Chapter 5: The Neo-Freudians Flashcards
neo-freudian theories
elaborations of Freud’s theory
similarities between Freud’s theory and Neo-Freudian theories
- Most retain that the unconscious is a key determinant of behaviour
- Most agree about the impact of early childhood experiences on personality development
- Most accept defence mechanisms and dream interpretation
limits of Freudian theory
- It seems unlikely that personality is formed almost entirely by experiences in the first 5-6 years of life
- Failed to consider sociocultural influences on personality
- Portrayed a pessimistic picture of human nature
Alfred Adler
Developed an approach called individual psychology
Alfred Adler’s most important contributions
striving for superiority, the role of parental influence on personality development, and the effects of birth order
what is the single motivating force behind human behaviour according to Adler?
striving for superiority
how does striving for superiority begin?
Begins with feelings of inferiority as a small, helpless child. The moment children become aware of their relative weakness marks the beginning of their lifelong struggle to overcome inferiority
inferiority and striving for superiority
the more inferior we see ourselves, the stronger our striving for superiority
inferiority complex
a belief that one is vastly inferior to everyone else
result of the inferiority complex
feelings of helplessness
what is the key to personal satisfaction and positive mental health according to Adler?
combining superiority striving with a concern for social interest
what two parental behaviours are almost certain to lead to problems for children later in life?
pampering & neglect
pampering
giving a child too much attention
result of pampering
Robs a child of independence which leads to feelings of inferiority
neglect
not giving a child enough attention
result of neglect
- They grow up cold and suspicious
- They are incapable of warm personal relationships
first-born children
subject to short-lived pampering, then the child is dethroned with the arrival of a second child, resulting in strong feelings of inferiority
first-born children as adults
First-borns are likely to be problematic, neurotic, criminals, drunkards, or perverts
middle-born children
develop an intense superiority striving because there is always another sibling demanding the parents’ time
middle-born children as adults
Middle children are the highest achievers
last-born children
subject to pampering throughout their childhood, resulting in strong feelings of inferiority
last-born children as adults
Last-borns become dependent and lack personal initiative
do studies support Adler’s account of birth order?
Studies do not support these findings. The overall effect of birth order on personality is extremely small and often at odds with predictions
Carl Jung
Developed a school of psychology called analytic psychology
the collective unconscious
Consists of thoughts and images that all people possess and are difficult to bring into awareness
what is the collective unconscious made up of?
primordial images
primordial images
images that have the potential to respond to the world in a certain way
archetypes
a collective of primordial images
what are the three important archetypes according to Jung?
anima, animus, and shadow
Anima
the feminine side of the male
animus
the masculine side of the female
function of the anima and animus
serve to guide the selection of a romantic partner and the direction of the subsequent relationship. Men look for women that reflect their anima and women look for men that reflect their animus
shadow
contains the unconscious part of ourselves that is essentially negative. it is made up of primitive animal instincts
evidence for the collective unconscious
Jung’s evidence for the collective unconscious consisted of data from sources like mythology, cultural symbols, dreams, and the statements of schizophrenics
criticisms of Jung’s theory
it is difficult to evaluate with scientific methods
Erik Erikson
developped an approach called ego personality
Erikson on the ego
Argued that the ego is a relatively powerful part of the personality, which establishes and maintains a sense of identity
identity crisis
the confusion and despair we feel when we lack a strong sense of who we are
personality development through the life cycle (Erikson)
Erikson argued that personality development continues throughout a person’s lifetime, ending in old adulthood
8 stages for personality development
- infancy: trust vs. mistrust
- toddler: autonomy vs. shame and doubt
- early childhood: initative vs. guilt
- elementary school age: industry vs. inferiority
- adolescence: identity vs. role confusion
- young adulthood: intimacy vs. isolation
- adulthood: generativity vs. stagnation
- old age: ego integrity vs. despair
crises
turning points in personality development
when do crises occur?
