SU2 FREUD Flashcards
What are the three structural properties of personality according to Freud, and how does each function on the levels of consciousness (conscious, preconscious, and unconscious)?*
Id: Operates in the unconscious mind (forbidden drives and repressed memories) driven by pleasure principle, seeks immediate gratification of instincts and desires likes hunger, thirst and sexual urges without considering the consequences (selfish)
Ego: Functions on unconscious, and preconscious (Memories/knowledge easy to recall). Driven by reality principle (ability to postpone immediate gratification to consider external world demands). Mediates desires of the Id and demands of the superego (rational)
Superego: operates on all levels of consciousness. representative of society’s moral codes and pressures individuals into abiding. Functions according to the moral principle that punishes by causing guilt for immoral desires
What is the punishing element of the superego and the positive ideal which encourages moral behavior
*Conscience
*Ego-ideal
What are the main goals of the structure of personality(Id, Ego and Superego)
*To ensure survival
*allow individuals to experience as much pleasure as possible
*minimize individuals’ guilt
Which processes do the ego and id use to function:
Primary (Id)- Id is not capable of thought self-reflection or planning (unrealistic)
Secondary (ego)- ego evaluates a situation before action is taken. ego is able to reflect upon and plan satisfaction of drives and to postpone satisfaction to an appropriate time
How do the id, ego and super ego interact to influence human behaviour
These components work together and often come into conflict. The ego has to deal with pressure from the id and accommodate the demands of the physical environment and society. id threatens the ego with discomfort/tension when drives are not satisfied. The superego threatens the ego with guilt and punishment. conflict can manifest into anxiety and so on….
In what ways do the id, ego and superego contribute to inner conflict
Id may demand instant gratification. Superego imposes moral rules, and ego must then find a way to satisfy the id without violating superegos demands
What is Freud’s deterministic drive theory, and how does it explain human functioning?
Freud claimed that human behaviour is driven by biological instincts. which are deterministic (biological determinism) Drives localised in the Id and societal norms in the superego
* Conflict between these drives in the psyche determines behaviour
2 main types of drives
To develop constructively(eros)-life drive
To disintegrate and die thanatos-death drive
LIFE DRIVES
Serve to preserve life
Function in a constructive manner.
Their role is to combine smaller units in the process of building larger, more complex units
,
Thus follow the general biological tendency of cell-formation and development
These are further differentiated into two types: 1. ego drives (individual survival)
2. sexual drives (survival of the species)
DEATH DRIVE
Has tendency to break down, to reduce complex cells to inorganic matter
Represents the tendency of the living organism to die
Thanatos is less overt but explains destructive behaviors and the human tendency toward conflict or risk-taking.
what are 2 characteristics of defense mechanism
denial and distortions of reality they operate unconsciously and geared to keep anxiety-provoking material unconscious
Define and name the types of anxiety
ego’s reaction to danger
stems from conflict between id and superego
*Reality anxiety-(fear) anxiety about actual dangers in the external world individual might be able to do something about fear
*neurotic +moral anxiety-threat comes from inside. origin is partially or wholly unconscious. difficult to deal with. Both are very similar. Defense mechanism- having forbidden desires fulfilled in dreams. ego feels threatened, and the cause is unclear.
*neurotic-ego fears forbidden drive which was unconscious but now is conscious drive becomes uncontrollable leading to guilt
*Moral-fear of superego. fears punishment for forbidden desires
what role do defense mechanisms play in Freuds theory
strategies the ego uses to defend itself against conflict between hidden drives and moral codes. This is an attempt to cope with unconscious psychic contents that the individual is sometimes not aware of
Types of defenses mechanisms
*Repression + Resistance- repress drives, wishes, memories that are unacceptable to superego to the unconscious
*Projection attempt to keep unconscious and threatening psychic material unconscious by attributing one’s unacceptable thoughts to others
- Reaction formation- trying to keep forbidden drives unconscious by expressing a feeling or stance opposite to what they desire
*rationalization- attempt to explain or excuse their behavior to themselves or others by providing reasons that sound rational but are not for unacceptable behavior easier to blame external factors and it is don unconsciously
*displacement + sublimation - displacement means finding a substitute for an object that moral codes forbid and using that to satisfy a forbidden drive.
