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• Psychodynamic theories


  Theories of personality developed by Sigmund Freud and others, focusing on the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences
• Personality


  A unique set of traits that influence how someone acts, thinks, feels, and what motivates them. It's what makes each person different.
• Basic tenets of psychodynamic theories

  • Early childhood relationships shape personality and behavior
  • People seek pleasure (hedonism)
  • Sex and aggression drive human behavior
• Persona


  (Latin) Mask
• Early philosophical roots of personality

  • Hippocrates linked personality to four body fluids or humors: yellow bile (grumpy), black bile (melancholy), phlegm (calm), and blood (cheerful)
  • In ancient Rome, a "persona" was a mask worn by actors to represent a character or role
  • In medieval times, "persona" meant social roles and traits that define a person
  • In the 18th century, "personality" became a psychological term
  • Today, personality means the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make each person unique
• Personality


  A pattern of stable traits and characteristics that give consistency and individuality to a person's behavior. It is permanent but may change, and it is the unique patterns that define who we are as individuals.
• Theory


  A set of ideas meant to explain something, based on general principles rather than specific details
• Theories of personality are attempts to explain things, not proven truths; they're assumptions
• A good theory is valuable because it explains phenomena effectively
• Psychoanalytic theory / Psychoanalysis


  Theories developed by Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, Carl Jung, and Melanie Klein, which posit that our past experiences influence our present behaviors and involve psychological therapy techniques
• Id


  The basic instinct, seeking pleasure, avoiding pain and suffering, and the source of all psychic energy. It is the first to develop and present from birth, operating on the pleasure principle and residing in the unconscious.
• Ego


  The decision maker that balances what you want with what's realistic, operating on the reality principle and mostly in the conscious and partly unconscious.
• Superego


  The moral principles or conscience that determines what is right and wrong, emerging around age 5 and residing in the conscious and partly unconscious.
• Levels of mental life / Levels of mind / Models of mind / Levels of awareness

  • Unconscious
  • Preconscious
  • Conscious
• Drives


  Sex (eros), Aggression (thanatos), Libido (sex drive with energy from aggressive drive)
• Basic drive


  Impetus (the amount of force it exerts), Source (tension), Aim (reducing the tension), Object (the person or thing that satisfies the aim)
• Sex (eros)


  The life instinct, with the aim of the sexual drive being pleasure, not limited to genital satisfaction, as the entire body is invested with libido and certain body parts are erogenous zones.
• Sexual drive (libido)


  Freud believed the sexual drive aims to reduce tension, achieved in varied ways—actively/passively, temporarily/permanently—sometimes not obviously sexual due to pleasure from different body parts.
• Forms of sex

  • Narcissism
  • Love
  • Sadism
  • Masochism
• Narcissism


  Primary narcissism: Infants are primarily self-centered, with their libido invested almost exclusively on their own ego/desires (self-love energy).

  Secondary narcissism: Narcissistic libido is then transformed into object libido (caring about others).
• Love


  Object libido develops when people invest their energy in someone or something outside themselves. Love and narcissism are closely interrelated, as people often love someone who serves as an ideal or model of what they would like to be.
• Sadism


  The need for sexual pleasure by inflicting pain or humiliation on another person
• Masochism


  Experiencing sexual pleasure from suffering pain and humiliation inflicted either by themselves or by others
• Aggression (thanatos)


  The death instinct, with the aggressive drive aiming for self-destruction and seeking to return to a state of death. It shows up in behaviors like teasing, gossip, sarcasm, humiliation, humor, and enjoying others' pain.
• Passive aggression


  Being upset or angry but showing it indirectly, such as through sarcasm or subtle behaviors, to avoid conflict
• Anxiety


  A fear of the unknown, thinking of what might happen in the future, and an unpleasant feeling accompanied by physical sensations, signaling possible danger.
• Three kinds of anxiety


  • Neurotic anxiety (from the id, about unknown danger and inner insecurities)
  • Moral anxiety (from the conflict between the ego and superego, about what is right vs. what you want)
  • Realistic anxiety (from the ego, about real possible dangers)
• Overthinking is not based on any particular basis, while anxiety is based on past experiences
• Defense mechanisms


  Unconscious denials or distortions of reality used to protect us from harm like stress or anxiety. Overusing them can lead to compulsive and neurotic behaviors.
• Hierarchy of defense mechanisms


  • Narcissistic or pathological defenses (most immature level)
  • Immature defenses
  • Neurotic defenses
  • Mature defenses
• Narcissistic or pathological defenses


  • Denial
  • Projection
• Immature defenses


  • Acting out
  • Introjection
  • Regression
  • Somatization
• Neurotic defenses


  • Displacement
  • Rationalization
  • Intellectualization
  • Reaction formation
  • Repression
• Mature defenses

  • Altruism
  • Humor
  • Anticipation
  • Sublimation
  • Suppression
• The results of using mature defenses include excellent adjustment as an adult, happiness, job satisfaction, deep and healthy relationships, better overall health, and a lower incidence of mental illness
• Stages of psychosexual development

  • Oral phase (0-1 year)
  • Anal phase (1-3 years)
  • Phallic stage (3-6 years)
  • Genital stage
• Oral phase


  The child seeks pleasure from the mouth (e.g., sucking), with the task being weaning or transition from breastfeeding to solid or liquid food. Conflicts can lead to oral fixation (e.g., overeating, smoking) or oral sadistic behaviors (e.g., aggressive feeding).
• Anal phase


  The focus is on the anus, with the task being toilet training. Conflicts can lead to anal retentiveness (e.g., excessive tidiness) or anal expulsiveness (e.g., messiness).
• Phallic stage


  The focus is on the genitals, with the task being resolution of the Oedipus or Electra complex. Conflicts can lead to castration anxiety (in boys) or penis envy (in girls).
• Fixation


  Getting stuck at a certain stage of development because of unresolved issues, like healing one's inner child.