at each of the 8 stages of personality development
resolving crises
How we resolve crises determines the direction of our personality development and how we resolve future crises
trust vs. mistrust
- Children whose needs are met develop a sense of basic trust
- Children whose needs aren’t met develop a sense of basic mistrust
autonomy vs. shame & doubt
- Children who are allowed to manipulate and influence the world around them develop a sense of autonomy
- Children who are allowed to manipulate and influence the world around them develop a sense of shame and doubt
initiative vs. guilt
- Children who seek out playmates and learn to organize games and activities develop a sense of initiative
- Children who fail to develop initiative develop feelings of guilt and resignation
industry vs. inferiority
- Children who experience success lead to industry
- Children who experience failure lead to feelings of inferiority
identity vs. role confusion
- Teens who make decisions about personal values and understand who they are develop a sense of identity
- Those who fail to develop a sense of identity experience role confusion
intimacy vs. isolation
- Those who find a relationship develop intimacy and grow emotionally
- Those who fail to develop intimacy face emotional isolation
generativity vs. stagnation
- People who find their lives enriched by the influence they have on children find a sense of generativity
- Those who fail to develop generativity suffer from a sense of stagnation
stagnation
a feeling of emptiness and questioning one’s purpose in life
ego integrity vs. despair
- People who look back on their lives with satisfaction pass through the final development stage with ego integrity
- Those who fail to develop this sense of integrity fall into despair
Karen Horney
- Did not accept Freud’s views concerning women
- Gave rise to her views on neurosis and feminine psychology
neurosis
a destructive interpersonal style
entrapment of people with neurosis
All neuronic people are trapped in a self-defeating interpersonal style. The way they interact with others prevents them from developing the social contact they unconsciously crave
Freud on neurosis
neurosis can be explained by fixated energy and unconscious battles between various aspects of the personality
Horney on neurosis
neurosis can be explained by disturbed interpersonal relationships during childhood. Children who grow up in homes that foster anxiety become adults who fear interacting with people. Their destructive interpersonal style is a defence mechanism intended to ward off feelings of anxiety
moving towards people
emphasizing helplessness and dependency to garner sympathy from others, providing temporary relief from anxiety
moving against people
exploiting other people to compensate for feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. charcaterized by externalization
externalization
responding to the perception that others are hostile by doing unto others as they have done to them
womb envy
men’s envy of women’s ability to bear and nurse children
how do men react to womb envy?
they compensate for this through achievements in other domains
why do some women wish they were men according to Horney?
women wished they were men because of the cultural burdens placed on women, not inherent inferiorities
strengths of neo-freudian theories
- Elaborated on important concepts Freud had ignored (ex. The role of social factors & Freud’s overly pessimistic view)
- Introduced many new concepts into the psychological literature
- Influenced later theorists and psychotherapists
criticisms of neo-freudian theories
- Supported by questionable evidence
- They often oversimplified or ignored important concepts
what did Adler believe was the goal of development?
to produce a child that integrates well into society
Adler’s life
- His childhood was marked by illness, awareness of death, and intense jealousy of his older brother
- He had feelings of inferiority
- He compensated for weakness through persistence
Adler vs. Freud on the mind
Adler: the mind is an integrated whole
Freud: the mind consists of warring factions (id, ego, superego)
Adler vs. Freud on consciousness
Adler: emphasized the conscious mind
Freud: emphasized the unconscious mind
Adler vs. Freud on future goals
Adler: future goals are an important source of motivation
Freud: future goals are unimportant
Adler vs. Freud on human nature
Adler: optimistic about human existence
Freud: pessimistic about human nature
Adler vs. Freud on dreams
Adler: dreams are important to learn about lifestyles
Freud: dreams are analyzed to determine the contents of the unconscious mind
Adler vs. Freud on the determinants of personality
Adler: humans are free to determine their own personality
Freud: personality is determined by heredity and environmental factors
Adler vs. Freud on sex
Adler: minimized the importance of sex
Freud: maximized the importance of sex
Adler vs. Freud on the goal of therapy
Adler: the goal of therapy is to encourage a lifestyle that includes social interest
Freud: the goal of therapy is to discover repressed early thoughts
what leads to an inferiority complex?
