lecture 6 Flashcards
lecture 6 material
What and who were neo-freudian psychologists?
a general term for the psychoanalytically oriented work of many theories and researchers who are influenced by Freud’s theories
- Less emphasis on libido
- Less emphasis on unconscious mental processes and more on conscious thought
- Less emphasis on instinctual drives and more on interpersonal relationships
people:
- Anna Freud
- Bruno Bettelheim
- Harry Stack Sullivan
- Henry Murray
- Alfred Adler
- Carl Jung
- Karen Horney
- Erik Erickson
What were some common themes in Neo-freudian thought?
- Less emphasis on libido
- viewed sex as less important
- view libido as a general motivation towards life and creativity
- Less emphasis on unconscious mental processes and more on conscious thought
- focus on the process during perception and conscious comprehension of reality
- Less emphasis on instinctual drives and mental life as the source of psychological difficulties
- more focus on interpersonal relationships
- modern psychologists would want to know about a persons interpersonal relationships
- freud would be more interested in their childhood and relationship with their parents
What is indivdual psychology?
Alfred Adler
Focuses on the uniqueness of each person
- denied universality of biological motives and goals
- humans are social creatures and personality develops from unique social enviornments and interactions
What are Alfred Adlers main concepts?
his whole thing is that everyone feels inferior as a child, and the quest to overcome these feelings continues to influence as an adult
Inferiority feelings
- infants develop feelings of inferiority, compensating for these feelings is the source of humans striving
Inferiority complex
- inability to overcome inferiority feelings
- basically feeling constantly insecure and less than others
Striving for superiority
- compensation for inferiority; wanting to be superior over others
Masculine protest
- desire of an adult to act and become powerful because of feelings of inferiority as a child; physically weak child wanting to be physically strong as an adult
Social interest
- motivating force in life; the desure to relate positively, be of greater importance, and be equals with other people
What is Alfred Adlers theory of personality development?
Family constellation
- roles occupied by each family member, emphasized by democratic, power sharing roles
Parent-Child relationships
- pampering or neglect
Oldest child
- nuturing, protective, organized
- anxious, feelings of power, fight for acceptance, critical, and uncooperative
Middle child
- motivated, cooperative, competitive
- easily discouraged
Youngest child
- ambitous
- pampered, dependant, wants to excel
Only child
- mature
- feelings of superiority, uncooperative, inflated sense of self, pampered
What is Carl Jungs structure of psyche?
three parts
Psyche is the totality of psychic process; conscious and unconscious
Conscious ego
- center of conscious awareness, percieving, thinking, feeling, and remembering
Personal unconscious
- all thoughts/memories/experiences not being thought of at the moment
- all thoughts/memories/experiences that are repressed because they are threatening
- all thoughts/memories/experiences that center around a particular concept; more elements = greater effect on personality
Collective unconscious
- part of unconsious that is shared by all humans
- He meant that there are patterns and symbols within us –archetypes– from the shared history of humanity. Archetypes, like the “mother earth” help explain why myths, stories, and symbols recur across different cultures and times
What is persona?
one of four most important archetypes
developed overtime as a result of tendency of people to adopt social roles and norms that go along with living with other people
- social mask that people wear in public
- to some degree, is fake to keep real selves private
- if too invested in persona, real self may be lost
What is Animus and Anima?
one of four most important archetypes
Animus: masculine aspect of females unconscious
- women understand/misunderstand men through her animus lens
Anima: feminine aspect of males unconscious
- men understand/misunderstand men through his anima lens
Well developed personality integrates both
- both help shape ones response to the other gender
What is shadow?
one of four most important archetypes
the dark and primitive side of personality
- Instinctual & impulsive aspects of personality repressed in unconscious
- Well developed people learn to incorporate shadow in their persona and express it in socially acceptable manner
What is self?
one of four most important archetypes
seeks harmony in all public/private, masculine/feminine, conscious/unconscuous aspect of personality
- Development of self archetype across generations reflect desire of humans to seek unity and harmony
- Universally represented by the mandala
- Circular machinery
- Failure to achieve balance; overdevelopment of one part of personality at the expense of other
What is synchronicity and what does it mean?
Built on the fact that coincidences are meaningful
- Usually two factors
- unconscious image comes to mind either directly or in dreams
- objective situation coincides with it
- Patient dream of golden scarab
What are the two types of personality?
