2 - Freud and Psychoanalysis Flashcards
1
Q
Why are we studying Freud?
A
- Freud and the tradition he initiated acknowledge ideas that are underemphasized or even ignored elsewhere
- psychoanalysis continues to profoundly influence psychology and modern conceptions of the mind
- Freud continues to influence the practice of psychotherapy
- many of Freud’s ideas have entered popular culture and provide a common part of how people think and talk about each other
2
Q
What is mental energy?
A
there is a fixed and - finite amount of psychic energy (libido)
- in current thinking, it is the mind’s capacity for processing information, rather than its energy, that is limited
3
Q
What is hedonism?
A
purpose of life and existence is to experience pleasure
our instincts guide us to these pleasurable circumstances
4
Q
What are Freud’s two instincts for motivation?
A
- originally, Freud only proposed Eros (sexuality) as a base instinct
- also has to do with the creation, protection, and enjoyment of life
- however, after WWI, he added Thanatos (aggression) as another one
- ordered systems tend towards disorder over time, and this trend is inevitable
5
Q
What is the id?
A
- the most primitive, develops at birth and initially contains all of the libido
- knows only images
- doesn’t see, feel, or hear
6
Q
What does the id do?
A
- translates need into drive (eg. need for food = hunger drive)
- has access to memories through images
- controls basic reflexes
- has no sense of consequences or cause and effect
- no sense of time (id never changes and time doesn’t pass)
- unconscious
7
Q
How does the id work?
A
- pleasure principle = if it feels good, it will do it and it will do it now
- primary process = when it feels drive, it searches through memory to find something that satisfies the drive
- cathects libido to internal memory images
- condensation can compress several ideas into one
- symbolization can have one thing stand in for another
- conscious thought of very young children operates according to primary process thinking
- predicate thinking = not good as distinguishing the differences between similar images
8
Q
What is the ego?
A
- very soon after birth, part of the id differentiates into the ego
- the ego is a mediator, whose function is to deal with the outside world
- most of the ego is in the unconscious mind (70-80%)
9
Q
How does the ego work?
A
- cathects libido through the reality principle = if it feels good it will do it, but only if it’s safe
- sense of cause and effect, time, and delayed gratification
- has the ability to learn
- secondary process = looks at the imges the id is cathecting, then tries to find that object in the real world
- the ego will then engage in behaviours to get to the thing
- ego takes libido from the id
- creates barriers (anti-cathexis)
10
Q
What is the superego?
A
- develops around 4 - 5 years of age
- differentiates from the id
- internal representation of parental values (morality and ethics)
- learns through punishment and reward
- mostly unconscious
- can also create barriers to
block immoral images
11
Q
What are the two sections of the superego?
A
- ego ideal = the positive aspects, things we are praised for (do’s)
- conscience = the negative aspects, things we were punished for (don’ts)
12
Q
Why is Freud the father of developmental psychology?
A
- at Freud’s time, it was not a universal belief that there were changes in personality
- they believed that children were the same as adults, just smaller
13
Q
What is Freud’s developmental theory?
A
- a child gains pleasure from parts of their own body
- early on, the child is narcissistic
- progression through the psychosexual stages is differentiated by the erogenous zone that gains primary sensory pleasures
14
Q
What is a summary of the oral stage?
A
- 0 - 1
- physical focus = mouth, lips, tongue
- relevant mental structure = id
- psychological theme = dependence, passivity
- adult character types = dependent or overly independent
15
Q
What is the early oral stage?
A
- oral incorporative stage
- actions = sucking, swallowing
16
Q
What is the late oral stage?
A
- oral aggressive stage
- this substage starts when the teeth start to develop (around 8 - 9 months)
- actions = biting, chewing
17
Q
What is a summary of the anal stage?
A
- physical focus = anus and organs of elimination
- relevant mental structure = ego
- psychological theme = obedience and self control
- adult character types = obedient and obsessed with order, or anti-authority and chaotic
18
Q
What is the early anal stage?
A
- anal expulsive
- pleasure from delivering feces
- this arises as it is the only thing of value that the child can create
19
Q
What is the late anal stage?
A
- the two substages are divided by toilet training
- anal retentive
- pleasure from withholding feces
- stimulation provided by bolus in anus
20
Q
What is a summary of the phallic stage?
A
- physical focus = sexual organs
- relevant mental structure = superego
- psychological theme = gender identity and sexuality
- types = over or under sexualized
21
Q
What happens in the phallic stage?
A
- typically, female enters the stage later than males
- beginnings of masturbation
- onset of the Oedipus complex
- resolution of the complex marks the end of the phallic stage
- most important stage for adult personality and sexuality
22
Q
How does the Oedipus complex work for boys?
A
- cathect sexual libido to primary caretaker (Mom)
- boy wants possession of Mom
- boy sees Dad as rival for Mom’s attention
- cathect aggressive libido to Dad
- castration anxiety
- decathect from Mom and Dad
- boy identifies with Dad (defensive identification) and some with Mom (positive identification)
- displace sexual libido to Mom-like
- displace aggressive libido to Dad-like