excessive feelings of inferiority
how do we develop the desire to strive for superiority, according to Adler?
it’s innate
what kind of theory is striving for superiority?
future-oriented
fictional finalism
- imagined or potential fictional goals
- determinants of lifestyle
lifestyle
- the personality structure
- Established very young
- People use different means to reach the same goal
social interest
people’s innate ability to socialize
striving process
based on a unique feeling of inferiority that develops early on in life
maladjustment
- feeling too inferior
- Social interest is not sufficiently developed
- Striving for goals that will make you feel better than everyone
- At odds with being social
adler on the drive to suceed
The drive to accomplish and succeed is healthy
what happens when we are overwhelmed by feelings of inferiority?
- Inferiority complex
- Neurosis
how does an inferiority complex develop?
Develops when a person is unable to compensate for normal inferiority feelings
superiority complex
characterized by being boastful, self-centred, and denigrating others
how does a superiority complex develop?
when a person overcompensates for normal inferiority feelings
causes of inferiority complexes
- Organic inferiority
- Spoiling/ pampering
- neglecting
style of life
Unique character structures or patterns of behaviour
how is the style of life developed?
it is influenced by social interactions
four types of lifestyles
- ruling-dominant type (RD)
- getting-learning type (GL)
- avoiding type
- socially useful type
Ruling-dominant type
people who want to dominate others, regardless of how it might impact others (attacking)
Getting-learning type
people who expect things from others, and will even exploit and manipulate to get their way (dependent)
Avoiding type
people who believe that success is achieved by avoiding failure (ignores problems)
Socially useful type
people who are cooperative
what type of lifestyle is desired?
socially useful
Where do Faulty Lifestyles Come From?
- Physical inferiority
- Spoiling and pampering
- Neglect
safeguarding strategies
Adler’s equivalent of Freud’s defence mechanisms
who uses safeguarding strategies according to Adler?
people who are on a healthy path don’t use safeguarding strategies
types of safeguarding strategies
- Excuses
- Aggression (3 forms)
- Accusation
- Blaming others for shortcomings
- Self-accusation
- Distancing (3 forms)
3 forms of aggression
- depreciation
- idealization
- solicitude
depreciation
bringing another person down
idealization
using unrealistically high standards to judge others
solicitude
treating others as if they are incapable of caring for themselves
What belief influenced Carl Jung’s theories
his belief in the paranormal
personal unconscious
reservoir for material that was once conscious
Jung’s personal unconscious is similar to Freud’s
preconscious
complexes
patterns of emotions, memories, perceptions, and wishes in the personal unconscious organized around a common theme
are complexes conscious?
they can be conscious or unconscious
the collective unconscious is part of _____
the unconscious mind
persona archetype
public face or role presentented to others
what is the goal of therapy for Jung?
to uncover the shadow archetype
Jung’s shadow is similar to Freud’s ______
primordial instincts
self archetype
unity, integration, and harmony of the total personality
three types of motivations behind archetypes
archetypes are either ego, self. or soul-driven
ego-driven archetypes
driven by the conscious world
self-driven archetypes
driven by the unification of the conscious and the subconscious worlds
soul-driven archetypes
driven by the unconscious world
ego (Jung)
- Conscious aspects of the psyche
- Involves thinking, feeling, and remembering
- Selective about what is admitted into awareness
2 attitudes of the psyche (Jung)
extraversion & intraversion
extraversion
orientation toward the external world and others
introversion
orientation toward one’s own thoughts and feelings
Jung’s psychological functions
Ways of perceiving a person’s external and internal world
4 types of psychological functions
sensing
thinking
feeling
intuiting
what types of psychological functions are rational?
thinking & feeling
what types of psychological functions are irrational?