Introverted
- psychic energy is invested in internal and more personal experience
- less sociable, prefers staying home
Extraverted
- psychic energy is invested in events and objects in external environment
Name and explain the four functions of ego ( four type of thinking )
Sensation: relating to the world through senses
- focuses on concrete, tangible information and direct experience
Thinking: relate to the world through intellect/logic
- decisions making based on logic, analysis, and objective reasoning
Feeling: reacting to the world through affective quality of one’s experiences
- making decisions based on personal values, emotions, and interpersonal considerations
Intuition: deeper more internal sense of understanding/more unconscious
- perceiving possibilities, patterns, and insights beyond immediate sensory data
What did Karen Horney add to the freudian theory?
She offered a feminist version of the theory, emphasizing societal pressures over anatomy as the cause of gender differences
- if some women did wish to be a man, it is because they are more free to persure personal interests
- women may lack confidence because of society, not because of her anatomy.
What is basic hostility?
all infants feel insecure because of helplessness, however, only when parents are neglectful do the feel strong anger and betrayal
What did Karen Horneys theory of basic anxiety claim?
basic anxiety is feeling insecure, helpless, and powerless when individuals find their social enviornmentent, hostile, unfatihful and hostile from parents/household
- adult behaviour is based on efforts to overcome this basic anxiety from childhood; fear of being alone and helpless in a hostile world
- attempts to avoid anxiety can cause neurotic needs; needs other people feel but are not realisitc or desirable
What is womb envy?
male envy of pregnancy, nursing, and motherhood—of women’s primary role in creating and sustaining life—led men to claim their superiority in other fields.
What did Erik Erikson believe about conflict?
not all conflicts are in the unconscious mind, many are conscious
- one might have to choose between two or more things; can lead to pain, but are entirely conscious
What are the stages of psychosocial development?
ego develops as it resolves psychosocial crises that arise in eight developmental stages
three characteristics
- epigenetic principle
- resolution of psychosocial crisis
- acquistion of basic virtues
certain conflicts arise at various stages in life,
- not only childhood, but various psychological changes throughout life
Explain stage 1: trust vs mistrust
birth - 2 years
“Can I trust the people around me?”
- Developing trust leads to a sense of safety and security.
- Inconsistent care fosters mistrust, creating caution and wariness in new situations.
- A balanced outcome leads to a healthy amount of mistrust, fostering self-protection.
- hope develops
Explain stage 2: Autonomy vs shame and doubt
3-4 years
“Can I do things by myself?”
- Encouragement to be independent builds confidence and autonomy.
- Over-criticism or control fosters shame and doubt in one’s abilities.
- Balanced outcome: A sense of autonomy while understanding limitations
- will developed
Explain stage 3: Initiative vs guilt
4-7 years
“Is it okay for me to do things on my own?”
- Freedom to explore and make choices fosters initiative and decision-making skills.
- Over-control leads to guilt over desires and actions.
- Balanced outcome: Developing initiative with a healthy awareness of boundaries
- purpose developed
Explain stage 4: industry vs inferiority
8-12 years
“Can I be successful?”
- Encouragement in tasks builds competence and industry.
- Repeated failure or lack of support creates feelings of inferiority.
- Balanced outcome: A sense of industry with realistic self-assessment.
- competancy developed
Explain stage 5: identity vs role confusion
13+
“Who am I, and where do I fit in?”
- Exploration and self-discovery lead to a clear identity.
- Lack of direction or support creates confusion about one’s role.
- Balanced outcome: A strong sense of self and personal values.
- Fidelity developed
Explain stage 6: intimacy vs isolation
young adulthood
“Can I build meaningful relationships?”
- Close relationships and commitment foster intimacy.
- Fear of rejection or self-centeredness leads to isolation.
- Balanced outcome: Forming bonds while maintaining a sense of independence
- love developed
Explain stage 7: generativity vs stagnation
mid adulthood
“Am I contributing to the world?”
- Helping others and productive work create a sense of generativity.
- Lack of purpose or productivity leads to stagnation.
- Balanced outcome: A sense of contributing to society with personal fulfillment.
- care developed
Explain stage 8: Integrity vs despair
late adulthood
“Did I live a meaningful life?”
- Reflecting on life with satisfaction leads to integrity and acceptance.
