PROBLEM1: FREUD’S PSYCHOANALYTICAL APPROACH
LEARNING GOALS
How does unconscious impulses affect behaviour?
What is the Freudian Slip?
How do the superego and id affect behaviour? (superego, ego, id)
How does repressed impulses provoke certain reactions? (catharsis)
What are the psycho-sexual stages?
How does childhood experiences influence our behaviour as adults? (fixations)
How do people release/manage stress?
Types of defence mechanisms and how they work?
Larsen & Carver
BASIC INSTINCTS: SEX AND AGGRESSION
Psychic energy: source of energy within each person that motivates activities, operates according to the law of
conservation (amount of energy remains constant/fixed throughout lifetime, personality change only redirects it)
Instincts: innate basic source of psychic energy
o Life instinct (Eros): self-preservation instincts and sexual instincts (deal with survival, reproduction and
pleasure). Libido is energy of all life instincts ex hunger, sex, pain avoidance
o Death instinct (Thanatos): towards destruction and aggression, are not always visible because life instincts
held them back, unconscious ex rape
TOPOGRAPHICAL MODEL OF MIND
(levels of consciousness)
Human mind consists of:
o Conscious: contains thoughts, feelings and perceptions you are now aware of, immediately available at surface
level
o Preconscious: information, thoughts or feelings not presently thinking about, but could be easily brought to
awareness (ordinary memory)
o Unconscious: (largest level) unacceptable information hidden from conscious view by defence mechanisms,
because stressing memories/desires would make person anxious, in conflict or pain. But exerts continuing
influence on later actions ex childhood traumas into adulthood
PSYCHIC DETERMINISM: NOTHING HAPPENS BY CHANCE
Mental illnesses caused by unconscious motivations, but could be cured when discovering the cause
o Anna O. women fall ill (hysteria) after her father died. Therapy consisted of talking with physician Breuer about
her symptoms, which later considered physical expressions of repressed traumatic experiences
Evidence of Unconscious:
o Blind sight: blind people able to make judgements about objects you cannot see
o Deliberation-without-awareness: (let me sleep on it effect) person confronted with difficult decision,
unconscious deliberation makes best decisions than conscious mind
STRUCTURAL MODEL OF PERSONALITY
Aspects that interact to create the complexity of behaviour:
ID –it: original/innate component of personality, source of basic biological (instinctive and primitive) drives and urges. It
dominates in childhood and functions entirely in the unconscious
o Pleasure Principle: desire for needs to be satisfied immediately, if not a tension state is created. Does not
follow logic, morals or values and has little patience ex increase in hunger causes attempt to eat
o Primary Process Thinking: forming unconscious illogical mental images (dreams/fantasies, do not connect with
reality) of object/event that would satisfy the need ex hungry child forms image of mother’s breast
o Wish Fulfilment: when urge requires external object/person which is not available, the id creates mental image
to satisfy needs
EGO -I: delays id’s impulses until appropriate object or context is found, balance id impulses with reality. Develops in
first two years of life and functions in conscious and preconscious
o Reality Principle: understand id’s urges conflict with social and physical reality. Avoid, redirect or postpone
their direct expression until appropriate situation, considering external reality along with internal needs, weigh
risks of action before acting
o Secondary Process Thinking: development of strategies for solving problems and obtaining satisfaction, ego
tries to balance reality with id and superego
o Realistic Testing: realistic thought allows ego to form plans of action to satisfy needs and test the plans
mentally to see whether they will work
, SUPEREGO –over I: internalizes values, morals and ideals of society, source of judgement (conscience). Makes us feel
guilty, ashamed or embarrassed, or proud when we do something wrong/right. Formed when resolving conflicts during
development (identification with parents) and functions in all levels of consciousness
o Introjection: replication of behaviors or attributes learned from others (parents) ex person begins frequently
repeating phrase because of hearing a friend
o Divided into: ego ideal (rules for desirable behaviour, reflects things you make effort for) and the conscience
(rules about undesirable behaviour, reflects things to avoid)
