Psychoanalytic Approaches to Personality: Contemporary Issues Flashcards
neo-analytic movement
- many of Freud’s ideas are not relevant today
- some incorporated into the contemporary version of psychoanalysis
- psychoanalysis is considered a thoery containing ideas inspired by Freud, BUT modified and advanced by others
- less about id, ego and superego, or repressed sexuality
- focus is on children relationships and adult conflicts with others
contemporary psychoanalysis, based on 5 postulates
1 unconscious plays a large role in life, BUT is not ubiquitous as Freud believed
2. B reflects compromises in conflict between mental processes
3. childhood plays an important role in personality dev; particularly in shaping adult relationship styles
4 mental representations of self and others guide interactions with others
5. personality dev involves regulating sexual and aggressive feelings, and moving from an immature socially dependent way of relating to others to a mature independent relationship styles
Carl Jung
- go to slides to find important dates
tensions between Jung and Freud
The Psychology of the Unconscious
- critical of Freud, placed a strain on their relationship
- by 1914, Jung resigned and withdrew from the psychoanalytic association
- 1913-1916 went through emotional crisis, led to a spark of creativity
- allowed him to establish Analytic Psychology
analytic psychology
- emphasizes complex interplay between oppositional forces within psyche and the ways in which these internal conflicts affect personality development
- libido generalized life energy of which sex was only part
- no place for an Oedipus complex
- shaped by the past and by our goals, hopes and aspirations
- personality not fully determined by age 6
- sex plays a minimal role in motivation
psyche
construct to represent all of the interacting systems within human personality that are needed to account for the mental life and B of the person
structural components of the psyche
- personal unconscious
- material that once was conscious but has been forgotten or suppressed
- complexes - collective unconscious
- deepest level of psyche which contains inherited experiences of human and pre human species
- archetypes
structural components of the psyche: ego
force in the personality responsible for feelings of identity and continuity
structural components of the psyche: persona
- causes people to present only part of their personality to the public
- the mask we present and let others see
structural components of the psyche: self
leads people to search for ways of maximizing dev of their multifaceted potentials
structural components of the psyche: shadow
provides us with the tendency to be immoral and aggressive
structural components of the psyche: anima
provides the female component of the make personality
structural components of the psyche: animus
provides the masculine component of the female personality
operation of the psyche: principles of opposites
the energy that propels personality and B is derived from interplay between opposite forces within the psyche
operation of the psyche: principle of equivalence
energy expended in one part of the psyche will be compensated for by and equal amount of energy in another part of the psyche
operation of the psyche: principle of entropy
energy is automatically redistributed in the psyche in order to achieve equilibrium
psychological types theory: introversion vs extraversion
opposing attitudes refelcting the direction of the libido
extravert:
- libido directed outside the self
- strongly influenced by forces in the environment
- is sociable and self confident
introvert:
- libido directed inward
- resistant to external influences
- introspective, less confident in relations with others and the external world, less sociable
functions: rational vs irrational
rational:
- modes of making udgments or evaluations of events in the world (thinking and feeling)
irrational functions
- modes of apprehending the world without evaluating it (sensing and intuition)
irrational functions: sensing
initial, concrete experiencing of phenomena without teh use of reason
rational functions: thinking
helps us understand events through the use of reason and logic
rational functions: feeling
evaluation of events by judging whether they are good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable
irrational functions: intuiting
relying on hunches when dealing with strange situations that have no established facts
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Where do we get out energy?
- extraversion - introversion
How do we take in info?
- sensing - intuition
How do we make decisions?
- thinking - feeling
How do we organize our world?