* Sublimation- redirecting thoughts on hidden drives into something constructive and socially acceptable
- Fixation -psychological development is stuck at a specific stage, behaving in a manner appropriate for the earlier stage to avoid facing the challenges of the next stage
*Regression- linked to fixation regressing to a stage you previously fixated on returning to behavior from earlier stage where less anxiety is developed
- Identification- symbolically represent yourself as another person because you have an unconscious desire to be like the other person
*Denial-blocking external events from awareness refusing to ex[pirence something difficult
What is transference
redirecting feelings, desires and attitudes towards important figures of the past e.g. mom to therapist
name and describe psychosexual development stage
*Oral stages- birth to the 1st year of life. Mouth lips are the main zone for sexual energy. hunger and sexual drive is satisfied by sucking on mom’s breast. babies cope with frustrations when feeding does not go well by using displacement and sucking on other objects does not offer the same satisfaction
- Anal- 2nd year of life anus and excretory canal are the main sources of sexual drive energy. child enjoy sexual pleasure in excretion toilet training is important and parents’ role in this will influence personality. excretory can be used aggressively to punish parents by refusing to go this can hurt them but also cause retention from sexual pleasure (masochism) rewards and punishment develop the superego fixation or partial fixation produces anal personality
Phallic- 3-6 years of age. deep and complex psychic wishes are the basis of psychosexual development sexual desires related to parents the penis for boys and the absence of one for girls
BOYS develop masturbation and sexual desires for Mom boy experiences punishment in the form of castration anxiety wants to be like dad and is jealous of him boy tries to cope by repressing his desire (OEDIPUS COMPLEX) GIRLS experience penis envy (envy’s her dad) and becomes angry towards the mom she develops sexual desire towards him thinking he can give her one (ELECTRA COMPLEX) remain unconscious
*LATENT- 5-6 until puberty no new source of physical sexual drive energy focus is on the gender roles show little interest in opposite sex play with friends of similar sex. social and intellectual growth
*Genital- puberty till the end of life. puberty increases sexual drive and reawakening of sexual wishes from the phallic stage repression of sexual urges is not enough to cope so a person finds new ways people who deal with this reawakening without guilt can use displacement and sublimation in difficult situations the person they marry is the substitute of opposite sex parent pregenital sexual urges are mostly satisfied in heterosexual relationships
dreams and paraplexis
paraplexis- error in speech memory or physical action due to interference of unconscious repressed wishes or conflicts mild form of psychopathology
dreams- produced in the psyche repression of hidden desires which because of our superego desires can only be fulfilled in dreams
distinguished between 2 aspects manifest (actual events )and latent(hidden symbolic)
3 causes of fixation in oral development
- a baby who is too pampered will be reluctant to enter the next stage
- when a child is given little opportunity for drive satisfaction it leads to frustration and fixation and when the baby is weaned too soon
*anxiety concerning the next development stage (expecting too much of a child and punishing them for mistakes and being harsh)
characteristics of oral personality type
narcissism,execssive optimism, tendency to be jealous, depending too much on people, selfishness, self-loathing and overly generous
characteristics of anal personality
excessive neatness, thriftiness stubbornness or opposite
which psychosexual stage is the most important
phallic stage superego goes through a lot of changes fixation i this stage leads to neurotic disorders
ways an overly strict ego can develop
if the father is too strict son may internalize strict rules through identification
superego may become unyielding if dad is absent
when dad is not strict enough
what is psychopathology
psychological disorders are caused by imbalance in the structure of personality means ego is weak unresolved conflict from childhood
what are the historical causes of psychopathology disorders
fixation in a stage -allows for unsolved problems to be repressed
weak ego-ego has not developed sufficient rational skills or uses ineffective defense mechanisms
overly strict ego-parents are too strict, or expression of aggression is limited
what are the 3 types of mental disorders
neuroses- egos inability to cope with conflict of the id and superego
personality disorder - deeply rooted disturbed ways of dealing with conflict and satisfaction of drives result of fixation and regression
psychosis-inability of the ego to deal with anxiety resulting in withdrawal and distortion. ego can’t function according to reality principle
different types of psychotherapy
psychoanalytic- analysing contents of the psyche. find individuals’ issues helping them overcome them effectively
free association process by which 1 word or image may spontaneously suggest another without necessary logical connection Freud made the patient relax and concentrate on their subjective experience to bring the unconscious to the conscious
transference transfers repressed feelings from childhood to the therapist reliving causes of neurosis on a small scale (transference neurosis )
theraputic techiques used by freud
free association
dream analysis
identification of patients resistance to acknowledge unconscious elements
ways in which resistance manifests according to Freud
changing topic
cannot remember
cancels appointment
name the strength and weaknesses fFreuds theory
trengths:
* Provides a comprehensive framework
for understanding personality
development.
* Emphasizes the role of early childhood
experiences in shaping adult behaviour.
* Highlights the importance of
unconscious motivations, defence
mechanisms, and internal conflicts.
* Stresses the impact of parent-child
relationships on personality.
* Influenced modern psychodynamic and
psychoanalytic theories, shaping therapy
and research.
Weaknesses:
* Lacks empirical support and is difficult
to scientifically test.
* Overemphasizes sexuality as the primary
driver of personality development.
* Presents a deterministic view, suggesting
personality is largely fixed by early
experiences.
* Androcentric bias, focusing more on
male development.
* Ignores cultural and social influences,
limiting its generalizability
