3 Psychodynamic theories 2: Freud and unconscious processes Flashcards
What is the conscious, selon Freud?
The conscious refers to that of which we are aware
What is the unconsious, selon Freud?
The unconscious refers to that of which we are not aware, but the existence of which we are nevertheless ready to admit on account of other proofs or signs (Freud, 1912)
What, says Freud, is the difference between conscious and unconscious mental states?
Unconscious mental states are unknown
In Freud’s first topography - The Interpretation of Dreams, 1900 - he described the psychical apparatus as consisting of what two systems?
1) The unconscious
2) The pre-conscious and conscious
Of what does the unconscious consist?
The unconscious consists of material that has been actively repressed and has, therefore, been denied access to the pre-conscious-conscious system. So the unconscious is indistinguishable from the repressed.
What heralded in Freud’s second topography?
In “The Ego and the Id” (1923), Freud proposed that intrapsychic life consists of an id, an ego and a superego. The distinct break between conscious and preconscious-conscious is rejected.
The id is the unconscious expression of what?
Instincts and instinctual desires. It’s the reservoir of libido and psychical energy generally.
Does the id have any sense of morality?
Hell no
If id is not satisfied, how does it express itself?
In symbols and images –in dreams through displacement and condensation
What principle does the id follow?
The pleasure principle
Is the ego conscious or unconscious?
Mostly unconscious, but also pre-conscious-conscious
What is the function of the ego?
To handle the id’s strivings in acceptable ways
To repress id’s desires to shield oneself from anxiety
How is the ego organized?
According to secondary process thought – attention, judgement, reasoning, planning, controlled action –logical, reality-oriented types of cognition
At what age does the superego develop?
Around the age of 5, when the Oedipal crisis is being resolved
Is the superego conscious or unconscious?
It’s both
What is the superego constituted from?
The internalisation of parental prohibitions and demands –thus modeled on parents’ superego
What happens to superego if Oedipal crisis is not resolved?
The superego does not develop; person becomes less moral
How is the Oedipus complex resolved?
Through identification with the same-sex parent
How does the concept of reification apply to Freud’s tripartite model?
Freud reifies the id, ego and superego. He talks of them as though they are discreet entities instead of different kinds of cognitive relations between different neurological structures and the external world.
Is unconscious material verbal?
Nope, it’s all preverbal. Putting it into words makes it conscious. It can be examined by imagery, though.
How can a therapist access unconscious material?
Through verbal reports, mainly. So the therapist must infer unconscious material from what is said.
What evidence is there for the existence of unconscious material?
- various types of amnesia
- hypnotic suggestion
- dreams
- psychopathology of everyday life (slips of the tongue)
- formation of symptoms
- resistance/repression
- defence mechanism
What is repression?
An unconscious force which pushes disturbing material/wishes/desires/thoughts (that would incur the risk of provoking “unpleasure” to self and/or other) out of consciousness
Why does repression occur?
Because unconscious material can be threatening. Recognising it can cause us to feel:
Shame
Guilt
Unwantednedness
We only know what we can bear to feel
Too much repression leads to what?
Too much repression leads to anxiety
What is “the return of the repressed”?
When repressed material reappears in slips of the tongue, dreams etc.
What does repression do?
PUSHES disturbing material out of consciousness
What does resistance do?
KEEPS disturbing material out of consciousness. It’s the force which keeps pathogenic experiences out of consciousness.
What’s the difference between repression and resistance?
Repression pushes disturbing material out of consciousness; resistance keeps it there.
What is projection (defence mechanism)?
When the subject attributes thoughts/desires etc. to others that he refuses to recognise in himself
What percentage of mental acts occur outside of conscious awareness? (Bargh and Chartrand, 1999)
Around 95%, apparently
How are Freud’s claims about the unconscious supported (or not) by more recent findings?
The general claim for ubiquitous unconscious activity has been supported,
BUT…
while there is much cognitive processing outside conscious awareness, this does not mean that unconscious motivational and emotional factors shape conscious mental life.
