inner drives

Question 1

defense mechanisms: repression

Answer 1

pushing uncomfortable thoughts away / out of consciousness (e.g. childhood trauma is never thought about again)

Question 2

defense mechanisms: denial

Answer 2

consciously avoiding painful experience by not acknowledging it (e.g. somebody dies, person insists it isn’t true)

Question 3

defense mechanisms: projection

Answer 3

projecting our own unacceptable qualities on others, putting your own insecurities on others, often reveals insecurities and inner conflicts (e.g.: cheats on partner: “maybe they’re cheating on me?”)

Question 4

defense mechanisms: rationalization

Answer 4

justifying behaviour by making up reasons, reducing anxiety by generating acceptable explanations (“I don’t pay taxes because I don’t want to support this cause”) people recognize the existence of an action but distort its underlying motive. Behavior is reinterpreted so that it appears reasonable and acceptable.

Question 5

defense mechanisms: intellectualization

Answer 5

removing emotional aspect of threats by collecting knowledge instead of how you feel (e.g.: loved one has cancer -> does research on cancer to not worry as much)

Question 6

defense mechanisms: reaction formation

Answer 6

• the individual defends against expression of an unacceptable impulse by only recognizing and expressing its opposite. This defense is evident in socially desirable behavior that is rigid, exaggerated, and inappropriate. reduces anxiety by taking up the opposite feeling, impulse, or behavior.
  
  • An example of reaction formation would be treating someone you strongly dislike in an excessively friendly manner in order to hide your true feelings.

Question 7

defense mechanisms: regression

Question 8

defense mechanisms: displacement

Answer 8

taking out emotions towards one object against different object (e.g.: angry at parents but fights with sibling instead because there will be less severe consequences)

Question 9

defense mechanisms: sublimation

Answer 9

channeling of unacceptable instincts into socially acceptable activities; learning to express / relieve impulses in acceptable way (e.g. yelling instead of punching (?))
definition part 2 but check again which mechanism this definition below belongs to:
In this relatively complex defense mechanism, the original object of gratification is replaced by a higher cultural goal that is far removed from a direct expression of the instinct. Whereas the other defense mechanisms meet the instincts head on and, by and large, prevent discharge, in sublimation, the instinct is turned into a new and useful channel. (maybe this is regression)

Question 10

defense mechanisms: isolation

Answer 10

• the impulse, thought, or act is not denied access to consciousness, but it is denied the normal accompanying emotion. the act of creating a mental or cognitive barrier around threatening thoughts and feelings, isolating them from other cognitive processes.
  
  • For example, a woman may experience the thought or fantasy of strangling her child without any associated feelings of anger. The result of using the mechanism of isolation is intellectualization, an emphasis on thought over emotion and feel- ing, and the development of logic-tight compartments.

Question 11

defense mechanisms: undoing

Answer 11

People who use the defense mechanism of isolation also often use the mechanism ofundoing. Here, the individual magically undoes one act or wish with another.

Question 12

what are the 2 main assumptions of freud’s conception

Answer 12

• motivational determinism, meaning that no behavior is accidental. everything is determined by mental motivational cues
• these causes are outside of a person’s awareness. they’re unconscious

Question 13

what are the 4 components of the topographical model of the mind?

Answer 13

• the conscious: instantly aware of thoughts
• the preconscious: memories and thoughts that are not directly in our conscience but can easily be remembered and brought to the conscious
• the unconscious: not available to us. content is most of the time threatening therefore it is kept beyond our awareness.
• ways to the unconscious: dreams, free association, projective techniques

Question 14

what are ways for us to regain access to the unconscious?

Answer 14

dreams
free association
projective techniques

Question 15

what is the structural model of personality made up of

Answer 15

ID: functions entirely in unconscious, pleasure principle, primitive, biological urges
EGO: moderator between ID and SUPEREGO, understands urges of the id but also morals/values of the superego. develops in first 2 years of life. reality principle
example: finding money on the street, wanting to keep it (id), but knowing you should not steal (superego)
SUPEREGO: stems from values of parents. divided into ego ideal (whoa re you trying to be”) and conscious

Question 16

ID– what level of consciousness is it at? what principle is it driven by? what is it?

Answer 16

-unconscious
- pleasure principle : increases in tension from internal and external stimulation creates tension the Id cannot tolerate; tendency to reduce tension. need it now.
- biological urges

Question 17

Ego–what level of consciousness is it at? what principle is it driven by? what is it?

Answer 17

• ?
• reality principle: external reality
• secondary processing
• more info on this

Question 18

Superego– what level of consciousness is it at? what principle is it driven by? what is it?