- Regret or dissatisfaction leads to despair and fear of death.
- Balanced outcome: Peace with life choices while acknowledging imperfections
- wisdom developed
What is the object relations theory?
emphazies impact of early relationships on personality development and adulthood
objects
- internal representation of important people and self
- doesnt always match reality
- we feel mixed emotions towards objects
- we may love parts of the object, but it doesnt mean we love the object
object integration
- see others as complex
split-object image
- overly simplistic view of others
basic fault
- occurs when a child grows up feeling unconnected with their mother
Good object relations (when the infant experiences consistent care and comfort) allows the child to develop a stable and positive self-image, as well as healthy relationships with others.
Poor object relations (when care is inconsistent or neglectful) can lead to insecurity, mistrust, and difficulty in forming stable relationships later in life.
What was melanie Kleins take on the object relations theory?
Klein emphasized the importance of managing internal conflicts, like love and aggression, in forming healthy relationships
- Klein believed that from birth, infants relate to objects or people, often the mother or a favourite toy.
The most important objet for an infant is their mothers breasts
- can be good or bad; they fail to understand that good or bad can be the same object
How did Melanie Klein split objects into good and bad parts?
splitting breasts; good and bad breast
good breast = feeds and nourishes
bad breast = witholds and prosecutes
Paranoid position: not able to integrate good and bad parts
Depressive position: integrates good and bad, creates ambivalence
Good parenting: should allow child to navigate these stages successfully and be able to heal the split realizing that good and bad parts make the whole person
What is Winnicotts take on the object relation theory?
- Winnicott introduced the concept of the “good-enough mother,” emphasizing that a caregiver does not need to be perfect but should be responsive enough to meet the infant’s needs.
- A “good-enough mother” allows the infant to experience both presence and slight absence, fostering resilience and a sense of independence.
- He also highlighted the idea of the “transitional object,” such as a blanket or toy, which helps infants manage the transition from dependency to autonomy by providing comfort in the mother’s absence.
What is the purpose of the object relations theory?
- Minimize discrepancies between true and false selves
- Help the client see important people in his life the way they actually are
- helping patients improve their relationships by changing how they function internally and experience interactions with others.
What are attachment styles?
expectations people develop about relationships, based on the relationship they had with their primary caregiver when they were infants.
- basically how childhood experiences affect our adulthood
What are the characteristics of a secure attachment style?
As a child
- able to seperate from parent
- seeks comfort from parent
- return of parent is met with positive emotions
- prefers parents to strangers
As an adult
- trusting, long lasting relationships
- good self-esteem
- open about feelings
- seek out social support
What are the characteristics of an avoidant attachmenet style?
As a child
- may avoid parents
- does not seek comfort from parents
- little or no preferance between parent and stranger
As an adult
- intamcy problems
- invest little emotion in social relationships
- unable/unwulling to share feelings with others
What are the characteristics of an ambivalent/anxious attachmenet style?
As a child
- wary of strangers
- greatly distressed when parent leaves
- not comforted when parent returns
As an adult
- reluctant to become close with others
- worry their partner does not love them
- become very distright when relationship ends
What is the strange situation study?
measures the relationship between mother and child
experiment:
- mom plays with child in room for several minutes
- mom then leaves for a couple minutes
- watch for childs reaction when mother leaves
- watch for childs reaction when the mother returns
- after both reactions observed, sort into secure, avoidant or ambivalent attachment style
what are some current forms of psychoanalyitc research
- Influence of Psychoanalysis: Westen (1998)
- Independent and simultaneous mental processes that can conflict
- Unconscious mental processes
- Compromises among mental processes negotiated outside of
consciousness - Self-defensive thoughts and self-deception
- The influence of the past on current functioning
- The influence of sexual or aggressive wishes
What is perceptual defense?
- he unconscious can perceive things without the conscious mind’s awareness to prevent anxiety
- Recognition of “dirty” versus neutral words (McGinnies, 1949).
emotionally charged words shown very briefly, participants might say, “I can’t read that word,” although physiological reaction recorded - Looked at critical words longer before acknowledging recognition
- Recognition of “dirty” versus neutral words (McGinnies, 1949).
What is uncoscious thought?
- Dual process model
- Defenses and Catharsis
- Traits associated with having an anal or oral character correlate with each other as theorized.
