Sigmund Freud

Id, Ego and Superego

-  Freud believed that the mind (psyche) was composed of three parts - id, ego and superego

- these three parts were constantly at

odds with each other

Id – (unconscious) (instinct) - dominates from birth to 3 years - primitive desires - passions - hunger, rage, sex, seething,

excitement, chaos - most important for survival - based on pleasure – no consideration of

reality or others •  If the id is too strong, impulsive and self gratifying personality types develop

Ego – (conscious and unconscious) -  3 to 5 years -  floats between id and superego -  mediates between unconscious desires

(id) and thoughts about fulfilling those desires (superego)

-  based on reality – understands that other people have needs, too -  makes conscious decisions by meeting the ids needs while considering reality

Superego (subconscious) -  5 years old and over -  internalizes norms, morality and taboos -  guides behaviour by imposing strict moral

and ethical guidelines -  becomes your conscience – dictates our beliefs about what is right and wrong * If the superego is too strong, judgmental

and unbending personality types develop

Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development (personality development) -  must be completed in a predetermined sequence -  failure to complete a stage leads to an unhealthy personality

Oral – birth to 18 months Focus -  Oral pleasure – sucking, licking, biting, chewing (id is very strong)

Oral Personality Result -  too little gratification results in an oral fixation -  tendency to smoke, drink alcohol, over eat, bite nails -  creates overly dependent people, gullible, perpetual followers

OR -  become pessimistic, aggressive toward others

Anal – 18 months to 3 years Focus -  eliminating or retaining feces -  pleasure = going to the bathroom

Personality Result -  Fixation at this age leads to an obsession with cleanliness, perfection and control (anal – retentive) OR

- messy and disorganized

Phallic -  3 to 6 years Focus -  pleasure zone switches to genital area -  superego developing

Personality Result Oedipus/Electra Complex -  boys develop unconscious sexual desire

for their mothers, become rivals to fathers -  boys fear father will punish them for their

feelings -  eventually repress anger toward father

and become like father, therefore develops male characteristics

* fixation at this age results in sexual deviancies (overindulging or avoiding) or confused sexual identity

Latency -  6 years to puberty Focus -  sexual urges are repressed -  less attention on body

Personality Result -  sexual urges are repressed -  children interact and play mostly with

same sex peers

-  children develop social skills, values and relationships OR

- introverted, socially awkward, difficulty with relationships

Genital -  Puberty and on

Focus -  focus of pleasure is the genitals -  id increases sexual energy -  struggle between id and superego

Personality Result -  adolescents direct their sexual urges onto

the opposite sex

-  if all stages of psychosexual development have been met, the individual develops into a well balanced individual, cultured OR

- social deviant – cannot manage emotional urges or sexual urges