Sigmund Freud on Personality

Some rules:– No judging or evaluating

until all theories are presented

– Consider the man and his theories in their historical context

– Consider all of the ideas that have arisen to support or refute his theories

– Consider that many things attributed to Freud are not his original ideas at all

I. Background

Born in Moravia 1856, moved to Austria Education/training

– Medical school, neurologist– Influenced by:

Jean Charcot - hypnosis treatment of conversion hysteria

Josef Breuer - “talking cure”

Victorian Europe

Social Darwinism– Evolution of humans

expressed through rational thought and little influence of instinctual, animalistic urges.

– Conversion hysteria is just a symbolic representation of repressed urges or conflicts.

Reactions to Freud– Sexuality as central drive is

shocking and disgusting to most

– Freud’s ideas were ignored, ridiculed, and in some cases his writings were destroyed

Weakness in Darwin– Only identified and labeled

behavior, did not explain behavior

– If all behavior is rooted in physiology and instincts, why is there such a variety, and why is there abnormal behavior?

Freud’s Methods

Psychoanalysis - all behavior is motivated! Go back to the beginning Repression Dream analysis, free association, hypnosis

The Three-Part Structure of the Mind

Id– Ruled by the “pleasure

principle”– Source of all mental

energy, fuels ego and superego

– Operates on an unconscious, irrational level

Structure of the Mind, contd.

Ego– Governed by the

“reality principle”– Tries to satisfy the

Id’s urges in socially acceptable ways

– Operates in both the conscious and unconscious levels

Structure of the Mind, contd.

Superego– The

embodiment of familial and cultural values

– Introduces a conscience

– Operates largely in the unconscious

Structures of the Mind, contd.

The Id says:“Do it now!” The Superego says:“Never do it!”o The Ego tries to

mediate. o The Ego serves 3

masters:• Id, Superego, Reality

Levels of Consciousness

Conscious Preconscious Unconscious

– “Freudian slips”– “Slips of the

tongue”

A made-up example of Freudian Slips

My Dear Son, The news of your engagment came as a delightful surprise. Naturally we are very peased at the resluts of your efforts. When must we meet the fair lady again? She seemed just to divine when we saw her at your New Year’s petty. Richmond is such a long way - I hope you won’t be going to Vaginia so often that you have no time left for studies. We love forward to the future knowing that I have not lost a sun, but a daughter.

Conratulations,Mother

More fun with Freudian slips

Freudian slip

Psychosexual Development

General Points– Freud’s medical training– Changes in distribution of sexual energy,

called libido, in regions of the body called erogenous zones

– Fixation - the tendency to engage in behaviors associated with that stage. The ego is an army, must leave troops stationed behind, thus weakening the overall strength of the army (the ego).

The Oral Stage

The mouth is the primary erogenous zone (birth - 1 yr)

Early Oral (birth - 8m)– Gratification from

feeding, sucking, swallowing

Late Oral (8m - 1 yr)– Pleasure from biting

and chewing (teething)

The Oral Stage, contd.

Fixations in the Oral Stage– Early Oral

Desire to acquire knowledge, preference for soft, milky foods, dependency, gullible, “will swallow anything”

– Late Oral Chews pencils, straws,

cigarette smoking, sarcastic, “biting” comments

The Anal Stage

Self-control and mastery over one’s environment

Pleasure region is the anus (1 - 3 yrs)

Early Anal (1-2 yrs)– Delight in defecation

Late Anal (2-3 yrs)– Retention of feces

The Anal Stage, contd.

Fixations in the Anal Stage– Anal Expulsive

Messiness, destructiveness, cruelty

– Anal Retentive Compulsive

orderliness, fussiness

The Phallic Stage

Shift in focus from anus to genitals (3 - 5 yrs)

Sexual longings for parents are intensified, expressed in 2 ways:– Fantasies during masturbation– Alternation of love and rebellion

Both boys and girls enter stage with strong bonds to Mom due to her being the source of all good things (nourishment, dry diapers, affection, etc.)

Oedipus Complex

Love of Mother “Castration

anxiety” Identify with

Father to defend against anxiety

Develops a superego

The Oedipal Complex

The Electra Complex

“Penis Envy”– Mom & Dad fight, Daddy

castrated Mommy, which is why Mom bleeds

– Mom got angry with daughter, castrated her

Daughter does not love Mom, but Dad

Realizes she won’t get penis back, identifies with Mom

Develops superego from Mom

The Latency Stage

Phallic stage was so traumatic, child’s psychosexual development takes a break until puberty

Child solidifies the superego

The Genital Stage

Gratification from genital stimulation

Seeks new object of affection

“Object finding is object refinding”

Criticisms of Freud

Psychoanalytic theory & concepts are vague and not operationally defined

Theory is good history, but bad science - does not reliably predict what will occur

Theories were developed from speculation based on clinical experience with patients in therapy for serious problems

Developmental theory was not based upon observations or studies of children

Theory minimizes traumatic experiences by reinterpreting memories as fantasies

It is male centered