o Ego Depletion: more psychic energy used to resolve conflict between id and superego, the less energy for
resolving others
o To resist unacceptable impulses person needs power of self-control, which increases with effort or external
motivation (money)
o The superego tries to prevent id impulses, force ego to act morally and guide person toward perfection
BALANCING THE FORCES
Once superego developed, ego deals simultaneously with desires of id, moral dictates of superego and constraints of
reality
No aspect of personality is “better” than the others, healthy personality is balance among them
If superego too strong feel guilty all the time or act in insufferably “saintly” way, if id too strong obsessed with self-
gratification and completely uninterested in others
Ego Strength: ego’s ability to be effective despite conflicts
PSYCHOANALYSIS
Psychoanalysis: method of psychotherapy for helping individuals experiencing mental disorder or minor problems,
restructure personality by making the unconscious conscious
Psychopathology of everyday life: unconscious impulses revealed constantly in everyday events or mistakes ex forget
thinks or have accidents
TECHNIQUES FOR REVEALING UNCONSCIOUS
Dreams: interpretation of content (symbols) as messages from unconscious wishes or desires
o Manifest content: what dream contains
o Latent content: what element of dream represents
o Functions of dreams: allows wish fulfilment and gratification of desires, provide safety way to release
unconscious tension and are guardians of sleep (no anxiety aroused)
Freudian Slip: error in speech that seems to suggest an unconscious feeling or desire
Projective Techniques: idea that what person sees in ambiguous figure (Rorschach test, inkblots), reflects personality.
Ex. aggressive person sees teeth, blood
Free Association: relax and say whatever comes to mind, produces symbolic meanings
THE PROCESS OF PSYCHOANALYSIS
Understand patient’s unconscious source of problems and psychoanalyst offers interpretation of psychodynamic causes
of patient’s situation
Through interpretations patient understands unconscious source of problems and gains insight (intense emotional
experience with release of repressed material) when material is reintegrated into conscious awareness
Patient’s defences feel threatened, forces to repress disturbing impulse or trauma show resistance by setting obstacles
to progress and misdirect psychoanalyst. However, sign progress is being made
Patient reacts to psychoanalyst as important figure from patient’s own life by transference. Displace past or present
feelings toward someone onto analyst
o Repetition compulsion: re-enact interpersonal problems with new people (psychoanalyst)
ANXIETY AND DEFENCE MECHANISMS
, Anxiety: unpleasant state acts as warning things are not right, results from conflicts between the id, ego and superego,
so people seek to avoid/escape anxiety. Control of ego being threatened by reality, impulses from id or harsh controls
of superego
o Objective/Reality anxiety: fear response to real external threat, deal with it by avoiding or escaping situation
creating the feeling ex confronted by someone with a knife
o Neurotic anxiety: (conflict between id and ego) unconscious fear of ego to lose control over id impulses and
make you do something that gets you punished. Not fear of expressing the impulses but fear of punishment,
avoided by ego strength
o Moral anxiety: (conflict between ego and superego) when violating moral codes –ego ideal and conscience, felt
as guilt or shame ex against cheating but tempted to
Response of ego to anxiety: increase problem-oriented coping efforts (deal consciously with source of threat) or engage
defence mechanisms (operate unconsciously and distort/transform reality)
DEFENCE MECHANISMS by Anna Freud
Functions: maintain undesirable information in unconscious, protect ego and self-esteem, minimize anxiety
CATHARSIS: release of energy and emotional tension when it cannot be restrained any longer, happens under very specific
circumstances (when defence mechanisms fail to function)
Repression: preventing unacceptable thoughts or impulses in conscious awareness, prevents accurate perception of
reality
Denial: refuse reality of condition/event ex smoker denies evidence of linking diseases
o Fundamental attribution error: blame events outside one’s control for failure but accept responsibility for
success
o Daydreams or fantasies are about denying present situation
Displacement: impulse unconsciously redirected from original source to other, substituting to less threatening target
