Psychoanalysis Flashcards
What is psychoanalysis?
attempting to figure out what goes on in the hidden unconscious recesses of the human mind
The goal of the psychoanalytic approach was initiated by who?
Sigmund Freud
What did Freud believe about humans after experirencing the First World War?
That humans have an agressive and destructive urge that will destroy us all
Freud made a fundamental discovery when practicing psychiatry, what was it?
that when patients talked about their psychological problems, sometimes by itself, it was enough to help of even cure them
What methods did Freud use?
At first he used Hypnosis, then he started using “Free association” which is instructing the patient to say whatever came to mind (also called the TALKING CURE)
What are two reasons why Freud believed the talking cure worked?
1) making thoughts and fears explicit by saying them out loud brins them into conscious where you can deal with them
2) a psychotherapist can provide support during the patients difficult task of trying to figure out whats going on
What does the psychoanalytic approach and the humanistic approach have in common?
The first step in seekiong to understand others is to try to understand your own mind
The technique developed by Frued in which patients talk about difficult topics and say whatever they think if is called what?
Free association
What are the 4 ideas that make up the foundation of psychoanalysis?
Psychic determinism
Internal structure
Psychic conflict
Mental energy
What is Psychic Determinism?
The assumption that everything that happens in a persons mind (what they think and do) has a specific cause. and many important mental processes are unconscious.
This idea leaves no room for miracles, free will, or even random accidents
According to psychoanalytic theories, what are the three parts of the mind?
Id - unconscious that wants everything now
Ego - Rational part that balances Id and Superego
Superego - moral compass
Explain the second key assumption of pychoanalysis: Internal Structure
The mind has an internal structure made of parts that can function independently, and in some cases conflict with each other
Explain the third key assumption of psychoanalysis: Psychic Conflict
The mind is divided into parts that are in conflict with each other, and its the ego’s job to fix this.
What is Compromise Formation
The main job of the ego, which is to find a compromise between the id and superego. The result of the compromise is what the individual consciously thinks and actually does
Explain the fourth key assumption of psychoanalysis: Mental Energy
The apparatus of the mind needs energy to make it go. The kind of energy required is called Libido, which is sometimes called mental or psychic energy. Only a fixed and finite amount is available at any given moment
eg. energy spent doing one thing, such as pushing uncomfortable thoughts out of memory, is unavailable for other purposes
Why is the Life drive (Libido) also referred to as the Sexual Drive?
Sex is simply life and its necessary for the creation of children
What is the Death Drive?
Thanatos - the drive towards death and destruction. In the end, everybody dies
What is the doctrine of opposites?
This doctrine states that everything requires its opposite. Lifer requires death, happpiness requires sadness, and so forth.
When trying to understand the workings and the development of the human mind, Freud gives us advice, what is it?
“Follow the energy,” meaning psychic energy is both necessary and minited, so the story of where it goes tends to be the story of what is really happening
In Freuds view, __________ ___________ is the story of how life energy (libido) becomes invested and then redireced over an individuals early years
Psychosexual Development
What are the stages of psychosexual development?
Oral, Anal, Phallic, and Genetial
Each stage of the psychosexual develoment has three aspects, what are they?
1) Physical Focus = enery is concentrated and gratification is obtained
2) Psychological theme
3) Adult character type = being fixated in that particular stage
Describe the Oral stage of development
A newborn baby cant do anything well except for sucking. The mouth is the first place where psychic energy (libido) is focused. From birth to 18 months
What is a psychological theme of the oral stage?
Dependency = a baby is dependant on others for everything needed to live
What might happen if the caretakers of a baby are uncaring, incompetent, or irresponsible when taking care of a baby?
If this happens, a baby might develop a basic mistrust of other people and never be able to deal adequately with dependency relationships. The idea of depending on other people or being abandoned will upset them.
What happens when a babys needs are so fulfilled instantly and automatically that it never occurs to the baby that the world could respond differently?
Any issue that comes up in the babys later lifre involving dependency and activity might cause anxiety
Children who grew up to be _______ tended to have been raised by parents who were excessivly _____ or showered them with too much _______.This is why having an in-between parenting style is important.
Narcisists: cold: admiration
The adult personality type that Freud thought resulted from extreme childhood experience at this state is the _____ __________. describe the two extremes.
Oral Character
1) independent ouls who refuse help from everyone
2) passive individuals who wait around for ships to come in and do little to better their situations
