Personality: Psychoanalytic Theory. Rusk Psychology

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Berenice Summers
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1 Personality: Psychoanalytic Theory Rusk Psychology

2 ! Personality: unique and relatively stable pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions Important Definitions

3 Psychoanalytic Theories! Psychoanalytic Theories: examines how unconscious mental forces interplay with thoughts, feelings, and actions! Key Figures:! Founding Father--Freud

4 Freud s Psychoanalytic Approach:! Personality is set by age 5 or 6.! Personality development is guided by the family and its conflicts.! Focused on role of unconscious! Developed first therapeutic procedures for understanding & modifying structure of one s basic character

5 Fundamental Assumptions of Psychodynamic Theory 1. Basic Instincts 2. Unconscious Motivation 3. Psychic Determinism

Basic Instincts! Closely follows Darwin s theory! Freud believed that everything humans do can be understood as manifestations of the life and death instincts!

6 Basic Instincts! Closely follows Darwin s theory! Freud believed that everything humans do can be understood as manifestations of the life and death instincts! Later termed libido (life) and thanatos (death)! Libido (eros) sexual energy survival of the individual and human race-oriented towards growth, development & creativity Pleasure principle goal of life gain pleasure and avoid pain! Thanatos Death instinct accounts for aggressive drive to die or to hurt themselves or others! Sex and aggressive drives-powerful determinants of peoples actions

7 Unconscious Motivation! Individuals control their sexual and aggressive urges by placing them in the unconscious! These take on a life of their own and become the motivated unconscious

8 ! Freud s perspective Determinism! Nothing happens by chance or accident! Everything we do, think, say, and feel is an expression of our mind! Behavior is determined by 1. Irrational forces 2. Unconscious motivations 3. Biological and instinctual drives as they evolve through the six psychosexual stages of life

9 Levels of Consciousness! Conscious: thoughts or motives person is currently aware of or remembering! Preconscious: thoughts, motives, or memories that can be voluntarily brought to mind! Unconscious: thoughts, motives, or memories blocked from normal awareness

10 Techniques for Revealing the Unconscious! How can the existence of the unconscious be demonstrated?! Free Association! Dream Analysis! Projective Techniques! Recovered Memories

11 The Structure of Personality! THE ID The Demanding Child! Ruled by the pleasure principle! THE EGO The Traffic Cop! Ruled by the reality principle! THE SUPEREGO The Judge! Ruled by the moral principle

12 Id - Reservoir of Psychic Energy! Most primitive part of the mind; what we are born with! Source of all drives and urges! Operates to demands of Pleasure Principle - strive to satisfy desires and reduce inner tension

13 Ego - Executive of Personality! Deals with real world! Operates to demands of Reality Principle The ego recognizes that the urges of the id are often in conflict with social and physical reality.! The part of the mind that constrains the id to reality! Develops around 2-3 years of age! Mediates between id and superego

14 Superego Upholder of Values & Ideals! The part of the mind that internalizes the values, morals, and ideals of society! The superego determines what is right and what is wrong, and enforces this through the emotion of guilt.! It sets the moral goals and ideals of perfection.! Develops around age 5! Not bound by reality

15 Psychosexual Stages of Development! Psychosexual Stages: Freudian idea of five developmental periods key to personality development.! Freud believed all children pass through five psychosexual stages.! At each stage the id s pleasure seeking energies focus on specific pleasure areas of the body (erogenous zones).

16 Psychosexual Theory of Development! ORAL STAGE (First year)! Related to later mistrust and rejection issues! ANAL STAGE (Ages 2-4)! Related to later personal power issues! PHALLIC STAGE (Ages 4-6)! Related to later sexual attitudes! LATENCY STAGE (Ages 5-11)! A time of socialization! GENITAL STAGE (Ages 12-60)! Sexual energies are invested in life

17 Oral Stage: Birth to 2 year! Satisfy drive of hunger and thirst by breast or bottle! If fixated after weaned:! Over Dependency! Over Attachment! Intake of interesting substances/ideas

18 Anal Stage: 2-4 years! Id wants pleasure of reducing tension by defecating & urinating! Toilet training get superego to impose societal norms! Self-control! Holding back! Freedom of action no control! Anal expulsive- Enjoy bathroom humor-making messes-even of other people s lives! Anal retentive - Neatness, order & organization and Obstinacy & Stinginess