reduces anxiety ex angry with professor but takes it out on boyfriend
Rationalization: generating rational explanations for unacceptable outcomes ex fail in exam and insist teacher did not
give clear instructions, works with self-serving bias
Projection: transfer to others own unacceptable traits/desires but not admitting we have them, way to hide knowledge
of disliked aspect of yourself while still expressing in distorted form and not threatening you ex married men with affair
are more suspicious of their wives being unfaithful
o False-consensus effect: assume others are like you, think they share own preferences or traits
Sublimation: changing unwanted sexual or aggressive instincts into socially acceptable activities ex boxing when angry,
allows limited expression of id tendencies
Intellectualization: think about threats in cold, analytical and emotionally detached terms ex woman finds husband
dying of cancer, learns as much about it and treatments, less distress when focusing on information
Undoing: make up for something wrong ex know will make mom mad, so buy her chocolates
Reaction formation: do opposite of impulse desire
o Suppression: deny in public but follow in private
Regression: showing fixations of early development ex adopting more childish mannerisms
Isolation: experience event but not feeling
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Fixation: child has conflicts at three stages, if are not well resolved, a lot of energy gets permanently invested in that
stage
o Reasons it occurs: person unwilling to leave it and move on or needs are deeply frustrated in a stage and can’t
move on until they are met
Regression: fall back to a previous phase
How person resolves conflicts in stages give rise to aspects of personality
Successful personality development: ability to be productive and maintain loving relationships
Children seek sexual gratification at each stage by investing energy in specific body part
1. Oral Stage: (first 18 months) sources of pleasure and tension reduction are mouth, lips and tongue ex eating, biting
Conflict: weaning, withdrawing from breast or bottle, biting. Possible fixation: overeat, smoke, bite nails
o Oral incorporate stage: development of optimism, pessimism traits
o Oral sadistic stage: sarcasm and verbally aggressive traits
2. Anal Stage: (18 months to 3 years) pleasure from defecation, ego is developed
Conflict: achieve self-control when toilet training (first time external constraints systematically imposed on satisfaction
of internal urges). Fixation: compulsive, orderliness, hostility, destructive
3. Phallic Stage: (3 to 5 years) discovery of own genitals and realization of pleasure, awakening of sexual desires and
develop interest toward opposite-sex parent
o Oedipus complex: boys’ desire to possess their mothers and replace their fathers (Electra complex for girls)
LEARNING GOALS
How does unconscious impulses affect behaviour?
What is the Freudian Slip?
How do the superego and id affect behaviour? (superego, ego, id)
How does repressed impulses provoke certain reactions? (catharsis)
What are the psycho-sexual stages?
How does childhood experiences influence our behaviour as adults? (fixations)
How do people release/manage stress?
Types of defence mechanisms and how they work?
Larsen & Carver
BASIC INSTINCTS: SEX AND AGGRESSION
Psychic energy: source of energy within each person that motivates activities, operates according to the law of
conservation (amount of energy remains constant/fixed throughout lifetime, personality change only redirects it)
Instincts: innate basic source of psychic energy
o Life instinct (Eros): self-preservation instincts and sexual instincts (deal with survival, reproduction and
pleasure). Libido is energy of all life instincts ex hunger, sex, pain avoidance
o Death instinct (Thanatos): towards destruction and aggression, are not always visible because life instincts
held them back, unconscious ex rape
TOPOGRAPHICAL MODEL OF MIND
(levels of consciousness)
Human mind consists of:
o Conscious: contains thoughts, feelings and perceptions you are now aware of, immediately available at surface
level
o Preconscious: information, thoughts or feelings not presently thinking about, but could be easily brought to
awareness (ordinary memory)
o Unconscious: (largest level) unacceptable information hidden from conscious view by defence mechanisms,
because stressing memories/desires would make person anxious, in conflict or pain. But exerts continuing
influence on later actions ex childhood traumas into adulthood
PSYCHIC DETERMINISM: NOTHING HAPPENS BY CHANCE