Answer 18

• ?
• ?
• divided into ego ideal and consciousness
• more info

Question 19

what are the 3 drives of personality

Answer 19

Drive: biological need and psychological representation
Libido/eros: life instincts, what you do to stay alive. eating, reproducing etc
Thanatos: death instincts, desire to return to nothingness, resulting in destructive/aggressive behavior

Question 20

primary process thinking

Answer 20

direct, irrational, reality ignoring attempts to satisfy needs, eg mental images

Question 21

hydraulic model

Answer 21

pressure builds up if we don’t express desires

Question 22

3 types of anxiety

Answer 22

-reality/objective anxiety
- neurotic anxiety
- moral anxiety

Question 23

reality/objective anxiety

Answer 23

direct external threat
fix it by avoiding, escaping or dealing with the situation

Question 24

Neurotic anxiety

Answer 24

• conflict between ego and id; unconscious fear of punishment when Id goes out of control: when going against moral expectations or following spontaneous urges/impulses,
  
  • e.g. urge to push someone out a window
  • Neurosis: results in distortions and displacements; eg fears become symbolic

Question 25

moral anxiety

Answer 25

• conflict between ego and superego: fear about violation of own moral code, unrealistic expectations to live up to high standards set by an overly powerful superego
  
  • e.g. cheating on exam

Question 26

freudian slip

Answer 26

slips of tongues that may be unconsciously motivated by impulses that the individual is too afraid to express directly and openly, reveal underlying wishes

Question 27

what’s the difference between regression in terms of defense mechanisms and in terms of psychosexual development

Answer 27

in psychosexual: regression is reversion to an earlier stage in face of unmanageable stress

Question 28

in terms of psychosexual development what is a fixation

Answer 28

conflict between the psychosexual stages (e.g. too much energy was invested into one stage). Manifests in adult life for example as how we deal with stress.

Question 29

stages of psychosexual development

Answer 29

Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latency
Genital

Question 30

Oral stage

Answer 30

• 0-18 months
  substages
• incorporative: dependent on others, dependent on their approval,… results in optimism, trust
• sadistic: pessimism, distrust
  During the oral stage, the infant’s primary source of interaction occurs through the mouth, so the rooting and sucking reflex is especially important.The mouth is vital for eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation through gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking. Because the infant is entirely dependent upon caretakers (who are responsible for feeding the child), the childalso develops a sense of trust and comfort through this oral stimulation. The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process–the child must become less dependent upon caretakers. If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the individual would have issues with dependency oraggression.
  Oral fixation : can result in problems with drinking, eating, smoking, or nail-biting.

Question 31

anal stage

Answer 31

• 18 mo. - 3 y. child discovers society’s rules (around body -> toilet training. depending on the training can determine personality. if goes wrong: stingy, anxious)
  
  • Conflict: immediate tension reduction vs self control
  • During the anal stage, Freud believed that the primary focus of thelibido
    was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. The major conflict at this stage is toilet training—the child has to learn to control their bodily needs. Developing this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.
  • If parents take an approach that is too lenient, Freud suggested that ananal-expulsive personalitycould develop in which the individual has a messy, wasteful, or destructive personality.
  • If parents are too strict or begin toilet training too early, Freud believed that ananal-retentive personalitydevelops in which the individual is stringent, orderly, rigid, and obsessive.

Question 32

Phallic stage

Answer 32

• 3 y - 6 y. child has first awareness of genitals and sexual desires, develops interest in opposite gender, usually parent.
  
  • Freud also believed that boys begin to view their fathers as a rival for the mother’s affections.The Oedipus complexdescribes these feelings of wanting to possess the mother and the desire to replace the father. However, the child also fears that he will be punished by the father for these feelings, a fear Freud termedcastration anxiety (afraid dad will take away their “dominance”, so suppress desires for mum)
  • The termElectra complexhas been used to describe a similar set of feelings experienced by young girls. Freud, however, believed that girls instead experiencepenis envy.
  • (Superego develops during phallic stage!)

Question 33

latency stage

Answer 33

tarting with puberty: genital stage. sexual desires become less selfish (narcissistic) suppress urges from previous stage, self centered

Question 34

genital stage

Answer 34

rest of life, able to have sexual satisfaction as adult, care for others

Question 35

3 components of dreams

Answer 35

• Unconscious impulses: reveal personality the most
• Manifest content: storyline of dream (what it shows)
• Latent content: conscious desire - hidden within manifest content (what it means)

Question 36

dreams ; manifest content

Question 37

dreams ; latent content

Question 38

traumatic events will eventually be reflected through ____ even after being repressed

Answer 38

anxiety

Question 39

difference between catharsis and hydraulic model

Answer 39

HD: pressure builds up if we don’t express desires
catharsis: emotional tension build up gets released
but what is the core difference?

Question 40

criticisms on freud’s theories

Answer 40

• no scientific backup, difficult to prove or disprove
• based mostly on anecdotal data, his own experience and small and biased sample (own patients) -> not representable
• theories often based on metaphors, don’t know when he’s literal or using figure of speech
• he himself said some theories can be changed or altered but never specified which ones

but why do we learn about him?

• > laid foundations for psychology
• > some aspects still relevant (e.g. theory of the unconscious)
• > today’s research still sort of based on his theories