PSYC Chapter 2: Introduction To Psychodynamic Theory Dr. Deborah Myles

Transcription

1 PSYC 2301 Chapter 2: Introduction To Psychodynamic Theory Dr. Deborah Myles

2 What is Psychodynamic? An active mind A mental struggle Conscious and unconscious forces interact to control our behaviors

3 Who Started the Psychodynamic Perspective? Sigmund Freud ( ) -Started the term Psychoanalysis in 1896 to describe his theories and technique for finding and curing the mental problems of his patients. -He never achieved the goal of One Grand Theory. - Freud spent his life trying to explain all human behaviour.

4 Freud s Fabulous Five Theories The Unconscious Mind, The Structure of Personality, and Defense Mechanisms: Conscious/ Pre-Conscious/ Unconscious Mind The Libido The Id, Ego, and Superego The Stages of Psychosexual Development The Defense Mechanisms

5 I. Conscious/ Pre-Conscious/ Unconscious Mind The Conscious is found in the top 1/7 th part of our brains. It is the awareness we have when we are awake. (events, memories and information that we are aware of ) The Preconscious- is the boundary part of our brain which contains memories from dreams. (memories that can easily be recalled ) The Unconscious- is about 6/7 th of our brain which contains secret wishes, fears, traumatic memories of the past, etc. All these memories are completely hidden and totally unavailable to us; this is necessary for survival. (thoughts, memories, emotions and impulse we are not aware of )

6 II. The Libido The level of Libido ( steam ) we are born with is a central aspect of our personalities. How we use this energy depends on our personalities( needs and desires) and our activities (work, hobbies, interests). our sexual energy

7 III. The Id, Ego and Superego The Id- develops first and operates by the pleasure principle (the baby seeks pleasures e.g. drink, food, warmth, comfort) and avoids the unpleasurable (e.g. hunger, being wet and cold). The Id is selfish and typically wants immediate gratification. (ages infant-2yrs) the child within us; the primitive, unconscious part of our mind that seeks :expression of wishes and emotions. The Ego- develops at age 2 and operates the reality principle. To survive, we must sometimes be realistic and plan for the future. Thus the Id can t always be allowed it s own way and battles with the Id. the mediator that develops with experience and is the rational part of our mind. The Superego- develops at age 3, it is the conscience or moral watchdog that stops us from doing wrong. Super means above (looking down and monitoring the Id-Ego battle) especially in the sense of being anti-social. (Gradually develops throughout childhood to puberty) society's values and morals; our conscience; the parent within us.

8 IV. The Stages of Psychosexual Development Oral (0-2 yrs) Anal (2-3yrs) Phallic (3-6 yrs) Latent (6-11 yrs) Genital (11 +yrs)

9 Oral Stage (0-2) The mouth is the prime source of pleasure, for survival: the baby instinctively sucks. Through oral satisfaction, the baby develop trust and an optimistic personality. Being stuck at this age is an oral Fixation

10 Anal Stage(2-3) The focus of pleasure shift to the anus, helping the child become aware of its bowel and how to control them. However, over-strictness about forcing the child or about timing or cleanliness can cause personality problems (Anal Fixation) Over-concern about going regularly may cause obsessive time keeping or the type who s always late. Over emphasis on cleanliness may cause obsessive personality( neat freak) or rebelling (untidy)

11 Phallic Stage(3-6) Children become aware of their genital ( playing with themselves ) and sexual differences. Consequently, the development is different for boys and girls. -Oedipus Complex: boys want to possess the mother and see their father as a sexual rival; the boy ultimately develops "castration anxiety" or their fear that his father will remove his penis; the boy then represses this fear, identifies with the father and develops his superego -Electra Complex: girls want to possess the father and see their mother as a sexual rival; the girl sees the father as superior because her mother does not have a penis; Freud is unclear on how girls resolve this but feels that girls search for a substitute for this organ in wanting to have a baby; girls do not develop a clear moral identity because of this and, consequently, their superegos never fully develop

12 Latency Period(6-11) a period of sexual rest for both sexes where sex-role identities develop.

13 Genital Stage(11+) (puberty on): a reawakening of sexual urges and a desire for heterosexual relationships

14 The Defense Mechanisms Freud s theory: Necessary to defend ourselves against bad feelings (anxiety, embarrassment, guilt ) Bad feelings threaten the ego (self) Using defense mechanisms: Normal, not deliberate, not lying

15 The Defense Mechanisms Provide ways to unconsciously protect ourselves from unpleasant ideas. mental strategies the egos uses to defend itself in the daily conflict between Id's impulses and superego's need to deny them. Helps everyday survival, however; overuse can cause problems. Fixation vs. Identification

16 DEFENSE MECHANISMS REPRESSION functions to protect an individual from experiencing extreme anxiety or guilt about having unacceptable impulses, ideas or memories REACTION FORMATION in response to unacceptable desire, forming an opposite opinion or reaction or attitudes and using this opposite opinion as a barrier RATIONALIZATION attempting to prove that behavior is justifiable (rational) REGRESSION retreating to earlier developmental levels involving more childish responses DISPLACEMENT rerouting pent-up feelings (usually hostility) to an object less dangerous than those that initially aroused the emotion PROJECTION accusing someone else of what you believe is true of yourself. SUBLIMATION converting unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable actions, and perhaps symbolically expressing them DENIAL simply discounting the existence of threatening impulses

17 Psychoanalytic Theory: Pro and Con Pro: First comprehensive theory of personality Unconscious IS a part of personality Led to further theories by others Led to development of psychotherapy Con: No empirical evidence (just descriptive case studies) Sexist Lacks cross-cultural validation Too much emphasis on unconscious mind Patients were not normal adults Biased interpretations by Freud