Mental illnesses caused by unconscious motivations, but could be cured when discovering the cause
o Anna O. women fall ill (hysteria) after her father died. Therapy consisted of talking with physician Breuer about
her symptoms, which later considered physical expressions of repressed traumatic experiences
Evidence of Unconscious:
o Blind sight: blind people able to make judgements about objects you cannot see
o Deliberation-without-awareness: (let me sleep on it effect) person confronted with difficult decision,
unconscious deliberation makes best decisions than conscious mind
STRUCTURAL MODEL OF PERSONALITY
Aspects that interact to create the complexity of behaviour:
ID –it: original/innate component of personality, source of basic biological (instinctive and primitive) drives and urges. It
dominates in childhood and functions entirely in the unconscious
o Pleasure Principle: desire for needs to be satisfied immediately, if not a tension state is created. Does not
follow logic, morals or values and has little patience ex increase in hunger causes attempt to eat
o Primary Process Thinking: forming unconscious illogical mental images (dreams/fantasies, do not connect with
reality) of object/event that would satisfy the need ex hungry child forms image of mother’s breast
o Wish Fulfilment: when urge requires external object/person which is not available, the id creates mental image
to satisfy needs
EGO -I: delays id’s impulses until appropriate object or context is found, balance id impulses with reality. Develops in
first two years of life and functions in conscious and preconscious
o Reality Principle: understand id’s urges conflict with social and physical reality. Avoid, redirect or postpone
their direct expression until appropriate situation, considering external reality along with internal needs, weigh
risks of action before acting
o Secondary Process Thinking: development of strategies for solving problems and obtaining satisfaction, ego
tries to balance reality with id and superego
o Realistic Testing: realistic thought allows ego to form plans of action to satisfy needs and test the plans
mentally to see whether they will work
, SUPEREGO –over I: internalizes values, morals and ideals of society, source of judgement (conscience). Makes us feel
guilty, ashamed or embarrassed, or proud when we do something wrong/right. Formed when resolving conflicts during
development (identification with parents) and functions in all levels of consciousness
o Introjection: replication of behaviors or attributes learned from others (parents) ex person begins frequently
repeating phrase because of hearing a friend
o Divided into: ego ideal (rules for desirable behaviour, reflects things you make effort for) and the conscience
(rules about undesirable behaviour, reflects things to avoid)
o Ego Depletion: more psychic energy used to resolve conflict between id and superego, the less energy for
resolving others
o To resist unacceptable impulses person needs power of self-control, which increases with effort or external
motivation (money)
o The superego tries to prevent id impulses, force ego to act morally and guide person toward perfection
BALANCING THE FORCES
Once superego developed, ego deals simultaneously with desires of id, moral dictates of superego and constraints of
reality
No aspect of personality is “better” than the others, healthy personality is balance among them
If superego too strong feel guilty all the time or act in insufferably “saintly” way, if id too strong obsessed with self-
gratification and completely uninterested in others
Ego Strength: ego’s ability to be effective despite conflicts
PSYCHOANALYSIS
Psychoanalysis: method of psychotherapy for helping individuals experiencing mental disorder or minor problems,
restructure personality by making the unconscious conscious
Psychopathology of everyday life: unconscious impulses revealed constantly in everyday events or mistakes ex forget
thinks or have accidents
TECHNIQUES FOR REVEALING UNCONSCIOUS
Dreams: interpretation of content (symbols) as messages from unconscious wishes or desires
o Manifest content: what dream contains
o Latent content: what element of dream represents
o Functions of dreams: allows wish fulfilment and gratification of desires, provide safety way to release
unconscious tension and are guardians of sleep (no anxiety aroused)
Freudian Slip: error in speech that seems to suggest an unconscious feeling or desire
Projective Techniques: idea that what person sees in ambiguous figure (Rorschach test, inkblots), reflects personality.
