The Psychoanalytic Approach: Freudian

Theory

Anam Bibi

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 Freud Discovers the
Unconscious
Studies in Hysteria, published by
Freud and Breuer
Case of Anna O. and use of hypnosis in
treating hysteria
Free association: Description of
hidden memories by patients,that
seemed related to the causes and cure
of hysterical symptoms
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classroom use. 3-4
 Freud Discovers the
Unconscious
Early traumatic sexual experiences
were responsible for hysterical
symptoms expressed by adult patients
Vienna Psychoanalytic Society
Formed by Freud and his followers

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 Topographic Model
Personality is divided into different
levels of awareness
Conscious: Thoughts a person is
currently aware of
Preconscious: Retrievable information
Unconscious: Thoughts that cannot be
easily brought into awareness
Except under extreme situations

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 Structural Model
Divides personality into the id, the
ego, and the superego
Id: Personality structure at birth
Actions are based on pleasure principle
and wish fulfillment

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 Structural Model
Ego: Satisfies id impulses, but takes into
consideration the realities of the world
Actions are based on reality principle
Superego: Represents society’s values
and standards
Provides ideals to determine if a behavior is
virtuous
Powerful superego leads to moral anxiety

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 Anxiety: A Threat to the Ego
To Freud, a feeling of fear and dread
without an obvious cause.
Reality or objective anxiety is a fear
of tangible dangers.
Neurotic anxiety involves a conflict
between id and ego
Moral anxiety involves a conflict
between id and superego.
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classroom use.
 Defense Mechanisms
Techniques of ego to deal with
unwanted thoughts and desires and
reduce or avoid anxiety
Repression
Active effort by the ego to push
threatening material out of consciousness
Requires constant expand of energy

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 Defense Mechanisms
Sublimation
Channelling threatening unconscious
impulses into socially acceptable actions
Productive in nature
Displacement
Channelling impulses to nonthreatening
objects
Displaced impulses do not lead to social
rewards
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 Defense Mechanisms
Denial
Refusal to accept that certain facts exist
Extreme form of defense
Makes a person less realistic
Reaction formation
Acting in a manner opposite to
threatening unconscious desires

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 Defense Mechanisms
Intellectualization
Removal of emotional content from the thought
Helps bring difficult thoughts into
consciousness without anxiety
Projection
Attributing unconscious impulse to other people
Frees a person from the perception that he/she is
the one who holds a certain thought

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 Psychosexual Stages of
Development
Sequence of development made up of
stages characterized by primary
erogenous zones and sexual desires
Each stage has a specific influence on the
adult personality
Adult personalities of people are
greatly influenced by the events of
early childhood
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 Psychosexual Stages of
Development
Fixation - Stagnation of psychic energy
Results when a child is unable to move
through a particular stage
Oral stage
First 18 months of life
Primary erogenous zones - Mouth, lips, and
tongue
Feeding problems can result in fixation and
development of an oral personality
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 Psychosexual Stages of
Development
Anal stage
Primary erogenous zone - Anal region
Children are toilet trained
Traumatic toilet training can result in
fixation and development of an anal
personality
Phallic stage
Ages 3 to 6
Primary erogenous zone - Penis or clitoris
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 Psychosexual Stages of
Development
Oedipus complex - Children develop a
sexual attraction for their opposite-sex
parent
Boys develop castration anxiety and girls
develop penis envy
Eventually the children repress their
desire for their opposite-sex parent

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 Psychosexual Stages of
Development
Latency stage
Sexual desires abate
Boys and girls are uninterested in each
other
Genital stage
Initiated at puberty
Primary erogenous zone - Adult genital
regions

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 Getting at Unconscious
Material
Strong id impulses do not disappear
when they are pushed out of
consciousness
Expressed in an altered form
Unconscious thoughts can be noticed
by observing innocent behaviors

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 Getting at Unconscious
Material
Techniques to get unconscious material
Dreams
Provide id impulses with a stage for expression
Trained psychoanalysts can identify common
dream symbols
Projective tests: Assesses unconscious
material by asking test takers to respond to
ambiguous stimuli
Identifying objects, telling a story, or drawing a
picture
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 Getting at Unconscious
Material
Free association
Used to temporarily bypass the censoring
mechanism employed by ego
Exposes strange, uncensored ideas
Freudian slips: Misstatements or slips of
the lounge
May represent unconscious associations

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 Assessment: Projective Tests
Rorschach inkblot test
Predicts behavior from responses to
inkblots
Designed by Hermann Rorschach
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Test takers are asked to tell a story about a
series of ambiguous pictures
Designed by Henry Murray

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 Assessment: Projective Tests
Human Figure Drawing test
Measures intelligence and important
personality constructs
Used as an indicator of psychological
problems in children

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PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY OF PERSONALITY
STRENGTHS
•Freud’s psychodynamic theory describes
and explains how personality develops
throughout the lifespan, whilst this is
overlooked by other theories
•Many agree that adult personality is
significantly influenced by experiences
early in life
•There is research evidence supporting the
use of defence mechanisms, although in
order to support self-esteem rather than
reduce anxiety
•Mental processes can occur below the
level of conscious awareness
LIMITATIONS
•Few contemporary psychologists believe
that personality development proceeds in
age-related stages
•Most believe that personality continues to
develop throughout the lifespan
•Freud’s theory lacks scientific research
evidence
•Often criticised for his lack of attention to
the importance of social interactions or
socio-cultural influences