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
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