Freud Flashcards
what is a neurotic psyche
psyche run by superego
high levels of anxiety and guilt
what happens if fixation occurs in the phallic stage of psychosexual development
for males:
- promiscuity, seeking sexual gratification or they dont develop masculine characteristics and may be attracted to men
for females:
- may develop masculine traits and be attracted to women
in the phallic stage of psychosexual development how do the relationships with the parents change with girls
Girls:
- ELECTRA COMPLEX
- see fathers as sexual objects, mother as rival
- wishing for father and fear of mother causes anxiety, not as strong as mother is less powerful (no penis)
- girls identify with mother, and father (because of want to obtain missing penis)
- so Electra complex is not resolved so girls have weaker ego functioning and its harder for them to cope with competing id demands and reality
in the phallic stage of psychosexual development how do relationships with parents change with boys
Boys:
- intuitively become aware of their mothers as sexual objects
- develop sexual attachment to mother
- regard father as sexual rival
- OEDIPUS COMPLEX (fear of father with power to castrate them, desire for mother, conflict causes anxiety)
- to resolve conflict boys want to become their fathers, this ‘inner father’ serves as superego
What is the phallic stage of psychosexual development
3rd stage (3-5 years of age)
libidal energy moves to genital area
difficult for girls because they dont have a penis - leading girls to develop penis envy - which also leads to feelings of deficiency in girls
boys gain castration anxiety - worry of losing their penis
leads to both sexes changing their relationships with the parents
what happens if fixation occurs in the anal stage of psychosexual development
if conflict between child and demanding parents may lead to individuals to rebel against authority
if toilet training handled badly you get one of two personalities:
- anal retentive personality (stingy, stubborn, hoarder, very orderly, stingy)
- anal-expulsive personality (untidy, disorganised, disregard rules about cleanliness)
to avoid fixation parents should adopt relaxed approach to toilet training and positively reward success
Evaluate Freudian theory
Based on case studies only
Difficult (almost impossible) to produce descriptions of normal behaviour
He did address the complexities of human behaviour and his theorising led to important debates about the personality
May not be completely original (ideas came from teachers)
Too vague (psychosexual stages)
Overly stresses sexual drives
What is humour (defence mechanisms)
although not a defence mechanism discussed by Freud, is a way of distancing a person from a sensitive topic/subject that a person alleviates uncomfortable emotion
often see as a coping mechanism to protect the ego and gain social acceptance
What is sublimation (defence mechanisms)
it allows unconscious drives to be expressed in a modified, socially acceptable manner
the instinctual drives are diverted from their original aim and channelled into something seemingly acceptable
Eg
Individuals against violent films may actually spend a lot of time watching such films in order to be able to protest about the decisions made by the censors
Art and music are seen as examples of successful sublimations of the instinctual drives
Or, playing a vigorous sport as an expression of aggressive drives
What is undoing (defence mechanisms)
Often accompanies isolation
person can acquire ritualistic behaviours which symbolically negate the thoughts previously held and/or felt guilty about
Eg
If you think something is associated with bad luck you do something to negate it; many disturbed individuals may adopt all sorts of ritualistic behaviours to protect themselves
What is isolation (defence mechanisms)
anxiety associated with an event is dealt with by recalling the even without any emotions
those feelings are separated and ‘isolated’
What is regression (defence mechanisms)
to avoid anxiety we return to something simpler, easier in our life
can be normal and healthy
what is displacement (defence mechanisms)
rather than expressing our feeling directly to the person who provoked them, we deflect them elsewhere
we take out our frustration on someone else
if used too often can be bad for interpersonal relationships
What is phobic avoidance (defence mechanisms)
avoiding places or situations that cause us to experience unpleasant emotions-phobic avoidance is an extreme form of this
this is different to normal phobias which are relatively common
What is conversion reaction (defence mechanism)
unacceptable emotions/thoughts are converted into physical symptoms
Eg
psychosomatic disorders
What is rationalism (defence mechanisms)
the process where the reasons for an action are given after it has happened
Eg
You really want this job and you eagerly go for an interview but you don’t get it. You then claim that you really didn’t want the job and the Position was not that good.
