Freud: Psychoanalysis

• psychoanalysis, the most famous of all personality theories.
• Sigmund Freud created psychoanalysis to treat psychopathology
• Freud's theory is based on his clinical observations of patients with mental disorders
• the provinces of the mind are the id, ego, and superego
• The goal of therapy was to bring these conflicts into consciousness so they could be resolved
• id - unconscious part of our minds that contains instinctual drives (sexual and aggressive)
• ego - conscious part of our minds that mediates between the demands of reality and the desires of the id
• ego - conscious part of our minds that mediates between the demands of reality and the needs of the id
• Freud's theory is called psychoanalytic theory
• superego - conscience; internalized moral standards from parents and society
• psychoanalytic theory focuses on the role of unconscious processes in shaping behavior
• Sigmund Freud believe that an imbalance between the elements of the id, ego and superego can lead to mental illness or maladaptive personality
• id = pleasure principle (seeking immediate gratification)
• superego = morality principle (internalizing societal norms)
• The two subdivisions of the super ego are conscience and ego ideal
• conscience - the internalized experiences for which a child is punished. when a child engages in this behavior or even just thinks about it, he or she feels guilty
• ego-ideal the internalized experience for which a child is rewarded. when a child engages in this behavior feels successful and proud.
• levels of mental life are unconscious, preconscious and conscious
• types of anxiety are neurotic anxiety, realistic anxiety and moral anxiety.
• Realistic anxiety involves actual treats to our physical safety.
• Moral anxiety stems from the conflict between the ego and superego.
• Realistic anxiety caused by real, objective sources of danger in the environment.
• The id is the source of all psychic energy; it contains instinctual drives such as sex and aggression. It operates on the pleasure principle (pleasure now).
• the ego mediates between the demands of the id and the external world. The ego operates according to the reality principle (reality now)
• the Ego mediates between the demands of reality and the wishes of the Id. It operates according to the reality principle (reality now)
• superego is the conscience that develops through identification with parents and other authority figures. It operates according to the morality principle (morality now)
• the ego protects the personality by falsifying the nature of the treat - defense mechanism
• the defense mechanism are repression, displacement, identification, reaction formation, projection, rationalizations, and regression, denial, sublimation
• unconscious contains all those drives, urges, or instincts that are beyond our awareness but that nevertheless motive most of our awareness but that nevertheless motive most of our words, feeling, and actions.
• conscious contains all of the thoughts, memories, feeling, and wishes we are aware at any given time moment.
• preconscious contains all those elements that are not conscious but can become conscious either. It consists of anything that could potentially be brought into the conscious mind.
• conscious is the medium for the perception of external stimuli.