Ex. aggressive person sees teeth, blood
Free Association: relax and say whatever comes to mind, produces symbolic meanings
THE PROCESS OF PSYCHOANALYSIS
Understand patient’s unconscious source of problems and psychoanalyst offers interpretation of psychodynamic causes
of patient’s situation
Through interpretations patient understands unconscious source of problems and gains insight (intense emotional
experience with release of repressed material) when material is reintegrated into conscious awareness
Patient’s defences feel threatened, forces to repress disturbing impulse or trauma show resistance by setting obstacles
to progress and misdirect psychoanalyst. However, sign progress is being made
Patient reacts to psychoanalyst as important figure from patient’s own life by transference. Displace past or present
feelings toward someone onto analyst
o Repetition compulsion: re-enact interpersonal problems with new people (psychoanalyst)
ANXIETY AND DEFENCE MECHANISMS
, Anxiety: unpleasant state acts as warning things are not right, results from conflicts between the id, ego and superego,
so people seek to avoid/escape anxiety. Control of ego being threatened by reality, impulses from id or harsh controls
of superego
o Objective/Reality anxiety: fear response to real external threat, deal with it by avoiding or escaping situation
creating the feeling ex confronted by someone with a knife
o Neurotic anxiety: (conflict between id and ego) unconscious fear of ego to lose control over id impulses and
make you do something that gets you punished. Not fear of expressing the impulses but fear of punishment,
avoided by ego strength
o Moral anxiety: (conflict between ego and superego) when violating moral codes –ego ideal and conscience, felt
as guilt or shame ex against cheating but tempted to
Response of ego to anxiety: increase problem-oriented coping efforts (deal consciously with source of threat) or engage
defence mechanisms (operate unconsciously and distort/transform reality)
DEFENCE MECHANISMS by Anna Freud
Functions: maintain undesirable information in unconscious, protect ego and self-esteem, minimize anxiety
CATHARSIS: release of energy and emotional tension when it cannot be restrained any longer, happens under very specific
circumstances (when defence mechanisms fail to function)
Repression: preventing unacceptable thoughts or impulses in conscious awareness, prevents accurate perception of
reality
Denial: refuse reality of condition/event ex smoker denies evidence of linking diseases
o Fundamental attribution error: blame events outside one’s control for failure but accept responsibility for
success
o Daydreams or fantasies are about denying present situation
Displacement: impulse unconsciously redirected from original source to other, substituting to less threatening target
reduces anxiety ex angry with professor but takes it out on boyfriend
Rationalization: generating rational explanations for unacceptable outcomes ex fail in exam and insist teacher did not
give clear instructions, works with self-serving bias
Projection: transfer to others own unacceptable traits/desires but not admitting we have them, way to hide knowledge
of disliked aspect of yourself while still expressing in distorted form and not threatening you ex married men with affair
are more suspicious of their wives being unfaithful
o False-consensus effect: assume others are like you, think they share own preferences or traits
Sublimation: changing unwanted sexual or aggressive instincts into socially acceptable activities ex boxing when angry,
allows limited expression of id tendencies
Intellectualization: think about threats in cold, analytical and emotionally detached terms ex woman finds husband
dying of cancer, learns as much about it and treatments, less distress when focusing on information
Undoing: make up for something wrong ex know will make mom mad, so buy her chocolates
Reaction formation: do opposite of impulse desire
o Suppression: deny in public but follow in private
Regression: showing fixations of early development ex adopting more childish mannerisms
Isolation: experience event but not feeling
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Fixation: child has conflicts at three stages, if are not well resolved, a lot of energy gets permanently invested in that
stage
o Reasons it occurs: person unwilling to leave it and move on or needs are deeply frustrated in a stage and can’t
move on until they are met
Regression: fall back to a previous phase
How person resolves conflicts in stages give rise to aspects of personality
Successful personality development: ability to be productive and maintain loving relationships
Children seek sexual gratification at each stage by investing energy in specific body part
1. Oral Stage: (first 18 months) sources of pleasure and tension reduction are mouth, lips and tongue ex eating, biting
Conflict: weaning, withdrawing from breast or bottle, biting. Possible fixation: overeat, smoke, bite nails
o Oral incorporate stage: development of optimism, pessimism traits
o Oral sadistic stage: sarcasm and verbally aggressive traits
2. Anal Stage: (18 months to 3 years) pleasure from defecation, ego is developed
Conflict: achieve self-control when toilet training (first time external constraints systematically imposed on satisfaction
of internal urges). Fixation: compulsive, orderliness, hostility, destructive
3. Phallic Stage: (3 to 5 years) discovery of own genitals and realization of pleasure, awakening of sexual desires and
develop interest toward opposite-sex parent
o Oedipus complex: boys’ desire to possess their mothers and replace their fathers (Electra complex for girls)