- judging - perceiving
theory of psychological types
- 8 types based on a combination of attitudes and functions
1. extraverted thinking type
2. introverted thinking type
3. extraverted feeling type
4. introverted feeling type
5. extraverted sensing type
6. introverted sensing type
7. extraverted intuitive type
8. introverted intuitive type
extraverted thinking type
- characterized positively by an ability to organize masses of facts into a coherent theory
- negatively by a selfish and exploitative attitude towards others
introverted thinking type
- characterized positively by imagination and an ability to think originally and boldly
- negatively by social ineptness
extraverted feeling type
- characterized positively by an acceptance of the standards of society
- negatively by a change in emotions from situation to situation
introverted feeling type
- characterized positively by intense feelings of sympthay for others who have experienced misfortune
- negatively by shyness and inaccessibility
extraverted sensing type
- characterized positively by an appreication for the arts
- negatively by crude pleasure seeking
introverted sensing type
- characterized positively by intensity of subjective sensations
- negatively by oversensitivity and obtuseness
extraverted intuitive type
- characterized positively by a quick grasp of the creative possibilities in various ventures
- negatively by impatience and flightiness
introverted intuitive type
- characterized positively by the ability to envision future
- negatively inability to communicate effectively with others
Alfred Adler: individual psychology
- understanding B of each person as a complex, organized entity operating within society
- believed that not being able to integrate groups was maladaptive
- refer to notebook page ___
struggle for perfection
teleological position (importance of how to get goal)
- belief that goals determine B; B is directed and shaped by a designing force; things have purpose and meaning
fictional finalism (guiding self-ideal)
- imagined goal that guides a person’s B, “How will I get there?”
superiority - strive for greatness
- striving to attain perfection against ourselves
Adler’s major lifestyle choice
- ruling type
- person who strives for personal superiority by trying to exploit and control others - getting type
- person attains personal goals by relying indiscriminately on others for help - avoiding type
- person who lacks the confidence to confront problems and avoids or ignores them - socially useful type
- person who actively and courageously confronts and solves their problems in accordance with social interest
social interest
adaptive purpose, we need the group to help us emotionally and physically
- innate potential to cooperate with others to achieve personal and societal goals
- developed through learning experiences in infancy
organ inferiority
biologically based “defect” that gives rise to feelings of inadequacy
inferiority complex
- condition that devlops when a person is unable to compensate for normal feelings of inferiority
- fixation where we believe we are inferior
masculine protest
attempts by person (male/female) to compensate for normal feelings of inferiority by acting as though superior to others
overcompensation
exaggerated attempts by an individual to overcome their feelings of inferiority by acting as though they are personally superior to others
style of life
individual’s individual’s distinctive personality pattern which is shaped by the end of early childhood
creative self
people can actively create their own destinies and personalities
development of problems of life
- societal or communal life - we must learn to affirm our fundamental connections to others
- work: people need to learn how to do things, to take responsibility for their actions and to contribute to society through work
- love: people must treat their loved ones with respect and dignity
parental influence in early childhood: mother
- loves her children
- teaches them the skills necessary to secure their welfare
- dissatisfied with her - preoccupied with trying to prove her own personal superiority by showing off children
parental influence in early childhood: father
- must prove that he is a worthwhile human being
- by contributing to the welfare of his spouse, his children and his society
birth order
- relation between birth order and personality because of how one = treated in relation to others in the family
1. first born - understand the importance of power, dominance, and intellectual achievement
2. second born - more likely to be rebellious and highly competitive
3. youngest born - family members tend to spoil them
4. only born - more likely to lack social competence
Karen Horney
- psychoanalytic social theory
- early feminist, stressed importance of culture
- modern culture = based on competition between individuals
- “everyone is a real or potential competitor of everyone else”
- feeling of being alone in world
- intense need for affection, fundamentally loved and cared for
- refer to notebook page ___
feminism and psychoanalysis
- believed psychoanalysis views of women were skewed (penis envy? womb envy?)
