Psychoanalytic Theory

“conscious becoming aware of the

unconscious…”
History of Sigmund Freud
• Born in Moravia, on May 6,
1856
• Age 10 entered high school
• Age 17 entered medical school
at the University of Vienna (as
a student of neurology)
• Lived 78 years practicing in
Vienna, Austria and
established a private practice
for the treatment of nervous
disorders.
• Youngest daughter, Anna,
became an important child
psychoanalyst.
• Died of cancer of the jaw on
September 23, 1939, in
London, England.
• Father of the Psychoanalytic
Theory/Legacy.
Definition of Psychoanalytic Theory
• Psychoanalytic personality theory
emphasizes the roles of intrapsychic
events (processes occurring in the
mind), unconscious drives and early
childhood development. (1990, Liebert
and Spiegler, p. 43)
• Childhood experiences, repressed
erotic feelings, and unconscious
conflicts can affect adult behavior.
(1999, Friedman and Schustack, p. 62)
NATURE OF BELIEFS . . .
 Freud’s View of the Person
• Human nature is under the “dictatorship” of
instinctual, unconscious, and irrational forces.
• Human organisms are selfish beings, existing in
a state of external and internal turmoil.
(displaying aggressive and sexual excesses)
• Dominated by forces outside of conscious
control.
• Humans are considered incapable of dealing
with their own psychological problems.
Determinism VS Choice
• All behavior is determined or caused
by some force within the person.
• Behavior has meaning (none occurs
by chance).
• Biological determinism vs.
Psychological determinism - Freud
emphasized psychological rather than
biological “consciousness knows
nothing of. . . neurons.”
• Simplest examples of human behavior
can be traced to psychological factors
of which the person may be totally
unaware. (Freudian Slips)
Personality Structures
• What lies beneath the
surface of the
unconscious mind. . .?