19 Phallic Stage: 4 6 years! Sexual energy focused on genitals! Masturbation! Differences between boys and girls! Emerging sexual gender identity! Personality fixed by end of this stage

20 Oedipus/Electra Complex! A boy s sexual feeling for his mother and rivalries with his father! Psychological defenses against these threatening thoughts and feelings! Form reaction pattern used throughout life! Form personality through identification with father! Diminish fear of castration-vicariously obtain mother through father

21 Penis Envy! A girl s feelings of inferiority and jealousy! Turns affections from mother to father since blame mom for no penis! Although can t have penis can have baby! Wants to find a good man like her father and produce a baby

22 Latency Period 5-11 years of age! Time between resolution of Oedipus complex and puberty! Usually not possible for sexual urges to be directly expressed! Sexual energies are channeled into school and friends

23 Genital Stage Adolescence - Adulthood! Normal sexual relations! Marriage! Child-rearing

24 Psychodynamics! Conflict model! Id vs. superego; Individual vs. society! Restrain expression of all drives! Surplus energy results in anxiety

25 Defense Mechanisms! Defense mechanisms: the ego s protective method of reducing anxiety by distorting reality ID EGO SUPER EGO

26 Ego-Defense Mechanisms! Are normal behaviors which operate on an unconscious level and tend to deny or distort reality! Help the individual cope with anxiety and prevent the ego from being overwhelmed! Have adaptive value if they do not become a style of life to avoid facing reality

27 Repression The process of preventing unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or urges from reaching conscious awareness Often the 1 st Defense Mechanism to come into play Examples: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder- PTSD Common with veterans and victims of sexual abuse! False memories suggested through psychotherapist intentionally or unintentionally

28 ! Freud believed that the presence of anxiety is evidence that repression is starting to fail, so other defense mechanisms may be brought into play.

29 Denial! Refusing to acknowledge anxiety-provoking stimuli! Mind s means of keeping its own sensations out of conscious awareness Or! That fabulous river which runs down the middle of Egypt which many of us sail on! Example:! denying that your physician's diagnosis of cancer is correct and seeking a second, and third, and fourth opinion

Displacement! The shifting of the targets of one s unconscious fears or desires and taking out impulses on a less threatening target! Hydraulic Replacement Model!

30 Displacement! The shifting of the targets of one s unconscious fears or desires and taking out impulses on a less threatening target! Hydraulic Replacement Model! Some release valve must be found for the bottled-up aggressive impulses triggered by frustration and humiliation! Example:! slamming a door instead of hitting as person,! Man angry at boss kicks dog, kids! Tools for Anger Workout-

31 Rationalization! A mechanism involving supplying a logical or rational reason for behaviors as opposed to the real reason reasons that were actually driven by internal unconscious motives The explanation for behavior is not even remotely related to the true causes Example: stating that you were fired because you didn't kiss up to the boss, when the real reason was your poor performance

32 Reaction Formation! Process of pushing away threatening impulses by overemphasizing the opposite in one s thoughts and actions! taking the opposite belief because the true belief causes anxiety! Examples:! having a bias against a particular race or culture and then embracing that race or culture to the extreme

33 Projection! Anxiety-arousing impulses are externalized by placing them, or projecting them, onto others.! Examples:! A person s inner threats are attributed to those around them! when losing an argument, you state "You're just Stupid;"! Newt Gingrich: public diatribe against infidelity of president while engaged in own long term infidelity out of public eye

34 Sublimation! Transforming of dangerous urges into positive, socially acceptable motivation! Examples:! sublimating your aggressive impulses toward a career as a boxer;! becoming a surgeon because of your desire to cut;! lifting weights to release 'pent up' energy

35 Regression! Returning to earlier, safer stages of our lives! There may be regression to the stage where there was previous fixation! Examples:! sitting in a corner and crying after hearing bad news;! throwing a temper tantrum when you don't get your way

36 Defense mechanisms can help us deal with stress; however, when a behavior inhibits the ability to be productive or to maintain relationships, there may be problems.

Freud & Personality Development

Freud & Personality Development personality forms during the first few years of life, rooted in unresolved conflicts of early childhood Psychosexual Stages Oral (0-18 mos) - centered on the mouth Anal