Freud

• Sigmund Freud

  • An Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis
  • A renowned and controversial figure in psychology
  • Introduced the theory of psychosexual development, outlining five distinct stages that shape our personalities
• Main idea of Psychoanalytic Theory of Psychology


  • Focuses on identifying and releasing unconscious, repressed feelings, thoughts, memories, and desires that are negatively impacting your life
  • The goal is to make you aware of the root of psychological problems and help you resolve the issues in order to bring about positive change and growth
• Freud Psychosexual Stages of Development


  1. Oral Stage: Birth to 18 months

  2. Anal Stage: 18 months to 3 years

  3. Phallic Stage: Ages 3 to 6

  4. Latency Stage: Age 6 to puberty
• Oral Stage


  • Erogenous Zone: Mouth
  • During this stage, a child's pleasure centers around oral activities such as sucking, setting the foundation for future personality traits
• Oral Fixation


  Excessive or insufficient gratification can lead to an Oral Fixation, manifesting in adulthood habits like smoking or nail-biting
• Personality Outcomes


  Individuals may develop tendencies towards dependency or aggression, influencing their social interactions and leadership capabilities
• Anal Stage

  • Pleasure Focus: Anus
  • The anal stage is where children derive satisfaction from controlling bowel movements, a critical period for personality development
• Toilet Training outcomes

  • Individuals may develop tendencies towards dependency or aggression, influencing their social interactions and leadership capabilities
  • Fixation at this stage can result in being either overly organized and meticulous or disorganized and messy
• Phallic Stage

  • Erogenous Zone: Genitals
  • Children become aware of their bodies and the differences between genders, leading to the development of the Oedipus and Electra complexes
• Gender Identity


  Identification with the same-sex parent during this stage is crucial for the development of gender identity and sexual roles
• Fixation Consequences


  A fixation at this stage can lead to challenges in sexual identity and relationships in adulthood
• Oedipus Complex outcomes


  • Individuals may develop tendencies towards dependency or aggression, influencing their social interactions and leadership capabilities
• Electra Complex


  Electra complex is a non-Freudian concept that describes a girl's adoration and attraction to their fathers and resentment, hostility, and rivalry towards their mothers
• Latency Stage


  Age 6 to puberty
• Electra complex


  Describes a girl's adoration and attraction to their fathers and resentment, hostility, and rivalry towards their mothers
• Electra complex is a non-Freudian concept
• Latency stage


  1. Age 6 to puberty

  2. Sexual impulses are repressed as children focus on social and cognitive skills
• Social development


  Children typically engage with same-sex peers, fostering relationships and abilities crucial for later stages
• Genital stage


  1. Puberty onwards

  2. The onset of puberty reawakens sexual urges, with adolescents beginning to explore romantic relationships
• Awakening of urges

  The onset of puberty reawakens sexual urges, with adolescents beginning to explore romantic relationships
• Pleasure center: Genitals


  Sexual interests become more pronounced, with the focus shifting towards the genitals and attraction to the opposite sex
• The three components of personality adjustment

  • The Id
  • The Ego
  • The Superego
• The Id


  Present from birth, seeks immediate gratification, driven by the pleasure principle without regard for reality
• The Ego

  Emerges as a mediator, operating on the reality principle, balancing the id's desires with the external world
• The Superego

  Developing later, represents moral standards and ideals, often in conflict with the id's impulses
• Ego


  Executive mediating between id impulses and superego inhibitions; testing reality, rational; operates mainly at conscious level but also at preconscious level
• Superego

  Ideals and morals; striving for perfection; incorporated from parents; becoming a person's conscience; operates mostly at preconscious level
• Id


  Basic impulses (sex and aggression); seeking immediate gratification; irrational and impulsive
• Topographical model of the mind

  1. Conscious mind: The accessible part of our psyche, home to thoughts and perceptions directly in our focus

  2. Subconscious mind: Where memories and stored knowledge reside, ready to come to the surface when triggered

  3. Unconscious mind: The largest, deepest layer where fears, unacceptable desires, and painful memories are kept out of conscious awareness
• Human Development

  The process of growth and change that happens to people throughout their lives. It includes physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development
• The three major issues of development

  • Nature vs Nurture
  • Continuity vs Discontinuity
  • Stability vs Change
• Nature vs Nurture

  Nature refers to the influence of genetics and inherited traits on an individual’s development, behavior, and personality. Nurture refers to the impact of environmental factors on shaping an individual’s behavior
• Nature


  • Physical traits like eye color, height, skin tone, and health conditions
• Nurture


  • Family dynamics, peer influence, and cultural beliefs
• Continuity vs Discontinuity

  Continuity refers to the view that development is a gradual, continuous process. Discontinuity refers to the view that development occurs in a series of distinct stages
• Lev Vygotsky: 'He believed that children learn gradually by using scaffolds they learn from parents, teachers, and other children. In short; learning is a process that involves gradually gaining independence with the help of others'
• Discontinuity or Discontinuity Development


  • Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development, Erik Erikson's psychosocial development, Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stages of development
• Stability vs Change

  Stability implies personality traits present during infancy endure throughout the lifespan. Change argues that personalities are modified by interactions with family, experiences at school, and acculturation
• Jean Piaget conducted research on cognitive development
• Piaget's research method involved observing a small number of individuals as they responded to cognitive tasks that he designed, later known as Piagetian tasks