sensing & intuiting
sensing (psychological function)
detects the presence of objects. It indicates that something is there, but not what it is
thinking (psychological function)
tells us what an object is. It gives names to objects that are sensed
feeling (psychological function)
determines what an object is worth to the person. Pertaining to liking and disliking
intuiting (psychological function)
provides hunches when factual information is not available
Jung’s psychological types
Combines attitudes of the psyche with psychological functions
8 psychological types (Jung)
- extraverted thinking
- extraverted feeling
- extraverted sensing
- extraverted intuiting
- introverted thinking
- introverted feeling
- introverted sensing
- introverted intuiting
individuation (Jung)
The integration of all conscious and unconscious facets of personality
aim of individuation
reaching fulfillment and trascendence
steps of individuation
- Confront the unconscious
- Dethrone the persona
- Accept the dark side
- Accept the anima and animus
- Transcend
Jung’s aspecst of personality (summary)
- Ego
- Attitudes
- Psychological functions
- Psychological types
- Personal unconscious
- Complexes
- The collective unconscious
- Archetypes
Horney’s disagreement with Freud
- Horney disagreed with Freud’s notions of the Oedipal complex and his division of the mind into id, ego, and superego
- Horney thought that Freud’s theory reflected a different country and time, so problems that people experience must be culturally, not biologiclaly determined
- Sexual problems are secondary to jobs, food, and medical care
childhood need for safety (Horney)
If a child’s need for safety is undermined, they will experience psychological problems
strength of womb envy vs. penis envy
Claimed that womb envy was stronger than penis envy because men depricate women more than the other way around
Horney’s childhood need for safety is similar to ____
Adler’s stiving for superiority
how can the need for safety be undermined?
- Ridicule and humiliation
- Isolation of a child from peers
when does helplessness increase (Horney)?
Infants’ helplessness increases when they are kept in an excessively dependent state
Reasons for a child to repress hostility towards parents (Horney)
punishment, love, and guilt
basic evil
anything that parents do that undermines a child’s security
basic hostility
feeling generated in a child if needs for safety and satisfaction are not consistently and lovingly satisfied by parents
basic anxiety
- It is the general feeling that everyone in the world is potentially dangerous
- The foundation of neurosis
- Exists when basic hostility is repressed
self-protective mechanisms
- motivate a person to seek security and resistance
- are powerful and intense
what does basic anxiety cause
feelings of helplessness & loneliness
neurotic needs (Horney)
10 strategies for minimizing basic anxiety
who has neurotic needs?
Everyone has these needs and attempts to satisfy them, but a neurotic person makes one need the focal point in life
what are the 10 neurotic needs?
- affection and approval
- dominant partner
- power
- exploitation
- prestige
- admiration
- acheivement
- self-sufficiency
- perfection
- narrow limits to life
3 neurotic trends
- movement toward people
- movement against people
- movement away from people
moving away from people
emphasizing privacy and self-sufficiency to provide relief from anxiety and save oneself from the potential pain of emotional experiences
what kind of approach did Erikson use?
a psycho-social approach
autonomy
allowing children to manipulate and control what they encounter
initiative
deciding to do something on your own
industry
belief in one’s strengths and abilities
inferiority
lack of appreciation for one’s talents and skills
what does moving toward people result in?
a compliant personality
what does moving against people result in?
an aggressive personality
what does moving away from people result in?
a detached personality
3 forms of distancing
- Moving backwards
- Creating obstacles
- No lose situations
personal narrative
a story of one’s life experiences
how are personal narratives used to study personality?
Participants are usually interviewed by a researcher, which is then recorded, transcribed, and coded by multiple judges
benefits of using personal narratives to study personality
- Personal narratives tend to be consistent over time
- Personal narratives are particularly useful for studying Erikson’s stages of personality development
the downside of using personal narratives to study personality
Personal narratives are selective presentations and are not entirely accurate
Erikson’s theory and personal narratives
- As Erikson’s theory would predict, people told the most stories reflecting the theme of generativity vs. stagnation in middle-age
- Highly generative adults tended to provide stories in which bad situations lead to good outcomes
- Highly generative adults also told more stories containing themes about friendship, sharing, affiliation, nurturance, and being prosocial
what leads to physical inferiority?
Compensation
Overcompensation
Superiority complex
Inferiority complex
