ambivalence Mixed feelings of one person toward another, characterized by alternation between love

and hate.

anal character An individual fixated at the anal stage, who derives pleasure from his or her control
over retention of feces. As an adult, this person is characterized by stinginess, orderliness,
stubbornness, and the hoarding of possessions.

anal eroticism Feelings of sexual pleasure that have their source in the person’s control over
expulsion and retention of feces.

anal stage Second pregenital stage of psychosexual development, in which primary gratification
centers around the anal cavity.

anticathexes Restraining forces within the personality that are designed to keep unwanted impulses
from reaching consciousness or awareness.

anxiety Painful feelings experienced when the ego is threatened.

catharsis Reliving earlier traumatic experiences emotionally, to reduce disturbing physical symptoms.
This term derives from the Greek word meaning purification.

cathexes Driving energy forces that attach themselves to an idea or behavior.

compromise formation Defense mechanism that involves the use of contradictory behaviors to attain
some satisfaction for an unacceptable impulse.

conscience Punitive aspect of the superego. Once the person has incorporated societal values by
forming a conscience, violation of that conscience makes the person feel guilty or ashamed. Such
feelings are punishing.

conscious A state of the mind characterized by awareness of one’s experiences.

countertransference The tendency of the therapist to react with personal feelings toward the
patient on the basis of the therapist’s own needs and conflicts.

denial Primitive defense mechanism in which the person protects the self against threats from the
environment by refusing to recognize their existence.
dependent personality type A personality style wherein individuals are predisposed to seek the
guidance, help, and support of others, even in situations in which they are capable of functioning
independently and meeting challenges on their own.

determinism Philosophical doctrine that all behavior is caused by the operation of other events and
does not occur freely or at random.

displacement Defense mechanism in which the person seeks gratification of thwarted impulses by
shifting the impulses from the original, frustrating object to a substitute object.

dream analysis Psychoanalytic technique used to probe the unconscious through interpretation of the
patient’s dreams.

dynamics Complex interrelationships among the structural components of personality, such that
changes in one component trigger changes in the other components.

ego Agency postulated by Freud to help the individual satisfy basic urges in ways deemed
appropriate by society.

ego-ideal Positive aspect of the superego, comprising the standards of perfection taught to the child
by the parents.

eros All of the instincts inherent in a person that seek to maintain life.

fixation Defensive attachment to an earlier stage of psychosexual development. Fixation prevents the
learning of new behaviors the acquisition of new interpersonal relationships, and progress in
development.

free association Therapeutic technique pioneered by Freud, in which the therapist encourages
patients to report, without restriction, any thoughts that occur to them.

genital character A mature individual who is sexually developed and capable of relating to members
of the other sex.

genital stage Final stage of psychosexual development, in which an attempt is made to conduct a
mature love relationship with a member of the opposite sex.
healthy dependence A manifestation of dependence that occurs in some contexts but not others, and
in ways that are situationally appropriate.

id Reservoir of unconscious forces or urges that blindly seek gratification.

identification In Freudian theory, the defensive process whereby an individual takes on the
characteristics of another person in order to relieve anxieties and reduce internal conflicts.

intellectualization Defense mechanism in which individuals protect themselves against pain by

isolating their thoughts about painful events from their feelings about them.

latency stage Psychosexual period during which libidinal energy lies dormant, and the primary focus is
on the development of interests and skills through contact with childhood peers and teachers.

libido In Freudian theory, the basic energy source contained in the id, which propels behavior. Freud
considered it to consist of sexual impulses; Jung conceptualized it as a more general life-energy
process consisting of sexual, creative, spiritual, and self-preservative instincts.

negative transference Phenomenon that occurs during psychoanalytic therapy, in which the patient
redirects toward the therapist unconscious feelings of anger and hostility retained from experiences
with authority figures in childhood.

neoanalytic perspective Theoretical positions that have their origins in Freudian psychoanalytic theory
but have evolved new concepts and ways of examining and understanding human personality that are
significant departures from Freud’s original theory.

neurosis Behavioral disorder characterized by underlying conflicts and anxieties that prevent the
individual from coping effectively with everyday problems.

