Freud Flashcards
Self and Society
Outline some facts about Freud
Born in Freiburg, Moravia in 1856
Lived most of his life in Vienna, Austria
1st of 8
Studied Medicine, Academic Physiology, Neurology
Studied with Charcot − Hypnosis for nervous system illnesses (esp. Hysteria)
With Breur − The “Talking Cure” …psychoanalysis.
He liked to write: 21 books between 1900-1931
Both parents Jewish so was Driven out of Austria by the Nazis in 1938
• Died in London in 1939.
What are the 3 areas of the mind according to Freud?
Conscious- material we are aware of at any given time
Preconscious- currently unconscious thoughts that we could recall quite easy, quite quickly e.g. what we had for breakfast, what time we arrived etc.
Unconscious: memories, urges, fantasies we are unaware of due to their unacceptable nature e.g. aggressive urges.
Outline the ways to access the unconcious according to Freud:
Repression links to unconscious- keeps them out of consciousness- protects us and the EGO to stop anxiety from conflict between the ego and superego
Repression could weaken overtime so unconsciousness becomes conscious e.g. through dreams, stress. Mental illness, intoxication. A lot of drugs and alcohol are disinhibitors…
Dreams are “the royal road” to the unconscious
They preserve sleep by representing our wishes as fulfilled
What did Freud say was the purpose of dreams?
Dreams are “the royal road” to the unconscious
They preserve sleep by representing our wishes as fulfilled
e. g. desires that are unacceptable
e. g. Worries or stresses that are solved in a dream.
representing these desires through dreams mean our sleep can be better preserved as we’re no longer to solve our problems as it is fixed in the dream.
Dreams difficult to test, also people lie…probably not scientifically valid- how could we test it…
What is Latent content?
dreams censor real meanings of unconscious. Dreams are symbolic and require a skilled psychotherapist to analyse these dreams.
e.g. Snakes and knives are penis
Staircase or ladders represent sexual intercourse
Freud used dreams to explore unconscious conflicts; get patients to record dream diaries during sessions Freud wold interpret the manifest content to uncover the latent content of dreams so he could access the unconscious mind.
What is manifest content?
how you/I might recall our dreams
What are the sources of human motivation acording to Freud?
Freud assumed each child born with fixed amount of mental energy called the Libido, this will, after development, become the basis of adult sexual drives
1) Hunger and pain:
2) sexual drives (libido) humans born with a fixed amount of mental energy- pushes us through life- end goal to reproduce
3) death instinct: humans are self-destructive, wiping oneself out- thought this was the reason of the 1st world war.
Human motivation emerges by our attempts to satisfy these basic instinctual drives.
What are the psychosexual stages of development?
Oral, anal, phallic, latent, gential
Outline the oral stage of psychosexual development and what issues would occur if fixation was to happen
Oral stage:
Birth to 1 year old
rooting and sucking reflex.
Pleasure and self- gratification acquired by the mouth- satisfaction= sense of trust for the infant.
Fixation: eating disorder, smoking, alcoholism
Outline the Anal stage of psychosexual development and what issues would occur if fixation was to happen?
Anal Stage: 18mnths-3 years
Focus or holding or eliminating waste
Toilet training is important here, too early or too late and conflicts can occur causing anal fixation.
Fixation at this stage; stingy, Obsessive complusive (anally retentive) or anally expulsive (disorganised in life)
Outline the phallic stage of psychosexual development and why this is an important stage to development. and what problems fixation causes.
Phallic stage: 3-5 years Preoccupation around the gential area Oedipus,castration anxiety in boys Girls: penis envy, Elctra complex, -convinced mother castrated them- castration anxiety doesn't fully resolve Self-identification with parents
Fixation: problems maintaining relationships
Outline the Latent stage of psychosexual development and why fixation at this stage is a problem.
Latency stage:
5-12 years
Social growth and social activities
Identification with same sex is important
Development of defence mechnaisms
Essential stage for acquiring skills necessary for integrating into society
Fixation at this stage: poor self-confidence, poor self esteem leading to difficulties with social interaction
Outline the genital stage of psychosexual development.
Genital stage −
12-18 years. −
Physical, emotional, and sexual development.
Usually stick with same sex groups, until the “need” for interaction with the opposite sex.
Dating and establishing relationships.
At what age did freud think the adult personality had formed?
5
What did freud think were the 3 eleemtns of the psyche?
Id, Ego and Superego
The three elements interact.
• Conflicts can be observed as symptoms of mental upset or disturbance, also called “intra-psychic conflict”