• . . . Could it be the ID,

EGO, and SUPEREGO
(what all good psychoanalyst
want to know)
 The “ID”
• According to Freud, we
are born with our Id. The
id is an important part of
our personality because
as newborns, it allows us
to get our basic needs
met. Freud believed that
the id is based on our
pleasure principle. In
other words, the id wants
whatever feels good at
the time, with no
consideration for the
reality of the situation.
 The “ID” continued
• The id doesn't care about reality, about the
needs of anyone else, only its own satisfaction.
• When the id wants something, nothing else is
important.
• The “ID” is the reservoir of instincts – powered
by libido “sexual desire in the broadest sense.”
▪ Eros – represent energy for preserving one’s self
(love of self)
▪ Thanatos - towards destructiveness and death
(aggressiveness is its most important function)
 The “EGO” You need to
get organized !
I’m talking to
• Within the next three years, as you ID, are
the child interacts more and you listening?
more with the world, the
second part of the personality No
begins to develop. Freud
called this part the Ego. The
ego is based on the reality
principle. The ego
understands that other people
have needs and desires and
that sometimes being
impulsive or selfish can hurt us
in the long run. Its the ego's
job to meet the needs of the id,
while taking into consideration
the reality of the situation
The “EGO” continued
• Reality principle – ego has the capacity
to delay satisfaction of id’s demands that
will allow gratification without harmful
side effects.
• Secondary process – intellectual
operations (thinking, evaluating,
planning, and decision making that test
reality)
• Ego serves as a bridge to reality (not
totally conscious)
• Considered the arm of the id rather than
an entire entity.
• The ego calls on various defense
mechanisms in order to regain control
over threatening id instincts.
 The “Superego”
• By the age of five, or the
end of the phallic stage of
development, the
Superego develops. The
Superego is the moral
part of us and develops
due to the moral and
ethical restraints placed
on us by our
caregivers. Many equate
the superego with the
conscience as it dictates
our belief of right and
wrong.
 The “Superego” continued
• Incorporates the
norms and standards
of society
• Superego’s most
important function –
control id impulses,
direct energy towards
inhibiting id’s
expression of sexual,
aggressive and
antisocial instincts.
 The “Superego” continued
• Codes of right and wrong
▪Introjection – a process by
which the personality
incorporates the norms and
standards of its culture
▪Morality principle -equivalent
to conscience
▪Guilt – an intense feeling of
regret over having done
something wrong
▪Ego Ideal – pride and self
respect through positive
standards of internal
representations of idealized
parental figures
 “The Three Tempestuous Amigos”
(Id, Ego, Superego)
• To start our journey I would just like to formally introduce to you my
colleagues Ego, Id, and Super Ego. We are going to be sharing
extensive conversations which will hopefully help me in some of my
psychological downfalls.
• (Ego) Downfalls? You're a wreck!
• (Super Ego) You should really do something about that. Talking to
yourself really isn't the answer...in fact, it makes you seem even
more insane than your outward appearance.
• (Id) Oh here we go with the outward appearance crap again. Ya look
fine!
• (Ego) Well...you do look a little scruffy. Especially in the face.
• (Super Ego) And the extremely large unsightly bags under your
eyes! And you look as if you haven't been out in the sun for ages!
You make me sick! I make me sick!
• (Ego) I can always count on you, S.E. to raise my confidence.
• (Super Ego) Hey, no problem...that's why I'm here!
Freud’s 5 Stages of Psychosexual
Development
(Old Aunt Pamela Loves Gorillas)
ORAL STAGE
ANAL STAGE
PHALLIC STAGE
LATENCY STAGE
GENITAL STAGE
• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is probably the most well
known theorist when it comes to the development of
personality. Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual
Development are, like other stage theories, completed in
a predetermined sequence and can result in either
successful completion or a healthy personality or can
result in failure, leading to an unhealthy personality. This
theory is probably the most well known as well as the
most controversial, as Freud believed that we develop
through stages based upon a particular erogenous zone.
During each stage, an unsuccessful completion means
that a child becomes fixated on that particular erogenous
zone and either over– or under-indulges once he or she
becomes an adult.
 Oral Stage
(Narcissistic – Self Centered)
• Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months). During the oral stage, the child
is focused on oral pleasures (sucking). Too much or too little
gratification can result in an Oral Fixation or Oral Personality
which is evidenced by a preoccupation with oral activities. This
type of personality may have a stronger tendency to smoke,
drink alcohol, over eat, or bite his or her nails. Personality wise,
these individuals may become overly dependent upon others,
gullible, and perpetual followers. On the other hand, they may
also fight these urges and develop pessimism and aggression
toward others.

▪oral receptive – interested in receiving information,

acquiring material goods, fond of sweets, smoking, and
oral sex. Obesity stems from oral receptiveness.

▪oral aggressive – pleasures associated with the mouth

with emphasis on chewing and biting. They may be put
down artist and the manner of speaking is sarcastic and
argumentative.
 Anal Stage
• Anal Stage (18 months to
three years). The child’s focus
of pleasure in this stage is on
eliminating and retaining feces.
Through society’s pressure,
mainly via parents, the child
has to learn to control anal
stimulation. In terms of
personality, after effects of an
anal fixation during this stage
can result in an obsession with
cleanliness, perfection, and
control (anal retentive). On the
opposite end of the spectrum,
they may become messy and
disorganized (anal expulsive).
 Phallic Stage
• Phallic Stage (ages three to six). The pleasure
zone switches to the genitals. Freud believed
that during this stage boys develop unconscious
sexual desires for their mother. Because of this,
he becomes rivals with his father and sees him
as competition for the mother’s affection. During
this time, boys also develop a fear that their
father will punish them for these feelings, such
as by castrating them. This group of feelings is
known as Oedipus Complex ( after the Greek
Mythology figure who accidentally killed his
father and married his mother).
 “You got it, I want it”