Oedipal complex The process during the phallic stage in which the male child desires sexual contact
with the mother, feels threatened by the father, and eventually resolves the conflict by identifying
with the father.

oral aggressive character An individual who becomes fixated in the oral stage because of
underindulgence during feeding, when newly emerging teeth are used to bite the caregiver as a
means of obtaining nourishment. As an adult, this person is characterized by envy, manipulation of
others, and suspiciousness.
oral receptive character An individual who becomes fixated in the oral stage because of
overindulgence during feeding (before the emergence of teeth). As an adult, this person is
characterized by gullibility, admiration for others, and excessive dependence.

oral stage First pregenital stage of psychosexual development, in which primary gratifications center
around the mouth.

parapraxis Malfunction in language—such as a slip of the tongue, a bungled word, misreading,

mishearing, or forgetting words or things—that indicates the presence of underlying conflicts.

phallic character An individual fixated at the phallic stage who, later in life, needs to prove continually
his or her sexual adequacy. The male phallic character needs to prove his adequacy through sexual
conquests. This person is characterized by brashness, excessive vanity and pride, and exhibitionism.
The female phallic character needs to prove her adequacy by continually ridiculing and humiliating
men. This person is characterized by a domineering and contemptuous attitude toward men. phallic
stage Third pregenital stage of psychosexual development, in which primary gratifications are derived
from manipulation of the genitals.

pleasure principle The rule by which the id operates; the id seeks to achieve pleasure and avoid pain.

positive transference Phenomenon that occurs during therapy, in which the patient redirects toward
the therapist unconscious feelings of love and affection retained from experiences with authority
figures (usually the parents) in early childhood.

preconscious A state of the mind in which the person is currently unaware of some idea, memory, or
event that can, however, be made conscious with some effort.

projection Defense mechanism in which a person attributes his or her own undesirable characteristics
to others.

psychoanalysis Theory of personality development, functioning, and change created by Freud. It

places heavy emphasis on the roles of biological and unconscious factors in the determination of
behavior.

psychodynamic approach Perspective on human development and behavior based on Freudian ideas
and characterized by an analysis of early childhood experiences, unconscious conflicts between
children and their caregivers, and the use of defense mechanisms to cope with distress.

psychopathology Disordered behaviors, such as neuroses or psychoses, that interfere with realistic
and effective functioning or behaving.
psychosexual development Theory devised by Freud to account for psychological and personality
development in terms of individuals’ attempts to come to grips with key biological impulses.

psychosis Severe behavioral disorder characterized by an inability to relate effectively to other

people.

rationalization Defense mechanism in which individuals provide plausible but inaccurate justifications
for their behavior.

reaction formation Defense mechanism in which an impulse or behavior is converted into its
opposite.

regression Defense mechanism in which a person reverts to infantile behavior as a means of

alleviating stress. Fixation and regression are concepts that are similar, but not identical. Fixation
occurs very early in development, and may be the underlying cause of the use of regression or other
defense mechanisms by the person later in development, when he or she is subjected to stress. A
fixation can cause regression, but regression cannot cause a fixation. For example, a person who has
been fixated at the oral stage by overindulgence of feeding needs may revert defensively to
thumb-sucking in adolescence when subjected to hassles in current life situation. It is not possible
that the use of thumbsucking for the first time in adolescence produced a fixation in the oral stage.

repression Basic defense mechanism by which unpleasant, highly painful experiences situated in the
unconscious are prevented from entering consciousness.

resistance A patient’s unwillingness to report anxiety-provoking memories and conflicts. Freud

believed that resistance was a symptom of an underlying conflict.

seduction theory Originally, the view that patients reported that they had been literally seduced by a
parent of the other sex during early childhood. Later, the revised form of the theory was that patients
had fantasized that they had experienced sexual abuse via seduction by a parent of the other sex.

sublimation Form of displacement in which a socially acceptable goal replaces one that is
unacceptable.

superego Agency postulated by Freud to represent the individual’s incorporation of the moral
standards of society, and the ways in which these internalized standards control his or her behavior
via reward and punishment.
suppression A form of defense in which threatening thoughts are removed by actively and consciously
deciding not to think about them. The person can exert control over their removal and their
reactivation.

thanatos The instincts aimed at returning to an inorganic state (death).

transference Phenomenon postulated by Freud to account for the patient’s development of positive
and negative feelings toward the therapist during treatment—feelings presumed to have originally
been directedtowardanotherperson(usuallyoneoftheparents).

unconscious In Freudian theory, the depository of hidden wishes, needs, and conflicts of which the
person is unaware.

undoing Defense mechanism in which a person makes amends for a socially unacceptable act by
performing a related socially acceptable act that nullifies the misdeed.

unhealthy dependence A manifestation of dependence that occurs indiscriminately and reflexively

across a broad range of situations.