Freud

• How does Freud view the mind?

  As a machine with three layers
• What are the three layers of the mind according to Freud?

  1. Consciousness: Thoughts we experience
  2. Preconscious: Thoughts that may surface
  3. Unconscious: Buried thoughts and feelings
• What are the three aspects of human personality according to Freud?

  Ego, id, and superego
• What is the role of the ego in Freud's theory?

  The conscious self seen by the outside world
• What does the id represent in Freud's model?

  The unconscious self with basic desires
• What is the superego according to Freud?

  A set of moral controls and ideas
• How does Freud explain the formation of the superego?

  • Formed by society and parents
  • Internalizes authority figures' demands
  • Creates a gap between ego and ideal self
• What causes guilt according to Freud?

  Going against the superego
• What is the Oedipus complex in Freud's theory?

  A male child's fixation on his mother
• What are the strengths of Freud's view of conscience?

  • Starts with psychological experience of guilt
  • Scientific grounding in psychology
  • Explains conscience as a term for various factors
• What are the difficulties with Freud's view of conscience?

  • Atheistic perspective on guilt
  • Overemphasis on upbringing's role
  • Limited empirical support for theories
  • Ideas cannot be falsified
• How does Freud view God in relation to conscience?

  • God is a human invention for comfort
  • Religion causes neuroses and hinders wholeness
• How does Freud explain moral decision-making?

  • Reflects needs of id and superego
  • Not innate or free; learned and caused