Lorena Bobbit dismembered her husband, put the penis on ice, then discarded it
from the window of her car, as she drove to a friend’s house. Bobbit Meat Packing

• Headline News
According to Freud, Lorena Bobbit was suffering
from penis envy. She was forced to have an
abortion, and was sexually abused by her husband
regularly. In an effort to recapture the penis that
denied her birth, she acted upon a female desire for
feelings of strength and self worth that men have by
virtue of their male anatomy.
Complexes in the Phallic Stage
• Oedipus Complex (boys)
– Unconscious sexual desires towards mother, father is
competition
– Simultaneously fears the dad- “castration anxiety”
• Electra Complex (girls)
– Unconscious sexual desires towards father and
mother is completion
– Penis envy
• Resolution?
– Kid identifies with same sex parent
 Latency Stage
• Latency Stage (age six to
puberty). It’s during this stage
that sexual urges remain
repressed and children interact
and play mostly with same sex
peers.
• Sexual energy is channeled
into such activities as going to
school and making friends.
• According to Freud, latency
involves massive repression of
sexual, as well as, anal
impulses.
Genital Stage
Genital Stage (puberty on).
The final stage of psychosexual
development begins at the start
of puberty when sexual urges are
once again awakened. Through
the lessons learned during the
previous stages, adolescents
direct their sexual urges onto
opposite sex peers, with the
primary focus of pleasure is the
genitals.
 Fixation
• Freud says that a person can become
stuck or fixated at any stage and may not
progress beyond it, continuing to find
pleasure in the pleasure zone associated
with that stage
• i.e. – gum chews, pencil biters, smokers
are said to be fixated at the Oral Stage
 Defense Mechanisms
• From the onset the ego has to try
to fulfill its task of acting as an
intermediary between the id and
the external world in the service
of the pleasure principle, to
protect the id from the dangers of
the external world. .. In this battle
on two fronts. . . The ego makes
use of various methods of
fulfilling its task, i.e. to put it in
general terms, of avoiding
danger, anxiety and displeasure.
 Defense Mechanisms Terms
• Repression – pushes threatening thoughts back into the
unconscious (i.e. Post traumatic stress)
• Reaction Formation – process of pushing threatening
impulses by overemphasizing the opposite in one’s
thoughts and actions (i.e. T.V. evangelist Jim Baker)
• Denial – refusing to acknowledge anxiety-provoking
stimuli (Not usually seen in adults except in such of
severe stress or pain)
• Projection – anxiety-arousing impulses are externalized
by placing them, or projecting them, onto others (A
person’s inner threats are attributed to those around
them)
 Defense Mechanisms Terms
Continued. . .
• Displacement – shifting of the target of one’s
unconscious fears or desires (i.e. Man who
when humiliated by his boss, goes home and
beats his children and kicks the dog.)
• Sublimation – transforming of dangerous urges
into positive, socially acceptable motivations (i.e.
Freud argued that Leonardo Da Vinci’s genius
arose from his sublimation of sexual energies
into a passion for scientific creativity and
discovery.)
 Defense Mechanisms Terms
Continued. . .
• Regression – a return to an earlier safer stage of
our lives (i.e. Anxious adult who begins
whimpering like a child searching for maternal
care or a distraught man may try to curl up to his
wife’s breast)
• Rationalization – “After the fact” logical
explanations for behaviors that were actually
driven by internal unconscious motives (i.e.
Rather than admit that we moved across the
state to be near a sexy lover, we may explain to
others or ourselves that we were looking for a
better job opportunity)
 Healthy vs Unhealthy Personality
• In a healthy person, according
to Freud, the ego is the
strongest so that it can satisfy
the needs of the id, not upset
the superego, and still take into
consideration the reality of
every situation. Not an easy
job by any means, but if the id
gets too strong, impulses and
self gratification take over the
person's life. If the superego
becomes too strong, the
person would be driven by
rigid morals, would be
judgmental and unbending in
his or her interactions with the
world.
 Etiology of healthy vs. unhealthy
personality
• Freud's psychoanalytic theory, coming as it did at the
turn of the century, provided a radically new approach to
the analysis and treatment of "abnormal" adult behavior.
Earlier views tended to ignore behavior and look for a
physiological explanation of "abnormality". Novelty of
Freud's approach was in recognizing that neurotic
behavior is not random or meaningless but goal-
directed. Thus, by looking for the purpose behind so-
called "abnormal" behavioral patterns, the analyst was
given a method for understanding behavior as
meaningful and informative, without denying its
physiological aspects.
 LEVELS of
mental life
Freud’s greatest contribution to personality
theory is his exploration of the unconscious
and his insistence that people are motivated
primarily by drives of which they have little
or no awareness. To Freud, mental life is
divided into two levels, the unconscious
and the conscious. The unconscious, in
turn, has two different levels, the
unconscious proper and preconscious.
 Unconscious
• Contains DRIVES, URGES, or
INSTINCTS that are beyond our
awareness but that nevertheless motivate
most of our words, feelings, and actions.
Although we may be conscious of our
overt behaviors, we often are not aware of
the mental processes that lie behind them
 Preconscious
The preconscious level of the mind
contains all those elements that are not
conscious but can become conscious
either quite readily or with some
difficulty.
 conscious
It plays a relatively minor role in
psychoanalytic theory, can be defined
as those mental elements in awareness
at any given point in time. It is only
level of mental life directly available to
us.
 DRIVE
• Also known as Instinct, but more
accurately the word should be “drive” or
“impulse.” Drives operate as a constant
motivational force. As an internal stimulus,
drives differ from external stimuli in that
they cannot be avoided through flight.
 SEX
• The aim of the sexual drive is pleasure,
but this pleasure is not limited to genital
satisfaction. Freud believed that the entire
body is invested with libido. Besides the
genitals, the mouth and anus are
especially capable of producing sexual
drive.
Libido, the energy of life affirming impulses, is
invested by a person in various activities, people,
objects and goals.
• The process of investing libidinal energy is
called cathexis.

