Lesson 2 (Chapter 1) Flashcards
What is developmental theory?
A developmental theory provides us with a systematic statement of principles and general ideas that describe and explain behavior and development. In this way, developmental theories provide us with a framework for understanding development, or how and why people change as they move through their lives. Theories also typically allow for the asking of specific questions that may be tested empirically by research.
What are psychoanalytic theorists?
Psychoanalytic theorists view human behavior and development in terms of unconscious drives and motivations. This is to say that they believe there are things ‘inside of us’ that we are unaware of but that nevertheless have an impact on our thoughts and actions, and on our development more generally.
Why was Sigmund Freud such a notable psychoanalytic theorist?
Trained as a neurologist, Freud became interested in treating various serious symptoms which at the time were thought to b suffered only by women. The condition was referred to as hysteria, and medical professionals at that time, predominantly male, believed that the causes to this condition were physical. Basically, the thinking was that it was by virtue of being a woman that a person was susceptible to this condition. The treatment was surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries, or hysterectomy. Freud did not believe that the cause for this condition was physical so he thought there could be a mental or psychological explanation.
What did Freud learn when studying with hypnosis?
When in a trance-like (hypnotic) state: - People are able to remember things that otherwise were unavailable to them - often, what are most unlikely to e recalled when fully conscious and likely to be recalled under hypnosis are memories rom early in life that are emotion-laden, meaning that the events which comprise the memory have a strong emotion tied to them - Once these events are remembered and the emotions linked to them are experienced, the symptoms vanish (in instances where hypnosis was being used as a form of treatment). *Thus it seems that powerful, ‘unavailable’ memories are a ‘cause.’
What was the solution Freud came up with to move away from hypnosis?
Free association
What is free association?
A process by which an individual is helped to relax his mind, just as a massage might help him to relax his muscles.
Freud’s use of free association
Freud would have the patient lie down on a couch, facing away from him and with very low lighting in the room so that there would be little visual stimulation or distraction for patient. Freud would encourage his patients to relax and close their eyes, then to say anything and everything that might come to mind. In this manner, with the therapist’s help and over time, patients were able to move past the barriers in their minds to gain access to previously inaccessible memories.
What are Freud’s beliefs?
- The cause for everything lies in unconscious memories and/or drives. 2. If these can be brought to consciousness and the emotion associated with them relived, a cure can be achieved. 3. Most of these memories go back to a very early time in life and are sexual in nature.
What were Freud’s proposals?
Freud proposed that the individual is driven by an inborn sexual energy that is centered on various body parts at different points in the lifespan. He coined the term LIBIDO to refer to this inborn entity that houses the individual’s sexual energy. Freud also proposed that adult personality is determined by the manner in which the individual deals with the challenges posed by the sexual drives at each stage.
What were the two main parts of Freud’s theory?
- Stages of psychosexual development - Three components of personality
What are the different ages and stages of psychosexual development:
Oral stage: (birth - 1+ year) Anal stage: (1+ - 3 years) Phallic stage: (3 - 6+ years) Latency stage: (6+ to 11 years) Genital stage: (adolescence - adulthood)
What is the oral stage?
The Oral stage - sexual impulses are centered around the mouth, as evidenced by sucking and the infant’s frequent and persistent efforts to bring things to the mouth, thus creating oral stimulation and physical gratification.
What is the Anal Stage?
Anal Stage - sexual impulses are centered around anal activities. This is the stage in life when children are developing the muscular control necessary for toilet training. According to Freud, there is physical pleasure associated with these experiences. Also during this stage, the child learns delay of gratification, which is the ability to defer one’s gratification, to put off until some later time what you would very much like to do right now. For the young child, here again toilet training becomes very relevant, as it often would feel very good to urinate or have a bowel movement at the moment the urge to do so presents itself, but the child must learn to put off this pleasure until he or she can get to a bathroom.
What is the phallic stage?
Phallic stage - pleasure is derived from the genitals during the phallic stage. Children ‘discover’ their gentians and also discover that touching their genitals is a physically pleasurable experience. Experience during this stage differs for boys and girls. Boys experience the Oedipal Complex, where’s girls experience the Electra Complex.
What is the Oedipal Complex?
The basic idea behind the Oedipal Complex is that the young boy comes to desire his mother all to himself. Since the child understands that his father is a direct competitor for his mother’s affections, the boy’s desire for his mother is accompanied by this wish to be rid of his father. Simply put, the boy’s feelings for his mother grow strong. He is at a stage in his life where he has discovered his genitals in a new way, and he wishes to share in this discovery with his mother, just as he has shared in every discovery with her. Eventually the boy realizes that he cannot have mother all to himself so instead of getting rid of the father, he will become just like him. This is referred to as identification: the boy wishes to be like his father in every way. And if he is successful at emulating his father, perhaps he will grow up to a find a woman just like his mother. Also Develops superego.