this way we can save our own self esteem
easier to say you didn’t want the job than say you weren’t good enough
denial in such situation can give more courage to try again
What is reaction formation (defence mechanisms)
we use it to overcome impulses that are unacceptable to us
Eg
We’re obsessively tidy but keep a locked cupboard messy and hidden from others. So, we deal with our impulses to be untidy by becoming obsessively tidy. Our reaction formation is not successful as the impulse is expressed via our untidy cupboard
what is projection (defence mechanisms)
blaming everything or everyone for our shortcomings
we externalise unacceptable feelings
(eg “I am not the problem, you are”)
what is denial (defence mechanisms)
we delay unpleasant events or the reality of a situation
What is repression (defence mechanisms)
push unacceptable thoughts, feelings, impulses into our unconscious
act as if what we cant recall cant hurt us
repression can reach extremes when emotions are repressed such as anger
what is the genital stage of psychosexual development
5th stage (12-18+)
body changes - puberty reawakens libido
sexual objects chosen are always opposite sex in normal development
However, not everyone works to this period to achieve mature heterosexual love
Some may have conflicts left from the Oedipal and Electra stage and don’t cope well
what is the latency stage of psychosexual development
4th stage (5-12 years of age)
the resting period
all energies are taken up in socialisation and learning
peer group interaction mainly with same sex
kids learn more about the world and develop defence mechanisms to cope with basic anxieties
What is the anal stage of psychosexual development
second stage (18 months to 3 years of age)
sensual pleasure comes from bowel movements
toilet training, awarded when able to control movements
if toilet training not handled ok by parents, fixation will occur
what is fixation in relation to the psychosexual stages of development
fixation occurs when a child is under or over stimulated in their current stage, inhibiting them being able to progress to further stages satisfactorily
what happens if the specific amount of stimulation isnt received in the oral stage of psychosexual development
fixation occurs, fixation can be observed in excessive oral stimulation such as smoking, chewing gum or excessive eating
overindulged - oral receptive personality (dependent, trusting, gullible)
underindulged - oral aggressive personality (exploitive, sadistic attitudes, dominative)
What is the oral stage of psychosexual development
the first stage (birth to 1 year of age)
pleasure focused on feeding
erogenous zone is the mouth, lips and tongue
thumb sucking is also seen as pleasurable
while fed and cared for, libidinal energy also focused on mothers
for normal development, child must receive sufficient oral stimulation
having met needs allows trust in adult caregiver
What is the theory of psychosexual development
Freuds theory
At each stage libido (energy source) is invested in a single part of the body called the erogenous zone
in each stage the erogenous zone is the are that is most sensitive to stimuli and the source of gratification
(biological factors are the main influence in development)
what is a psychopathic psyche
psyche run entirely by id, superego is not present
if not wants not meant becomes aggressive
lack of empathy
self centred
what is a psychotic psyche
run by the id
psyche controlled by impulses and wants
What is a healthy psyche
Psyche run by the ego
what are defence mechanisms
unconscious psychological mechanism that deny, distort or re-represent reality to reduce or remove feelings of anxiety
overuse of any defence mechanism is regarded as abnormal
How do the Id, ego and superego interact
Ego acts as mediator, protect itself from psychological conflicts
does this using defence mechanisms
What is the SUPEREGEO
develops around 4-5 years of age
perfectionist part: positive feelings of pride, negative feelings of guilt
helps make judgements of right and wrong
acts in opposition to the id, helping the ego re-channel immoral id impulses
if ego is seen to allow and bad instinctual demands, superego turns against the ego
What is the EGO
the executive part of the personality (planning, thinking, organising)
operates according to the reality principle with related secondary process thinking
as the child develops it still wants things but is more aware of the relevant social realities
What is the ID
The storehouse of instinctual energy
the source of all cravings (food, sex, warmth, etc.)
Freud thought only the ID is present in babies
the pleasure principle with related primary process thinking operates the ID
no sense of delayed gradification
What makes up the structure of personality
Id, Ego, Super ego
what activities involve a mixture of primary and secondary thinking
daydreaming, imaginative thought, creative activities and emotional thinking
what is the difference between the pleasure principle and the reality principle
pleasure principle is an innate primitive instinct
reality principle is learnt as we grow up
what is secondary process thinking
rational thought and is governed by the reality principle
characteristic of conscious and preconscious
What is primary process thinking
our irrational thinking governed by the pleasure principle - an urge to have our dreams met
dreams represent primary process thinking
What are the 2 main elements to dreams
Manifest content - description of the dream as recalled by the dreamer, unreliable as we unconsciously censor some of the true meaning to avoid becoming too disturbed by the recall
Latent content - must be identified and interpreted by analyst, (eg analyse dream diaries kept by patients)
What are dreams in Freuds theories
A direct route into the unconscious
Why do we keep thoughts in our unconscious
Because of their unacceptable nature (repression)
What are the 3 levels of consciousness
CONSCIOUS THOUGHT – what we are actively aware of at any given time
PRECONSCIOUS THOUGHT – thoughts that are unconscious but can be easily recalled
UNCONSCIOUS MIND – thoughts, feelings, urges or fantasies that we’re unaware of
What are dreams in Freuds theories
A direct route into the unconscious
What is the EGO
the executive part of the personality (planning, thinking, organising)
operates according to the reality principle with related secondary process thinking
as the child develops it still wants things but is more aware of the relevant social realities
what is the latency stage of psychosexual development
4th stage (5-12 years of age)
the resting period
all energies are taken up in socialisation and learning
peer group interaction mainly with same sex
kids learn more about the world and develop defence mechanisms to cope with basic anxieties