• Excessive cathexis in a single object or person

can lead to Neurosis.

• Neurosis can be cured through the process

of catharsis, which allows the cathected energy
to be released. Catharsis is generally referred to
as "the talking cure"
• Neurosis: A mild psychological disorder.
Psychological trauma can sometimes
produce physical complaints: loss of sleep,
selective paralysis, overeating.

• Psychosis: A severe psychological

disorder such as schizophrenia. Freud
himself did not believe that catharsis (the
talking cure) could successfully treat
people with psychosis.
 aggression
• Destructive Drive
• The aim of the destructive drive is to return
the organism to its inorganic state, which
is death.

• Aggression is flexible and can take

number of forms such as: teasing; gossip;
sarcasm; humiliation; humor; and the
enjoyment of other people’s suffering.
 anxiety
• It is a felt , affective, unpleasant state
accompanied by a physical sensation that
warns the person against impending
danger.

• Only the ego can produce or feel anxiety,

but the id, superego and external world
each are involved in one of the three kinds
of anxiety—neurotic, moral and realistic.
Reality Anxiety : the most basic form, rooted in reality. Fear of a dog bite, fear
arising from an impending accident. (Ego Based Anxiety)

Most Common Tension Reduction Method :

Removing oneself from the harmful situation.

Neurotic Anxiety : Anxiety which arises from an unconscious fear that the
libidinal impulses of the ID will take control at an in opportune time. This
type of anxiety is driven by a fear of punishment that will result from
expressing the ID's desires without proper sublimation.

Moral Anxiety : Anxiety which results from fear of violating moral or societal
codes, moral anxiety appears as guilt or shame.

