Beyond Freud: Neo-Analytic Perspectives Flashcards
Criticisms of Freud
- Saw no value in experimentation or hypothesis testing; relied on case studies
- Negative view of human nature (incl. excessive focus on sex and aggression)
- Sexist, homophobic theories
Contributions of Freud
- Structure of personality
- Defense mechanisms
- Narcissism trait
- Childhood development
- Unconscious processes
- Psychoanalysis
Anna Freud
- Neo-Freudian
- continued the work of her father; focused on psychoanalysis in children; death and dying
- Expanded upon defence mechanisms
Defence mechanisms proposed by Anna Freud (don’t need to focus on these)
- Introjection: adopting others’ thoughts, feelings, etc. (taking it in rather than projecting out; ie. Thinking you’re wrong after an argument with a friend)
- Turning against the self: self-harm (ie. Cutting, suicide)
- Isolation: detachment, compartmentalization (ex. “I’m not going to think about this at school, but I’ll think about it later”)
Ego Psychology
- Focused on the development of the ego within reality
- Emphasized the role of identity, which is experienced by a person as a sense of self
Evolution of the meaning of “ego”
- Freud: most conscious part of the mind/executive
- Ego psychology: part of the mind that represents us (identity, self)
- Today: self-esteem, self-worth
Freud’s contributions: structure of personality
- Although id and superego are no longer studied, the idea that the mind had components was an important one
- The human brain can be compartmentalized (broken down into parts, according to biology and the emergent mind)
Freud’s contributions: defense mechanisms
- Remain relevant today (“coping mechanisms” or “strategies”)
- Regardless of the part of the mind in control, few would argue that these are not important determinants of human behaviour
Hierarchy of Defense Mechanisms
- Level 1: pathological/psychotic defenses (most extreme/least mature; indicative of mental illness)
- Level 2: immature defences
- Level 3: neurotic/intermediate defences
- Level 4: mature defences (best ones, most mature - ex. Sublimation)
the narcissism trait
- Narcissism: an extreme preoccupation with self, including grandiosity (sense of superiority), inflated self-admiration, and constant attention-seeking
- Excessively positive view of self, negative view of others, bragging, egotism (inflated sense of importance), superiority, entitlement, derogation of others
- According to Freud, narcissism can occur when an individual’s libidinal energy is invested in the ego itself, rather than another person
- Classic narcissists: Armand Hammer, Schwarzenegger (higher levels of narcissism among celebrities), Trump
narcissistic personality disorder
pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy
megalomaniac
delusions of greatness/wealth
Trump Case Study: Narcissism
- Narcissistic behaviours (as noted by psychiatrists):
- Inflated self-admiration
- Excessive focus on self
- Bragging, attention-seeking
- Superiority, entitlement
- Degrading, attacking others
- Other behaviours:
- Sadism, manipulation, antisocial behaviour (lack of empathy/remorse)
research shows that narcissists tend to…
- Use more first person pronouns (I, me, my mine, we)
- Interrupt others more frequently during conversation (ex. Trump interrupting more during debates than Clinton)
- Look in the mirror more frequently
- Make good first impressions
Paulhus study: analyzing Republican speeches vs. Trump’s
- T: higher rates of first-person pronouns
- T: higher rates of narcissism (includes derogation -> putting down others; boasting)
- Correlation between amount of tweets, boasting, follower/following ratio on twitter, informality between number of states won (evidence for first impressions)
narcissism and social media
- Narcissists more active on social media sites like Twitter/Facebook
- Post more about accomplishments; may post more selfies
- Receive more likes on their posts (evidence for first impressions)
narcissism and social behaviour
- Narcissists more likely to divide people to gain power over them
- Make threats and lies to influence people’s emotions
- Distort reality by arguing that fiction is fact, often leading listeners to experience a “twilight zone” sensation
narcissm and love
- Idealize themselves
- Devalue partners
- Self-centered
narcissism and work
do not live up to own expectations
inferiority complex
- Developed by Alfred Adler (first major figure to split from Freud; founded Individual Psychology)
- Inferiority complex: lack of self-worth; implications for self-esteem
- Overcompensate through “striving for superiority” -> making others unhappy (the foundation for narcissism )
the narcissistic paradox
- Although the narcissist appears high in self-esteem, he or she had doubts about his/her worth as a person
- Therefore, narcissism is a complex defense mechanism
- But recent research has suggested that this is only true for covert narcissists (sensitivity to criticism, low self-confidence, socially withdrawn; grandiosity); overt narcissists (exaggerated sense of self-importance, grandiosity, desire for attention) appear to have genuine feelings of superiority
egocentrism
- inability to differentiate between self and other, or to assume anyone else’s perspective
- Normal in childhood, decreases sharply at age 15-16
- In adulthood, not the same as narcissism (Attention-seeking occurs in both cases, but narcissists may still consider the feelings of others and care about what others think)
- “egomania/egomaniac”
Messiah complex
- Aka Christ complex or saviour complex
- A state of mind in which an individual holds a genuine belief that he or she is, or is destined to become, a saviour
- Ex. Hitler had messiah complex; Trump does not
Updated views on child development
- No evidence for fixations or Oedipal complexes; latency stage is unlikely; development is believed do continue beyond puberty
- But childhood and parent relations do influence adult personality