Module 3: Psychosexual Theory

Question 1

Psychosexual Theory

Answer 1

+ by Freud
+ humans were born with a series of innate, biologically based drives such as hunger, sex, and aggression early experiences shaped later functioning
+ people are driven by motives and emotional conflicts of which they are largely unaware that they are shaped by their earliest experiences with the family
+ strongly believes in unconscious motivation
+ states that biological instincts provide unconscious motivations for actions
+ personality formed from unconscious childhood
conflicts between the inborn urges of the id and the
requirements of civilized life
+ stage-oriented
+ reactive

Question 2

How does the psychosexual theory view newborns?

Answer 2

Views newborns as “seething cauldrons”, an inherently selfish creature driven by instincts

Question 3

Instincts

Answer 3

inborn biological factors that motivate behavior

Question 4

Unconscious Motivation

Answer 4

the power of instincts and other inner forces to influence our behavior without awareness

Question 5

How does the psychosexual theory view humans in general?

Answer 5

As selfish and aggressive; it has a negative view of human nature

Question 6

What are the three parts of the brain (according to the psychosexual theory)?

Answer 6

1. ID
2. Ego
3. Superego

Question 7

ID

Answer 7

pleasure principle; impulsive, irrational, selfish, seeks immediate gratification

Question 8

Ego

Answer 8

reality principle; rational, finds realistic ways to gratify instincts

Question 9

When does the ego emerge/develop?

Answer 9

emerges during infancy when psychic energy is diverted from the ID to energize cognitive processes

Question 10

Superego

Answer 10

morality principle; individual’s internalized moral standards

Question 11

When does the superego develop?

Answer 11

it develops from the ego when 3-6 years old internalize the moral standards and values of their parents

Question 12

When does a person achieve a healthy personality (according to the psychosexual theory)?

Answer 12

when the person achieves a balance of the ID, ego, and superego

Question 13

When do psychological problems arise (according to the psychosexual theory)?

Answer 13

psychological problems arise when the individual’s supply of psychic energy is unevenly distributed

Question 14

Fixation

Answer 14

arrest in development that can show up in the adult personality; libido remains tied to an earlier stage of development

Question 15

Oral Fixation

Answer 15

may grow up to become nail-biters or smokers; may overeat, pica, nail biting, thumb sucking

Question 16

Anal Fixation

Answer 16

may be obsessively clean, rigidly tied schedules and routines, or defiantly messy

Question 17

What are the psychosexual stages?

Answer 17

1. Oral
2. Anal
3. Phallic
4. Latency
5. Genitals

Question 18

Oral Stage

Answer 18

+ Mouth
+ experience anxiety and the need to defend against it if denied oral gratification by not being fed on demand or being weaned too early

Question 19

Anal

Answer 19

+ anus
+ toilet training era

Question 20

What are two types of anal fixation?

Answer 20

1. Anal-Retentive
2. Anal-Expulsive

Question 21

Anal-Retentive

Answer 21

perfectionist, orderly, tidy

Question 22

Anal-Expulsive

Answer 22

lack of self-control, messy, careless

Question 23

Phallic

Answer 23

+ genitals
+ youngsters develop an incestuous desire for the parent of the other sex and must defend against it

Question 24

What are some important terms/concepts under the phallic stage?

Answer 24

1. Oedipus Complex
2. Electra Complex
3. Castration Anxiety
4. Penis Envy

Question 25

Oedipus Complex

Answer 25

loves his mother, fears that his father will retaliate by castrating him, and resolves the conflicts through identification with his father

Question 26

Electra Complex

Answer 26

a girl having desire with her father, seeing her mother as a rival

Question 27

Castration Anxiety

Answer 27

son believes his father knows about his desire for his mother and fears that his father will castrate him

Question 28

Penis Envy

Answer 28

a girl wants a penis as she desires her father

Question 29

Latency

Answer 29

sexual urges sublimated into sports and hobbies

Question 30

Genitals

Answer 30

+ genitals
+ physical sexual urges reawaken repressed needs
+ directed sexual feelings towards others lead to sexual gratification
+ may have difficulty accepting their new sexuality, therefore, reexperiencing conflict towards their parents and distance themselves to defend against anxiety-producing feelings

Question 31

Defense Mechanisms

Answer 31

ego adapts unconscious coping devices

Question 32

Repression

Answer 32

+ unacceptable or unpleasant impulses are pushed back into the unconscious
+ a woman who experienced sexual harassment cannot recall what happened to her

Question 33

Regression

Answer 33

+ behaving as if they were at an earlier stage of development
+ your father throws a tantrum when he was left alone at home

Question 34

Displacement

Answer 34

+ the expression of an unwanted feeling or mere thought is redirected from a more threatening, powerful person to a weaker one
+ an employee shouted at his child after being scolded by his boss

Question 35

Rationalization

Answer 35

+ people distort reality in order to justify something that has happened
+ a swimming athlete who lost her competition took her loss as something she expected anyways, and she did not want the trophy

Question 36

Denial

Answer 36

+ people refuse to accept or acknowledge an anxiety producing piece of information
+ a widow never accepted that her husband died in an accident

Question 37

Projection

Answer 37

+ people attribute unwanted impulses and feelings to someone else
+ A woman fat-shamed another woman because she is insecure about her body

Question 38

Sublimation

Answer 38

+ people divert unwanted impulses into socially approved thoughts, feelings, or behaviors

Question 39

Reaction-Formation

Answer 39

+ unconscious impulses are expressed as their opposite in consciousness
+ A mother who unconsciously resent her child, acts lovingly consciously