- differences between males/females = result of society
- basic anxiety at the core of male and female conflict
- “standards of masculinity and feminity = artificial, according to Horney”
- “fear of success” - accounts for gender differences in response to competition and achievement situations
ego psychology
- shift in focus from id to ego
- emphasizes the role of identity which is experienced by a person as a sense of self
- ego that is not allowed to develop = fractured
- ego involved in
1. mastering the environment, achieving goals, establishing identity
2. establishing secure identity (sense of self)
Erik Erikson - ego psychology
- emphasized ego as powerful and indepednent part of personality
- difficulty establishing an identity produces identity crisis
- Erikson argued that personality development occurs throughout life
- challenges at each stage were social, rather than sexual
Erikson’s 8 stages of development
- trust vs mistrust
- autonomy vs shame and doubt
- initiative vs guilt
- industry vs inferiority
- identity vs role confusion
- intimacy vs isolation
- generativity vs stagnation
- integrity vs despair
Erikson’s 8 stages of development: trust vs mistrust
infant must develop trust in the environment
Erikson’s 8 stages of development: autonomy vs shame and doubt
autonomy
- desire to do things for the self
feelings of shame and doubt
- can’t trust environment, overdependence on others, low self-esteem, lack of self-efficacy
Erikson’s 8 stages of development: initiative vs guilt
initiative
- ambition and goal seeking
guilt
- due to excessive criticism
Erikson’s 8 stages of development: industry vs inferiority
industry
- feeling as if they can work to achieve what they want to develop competence and achievement
inferiority
- experience little success or support
Erikson’s 8 stages of development: identity vs role confusion
identity
- deciding who to be in transition to adulthood
role confusion
- lack of sense of a future adult path
Marcia’s steps to identity
- identity diffusion
- identity foreclosure
- moratorium
- identity achievement
Erikson’s 8 stages of development: intimacy vs isolation
intimacy
- need to develop relationships that are mutually satisfying and intimate
isolation
- lack of close friends, separation from family and loneliness
Erikson’s 8 stages of development: generativity vs stagnation
generativity
- positive impact, contributing to the world
stagnation
- feeling stuck, unproductive, lacking sense of purpose
Erikson’s 8 stages of development: integrity vs despair
integrity
- looking back at a life well lived
despair
- regretting choices
narcissism
- inflated self-admiration and constant attempts to draw attention to self
- keep others focused on self
narcissism paradox
- appear to have high self-esteem
- they have doubts about their worth as a person
object relations theory
- emphasizes social relationships and their origins in childhood
- assumptions….
assumptions of object relations theory
- internal wishes, desires, and urges of a child = not as important as developing relationships with significant others, especially parents
- others (particularly mother) become internalized by the child in form of mental objects
- first social attachments that infant develops form prototypes for all future meaningful relationships
Early childhood attachments: Harlow
- attachment with infant monkeys
- “mother” that provided comfort and warmth was prioritized over the mother who simply provided food
Early childhood attachments: Bowlby
- separation anxiety
- proximity seeking B = survival response
- internal working models
1. positivity and love = secure
2. unloved and rejected = avoidant
3. angry and confused = resistant
Ainsworth’s strange situation
- secure
- avoidant
- ambivalent-insecure
- disorganized and reactive stules (less common, often due to trauma)
adult relationships
- investigation of whether the attachment stule developed in childhood is related to adult romantic relationship style
- 3 adult relationship styles are
1. secure
2. avoidant
3. ambivalent-insecure
secure attachment
- capable of genuine intimacy in relationships
- signs: empathetic, sensitive, able to reach out emotionally
- balances own needs with those of partner
- has affectionate caring interactions
- probably in loving, long-term relationships
avoidant attachment
- unable to get close in relationships
- signs:
1. uncaring, aloof, emotionally distant
2. unresponsive to loving feelings
3. abruptly disengages at signs of involvement
4. less likely to be in long-term relationship
insecure-ambivalent attachment
- needy and engulfing in relationships
- signs
1. excessively jealous, suffocating - needs continual reassurance of being totally loved
3. less likely to be in loving, long-term relationship
