasure principle: Pleasure is good and – nothing else matters
•  Gratifying urges returns body to homeostasis.
•  Libido – biological force/energy underlying pleasure-seeking activity
•  Thanatos – the death instinct

EGO: The executive or manager of personality.

• Organized, rational, reality-oriented system
• Develops first 2 years of life as infant experiences reality
• Holds id in check until suitable object is found
• Helps id achieve gratification within confines of reality
• Prevents id drives from violating superego principles
• Obeys the reality principle: Behavior takes into account the external world

SUPEREGO: Represents the ideals and values of society as they are presented by parents or parental figures.

• Learned
• Inhibits (or “brakes”) id urges
• Strives for perfection
• “Irrational,” operates on extremes—good or bad

Ego ideals – The person we’d like to be:

• Developed through rewards.

Conscience – Right and wrong:

• Developed through punishment.

Formed around age 5 via Oedipal complex resolution.

Psychosexual Stages of Development

• Each stage has its erogenous zone, the primary locus of pleasure
• Each developmental stage presents a challenge.

FIXATION: The pathological binding of psychic energy at a certain psychosexual stage.

• Fixation can be due to Frustration – when psychosexual needs are thwarted, or
• Overindulgence – when no incentive is given to master internal functions

ORAL STAGE (0 – 18 months):

• Pleasurable sensations focused on mouth
• Potential area of Conflict: Weaning
• Optimism, trust, dependency, gullibility, don’t try to fend for selves

ANAL STAGE (18 months – 3 years)

• Pleasurable sensations focused on expulsion/retention of feces
• Gratification of anal impulses results in health feelings of self-control and mastery
• Potential area of conflict: toilet training

PHALLIC STAGE (3 – 6 years)

• Penis/clitoris is primary pleasure zone
• Defining feature: Oedipus Complex (M) Electra Complex (F)
• Child desires opposite-sex parent sexually.
• This desire causes conflict, fear and frustration.
• Child represses desire for opposite-sex parent and identifies with same-sex parent.
• Can feel powerful, can vicariously possess opposite-sex parent.
• This leads to development of gender identity and superego
• Males – fear of castration
• Females – penis envy

LATENCY STAGE (6 years – puberty)

• Potential area for conflict: none
• Child focuses on learning rather than sexual impulses
• Solidification of superego

GENITAL STAGE (puberty à)

• Major task: Development of altruistic love, developing work life
• Goal is to find an appropriate sex object.

Anxiety and the Defense Mechanisms

ANXIETY – An indication of threat to the ego from impulses from the id (neurotic)

• Anxiety is protective, normal, useful

DEFENSE MECHANISMS

• Help person avoid anxiety without conscious awareness of doing so.

REPRESSION – The ego excludes distressing thoughts, feelings or impulses from consciousness before they become conscious.

DENIAL – Refusing to acknowledge something unpleasant (event, thought, impulse)

• primitive.

DISPLACEMENT – Redirecting instinctual impulse from a more threatening person or object to a less threatening one (or a more available one).

PROJECTION – Attributing unacceptable internal thoughts, feelings, and urges to others

• Used by both individuals and societies

RATIONALIZATION – Making up a “reasonable” (but inaccurate) explanation for threatening or irrational behavior

REACTION FORMATION – Transforming an unacceptable impulse into its opposite.  Acting in a manner that is the opposite of a forbidden impulse

WITHDRAWAL- Avoidance of or flight from threatening situations.

IDENTIFICATION

• Becoming like the individual that you fear or envy

REGRESSION – Going back to an earlier stage to help cope with anxiety

SUBLIMATION – Channeling unacceptable impulses into acceptable, socially approved and productive thoughts and actions.

• Different from displacement, in that it is the impulse itself, not the impulse’s object, that is transformed

Clinical Applications

Hallmarks of Mental Health

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic therapy

Goals:

• Increased self-understanding
• Make the unconscious conscious;
• More accurate perception of reality;
• Strengthening of ego à better everyday functioning;

Methods:

Examining expressions of unconscious material, via analyst’s interpretations.

• Dreams – “Royal road to the unconscious”;
• Wish fulfillment;
• Symbols;
• Manifest vs latent content;
• Free Association;
• “Fundamental Rule” of psychoanalysis;
• Temporarily bypass ego’s censoring mechanism;
• Transference;
• Freudian slips;
• Symbolic behavior, accidents;
• Projective tests;

Humor

• Types
• Innocent – puns, clever insights
• Tendentious – hostile and/or sexual
• Catharsis theory

Evaluating Freudian Theory

Strengths

• First comprehensive theory of personality and behavior
• Foundation for many later theories
• First system of psychotherapy
• Popularized psychological ideas
• Very rich
• Very interesting
• Pioneer of case study method
• Inspired lots of other theorists and scientists.
• Other areas besides psychopathology
• Religion, humor
• We certainly have evidence that early childhood experiences affect us significantly

Problems/Criticisms:

• Not as original as many think, but was the first to integrate and popularize, and scientifically investigate
• Very difficult to evaluate scientifically.
• Vague concepts
• Hard to come up with testable hypotheses
• Post hoc analyses
• Results can be used to argue for or against any hypothesis
• Based on case-study data
• Probably biased by Freud and by his cultural context
• Biased sample
• Rich, educated adults with problems aren’t the best models for a theory of normative childhood development.
• Freud may have gotten patients to say what he wanted to hear
• First five years of life are only formative ones?
• Based too much on sex
• Minimizes effect of social and cultural influences
• Overly negative, pathologizing, pessimistic