Week 6 Freud and Jung

Question 1

Freud‘s personality development

Answer 1

Occurs through a series of psychosexual stages of development, but essentially set by five years old, with a little change occurring

Question 2

Eros

Answer 2

Life/sexual instinct or drive, libido is the psychic energy associated with sexual instinct

Question 3

Thanatos

Answer 3

Death/aggressive instinct or drive

Question 4

Topographic /Iceberg model

Answer 4

Three levels of awareness: conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. In 1923 Freud developed a more formal structural model featuring three personality structures: id, ego and super ego

Question 5

Id

Answer 5

• Entirely unconscious
• Biological needs creates psychological drives
• Guided by pleasure principle
• Source of psychic energy (libido; sexual)
• Characteristics: illogical, immoral, no idea of reality or self-preservation, seeks immediate pleasure
• *“I want it and I want it now”

Question 6

Ego

Answer 6

• Development occurs around 6-8 months.
• Guided by the reality principle - you can’t always get what you want.
• Characteristics: logical, rational, forms realistic plans of action to satisfy needs of id.
• Negotiates compromise between id and superego, by identifying and testing appropriate objects.
• In a well developed personality, ego is main controller – governs both id and superego.
• Under threat from demands in the external world, id and superego create anxiety (realistic, neurotic, moral).
• Defense mechanisms are tools the ego can use in its job as the mediator between the id and the superego – irrational methods to reduce anxiety
• Are (i) unconscious and (ii) distort reality
• *Mainly elaborated on by Anna Freud.

Question 7

Super-ego

Answer 7

• Ego begins to internalise standards imposed by parents (3-5 years) & later other authority figures.
• *Repository of moral codes
• Ruled by moral principle
• Can be as unrealistic as the id
• *‘thou shall not’
• Partly conscious and unconscious
• Two components
• *Conscience
• *Ego ideal

Question 8

Defense mechanisms (10)

Answer 8

Repression, Reaction formation, Identification, Regression, Intellectualisation, Projection, Rationalisation, Denial, Sublimation and Displacement

Question 9

Psychosexual stages of development

Answer 9

According to Freud, who we are as a person is driven by differences in how we navigate sexual stages of development. Either success or conflict at each stage. Conflict can lead to fixation at one stage which can lead to personality disorder.

Question 10

Psychosexual stages of development (5)

Answer 10

Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latency
Genital
(Fixation can occur during any of these stages of development)

Question 11

Oral Stage (0-12/18mnd)

Answer 11

• Physical focus: mouth
• Psychological theme: dependency
• Gratifying activities: eating
• Interaction with the environment: (breast)feeding
• Symptoms of oral fixation: smoking, chewing, overeating..
• Adult character: oral incorporative or oral sadistic
• Modern research shows that the mother’s responsiveness during this stage is a strong predictor of later attachment & social adjustment.

Question 12

Anal Stage (1/1.5-3 years)

Answer 12

• Physical focus: control over bowel movements
• Psychological theme: self control/obedience
• Gratifying activities: expulsions
• Interaction with the environment: toilet training
• Adult character
• *little self-control, disorganized, hostile, overly generous (anal-expulsive personality)
• *high self-control, overly organized, subservient to authority (anal-retentive personality)
• Modern research suggests that many of these personality traits do occur in clusters.

Question 13

Phallic Stage (3-6 yrs)

Answer 13

Physical focus: penis (for both boys & girls!)
Psychological theme:
**sexual identification
**“Oedipus Complex” and “Electra Complex“
**“Castration anxiety” and “Penis envy“
*Adult character: promiscuous, amoral or asexual, vane, pre-occupation with one’s attractiveness, Phallic fixation.
*Modern research suggests that the dynamics of early relationships with parents may play out in later adult relationships.
E.g., seeking a mate is similar / not similar to one’s parents.

Question 14

Latency Stage (6-12 yrs)

Answer 14

• Personality is firmly established
• Period of relative calm
• *Erotic drives are de-emphasised
• Interaction with the world in non-sexual manner until Genital stage.
• Weakness of Freud’s theory – modern research shows that there is a lot happening in this developmental period!

Question 15

Genital Stage (puberty onward)

Answer 15

• Physical focus: genitals
• Psychological theme: sexual reproduction, intellectual and artistic creativity
• Gratifying activities: heterosexual r’ships
• Interaction with the environment: pursuit of r’ships
• Fixations from previous stages are the cause of personality problems.
• Adult character: well adjusted and balanced

Question 16

Strengths of Freud’s Theory

Answer 16

• First comprehensive theory of behaviour and personality & first systematic psychotherapy model.
• Emphasises the role of unconscious and early childhood experiences.
• Stimulated further theoretical/research work in personality and influenced subject matter of personality research today.
• Defense mechanisms part of our language.
• *Identified key constructs such as regression and transference.
• Brought attention to the importance of anxiety.
• Sex/uality is important.

Question 17

Criticism of Freud’s theory

Answer 17

• Concepts were poorly designed
• Not scientifically testable
• Role of environment overlooked
• Experiences beyond first 5 years of life affect personality
• Women seen as inferior
• Originality of ideas?
• A lot happens in the latency period, which is comparatively ignored by Freud.
• Case study method/data (neurotic, wealthy European women)
• Few child patients
• Over-emphasis on sexual drive
• Pessimistic psychic determinism- is there no free will?
• Time consuming, expensive therapy and of questionable efficacy (e.g., Eysenck, 1952)