Lesson 4 Flashcards
Who is one of the most famous and influential thinkers in psychology known for psychoanalysis?
Sigmund Freud
What is the main idea of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory?
Behavior is determined by powerful inner forces, most of which are buried in the unconscious mind.
What does the term “psyche” refer to in psychology?
The totality of the human mind, including both conscious and unconscious aspects.
What analogy did Freud use to describe the levels of mental life?
An iceberg, where the conscious mind is the tip, and the unconscious mind is the hidden, larger part.
What are the three levels of the human mental life according to Freud?
Conscious, Preconscious, and Unconscious Mind.
It consists of all mental processes of which you are aware, like feeling hungry and deciding to eat.
conscious mind
It contains thoughts and feelings that are not currently in consciousness but can easily be recalled, like remembering your phone number when asked.
preconscious mind
It consists of mental processes that are inaccessible to consciousness but influence judgments, feelings, and behavior, and it is the primary source of human behavior.
unconscious mind
Why did Freud consider the unconscious mind the most important part of the mind?
Because it contains drives, urges, and instincts that strongly influence feelings, motives, and decisions.
How is the conscious mind represented in Freud’s iceberg analogy?
As the tip of the iceberg, representing present awareness.
What is contained in the preconscious mind according to Freud?
Thoughts and memories that can easily be brought into consciousness.
What characterizes the unconscious mind in Freud’s theory?
Drives, urges, and instincts that are beyond awareness but serve as the source of motivation.
What is a simple way to remember Freud’s levels of mental life?
Conscious = Present Awareness, Preconscious = Available Memory, Unconscious = Beyond Awareness.
What three provinces of the mind did Freud introduce in the 1920s?
The Id, Ego, and Superego.
How do the Ego, Superego, and Id interact with the three levels of mental life?
The Ego has conscious, preconscious, and unconscious components; the Superego is both preconscious and unconscious; the Id is completely unconscious.
The most primitive, chaotic, and completely unconscious part of the mind, driven by basic instincts like sex and aggression.
The Id
What principle governs the Id, according to Freud?
The Pleasure Principle.
Balances the demands of the Id and Superego, serving as the only part of the mind in contact with reality.
The Ego
What principle governs the Ego?
The Reality Principle.
Represents moral and ideal aspects, demanding perfection and punishing the Ego for moral lapses.
The Superego
What principle governs the Superego?
The Moral Principle.
What are the two aspects of the Superego?
Conscience (what one shouldn’t do but does otherwise) and Ego-ideal (what one should do but fails to do).
What happens when the Ego cannot control the Id’s impulses?
It creates neurotic anxiety, which can manifest through phobias, performance anxiety, obsessions, or compulsions
What happens when the Ego is threatened by the Superego?
It creates moral anxiety due to the Superego’s demands for moral behavior.