In this conception of Anxiety, we can see why Freud concentrated on

strengthening the Ego through psychoanalysis.
 Psychoanalysis “The Process”
• Originated as a therapeutic procedure
• Personality change occurs through patients’ discovering and
understanding the underlying cause of their behavior
• Present behaviors and motives are based on early childhood
adjustment problems and conflicts
• Interpretations of “free association and dreams” are viewed as
valuable sources of unconscious material
• Patients must learn past problems and conflicts are not relevant to
their lives and therefore unrealistic guides for their present behavior
 Strengths Of the Psychoanalytic
Approach
• Emphasizes the effects of
patterns established early
in life on personality
development.
• Attempts to understand
unconscious forces.
• Considers defense
mechanisms as an
essential aspect of
personality.
• Assumes multiple levels
are operations in the
brain.
 Limitations of the Psychoanalytic
Approach
• Pessimistic overemphasis on early
experiences and destructive inner
urges
• Relatively unconcerned with
interpersonal relations or with the
individual’s identity and adaptation
throughout life
• Difficult to test empirically
• Many ideas have been discredited
by more modern research on the
brain
• Assumes any deviation from
heterosexual relation is
pathological
• Focuses on male behavior as the
norm and female behavior as a
deviation
 DREAMS
• Freud began employing hypnosis, but found it
inadequate
• Started using free association – spontaneous
free-flowing associations of ideas and feelings
• Freud – “Interpretation of Dreams”- the royal
road to the unconscious
▪ manifest content – what a person
remembers and consciously considers
▪ latent content – the underlying hidden
meaning
 Dream Symbols
• Dream Content • Symbolic Meaning
Knife, umbrella, snake penis
Box, oven, ship uterus
Room, table with food woman
Water birth or mother
Falling
anxiety
Robber
father
Left direction
crime, sexual
deviation
 Dream Interpretation Activity
(Lil Red Riding Hood)
Lil Red Riding Hood was strolling
through the woods. She brought
along her umbrella, because she
thought it might rain. She spotted
a table in the far distance with
food upon it. She headed left,
because she wanted to stop for a
bite to eat. The big bad wolf, who
was dressed as a robber, jumped
from behind the tree and asked
her for a glass of water.

What would Freud say? Using the

dream symbols what would be a
plausible interpretation of this
dream?
 Freud: criticisms and critiques
• He studied very few people so not
representative sample
• Process of psychoanalysis interviewing-
exhibit preconceived notions and biases
• His measures/methods were untreatable
• Definitions don’t lend themselves to
experimentation
• One’s personality is fixed and unchanging
• Obsessed with sex and aggression
 Self Analysis
• Do you think Freud’s theory can help you
understand yourself?
• Do you think Freud really felt that females
were inferior?
• Do the strengths of Freud’s theory
outweigh the weaknesses?
• Do profound child experiences affect later
personality development?
 References
• Allen, B.P. (2003). Personality Theories , 4th edition. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon.
• Breger, L. (2000). Freud: In the Midst of Darkness. New York:John Wiley
and Sons, Inc.
• Fodor, N. & Gaynor, F. (1950). Freud: Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. New
York: The Philosophical Library, Inc.
• Friedman, H.S. & Schustack, M.W. (1999). Personality: Classic Theories
and Modern Research. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Liebert, R.M. & Spiegler, M.D. (1990). Personality: Strategies and Issues,
6th edition. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole
• Stevens, A & Storr A. (1998). Freud & Jung: A Dual Introduction. New York:
Barnes and Noble Books.
 Websites
“The Psychoanalytic Theory (Terms and Concepts)”
www.brocku.ca/english/courses/4f70/terms.html

“The Psychoanalytic Theory of Emotions”

http://member.aol.com/donjohnr/sketch.html

“Eddy M. Elmer Psychoanalytic Theory Personality Adjustment”

www.3.telus.net/eddyelmer/Tools/freud3.html

“Brief Introduction to Psychoanalysis”

http://homepage.newschool.edu/~quiqleyt/vcs/psychoanalysis.html